Liturgy of the Hours: Origin, history & Introduction – Video 10

 Liturgy and Sacraments Video #10. Dr. Italy discusses the origins, history and developement of the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office in the daily prayers and temple sacrifices of Ancient Israel.  It then goes on to explain how the Liturgy of the hours changed to acquire a specifically new Christian meaning, and the history of how it developed in the life of the Church from the first century through the present.

While many think of the Liturgy of the Hours aka the Divine Office as something priests, nuns and monks do, the history of the liturgy of the hours reveals that it originated in ancient Israel as a way of the entire People of God could sanctify the day and participate in the daily Temple sacrifices.  In this video lecture, the history of those early Jewish origins are examined.  Dr Italy then looks at how those prayers, prayed by Jesus, Joseph, Mary and the apostles, were transformed in meaning by the death and resurrection of Christ, how then how they subsequently developed in the first four centuries as the prayer of the entire people of God.  Next we see how, due to the breakdown of civilization and literacy in the West, the Roman office gradually became something only choir monks and nuns and clerics did.  Finally, we learn how the Second Vatican Council called for a reform of the Roman Divine Office to make it once again the prayer of the entire people of God.

This video is the tenth session of Theology 552 of the Catholic Distance University course Liturgy and Sacraments on the Origin, history and development of the Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office.

For the previous video (9) in the series, click here.

For the next video (11) in the series, click here.