Prime (liturgy) - Origin

Origin

This short office is one of those whose origin is best known. Saint John Cassian, speaking of Prime, says expressly "sciendum . . . hanc matitutinam canonicam functionem nostro tempore in nostro quoque monasterio primitus institutam." ("it is to be known . . . this morning canonical function was first instituted in our time and in our monastery").

As the chronology of Cassian's works has recently been established fairly accurately, the institution of Prime must be placed towards 382. Apropos of this monastery, of which Cassian speaks as the cradle of Prime, it has now been proved that it was not St. Jerome's monastery at Bethlehem, but another, perhaps one established beyond the Tower of Ader (or of the Flock) beyond the village of the Shepherds, and consequently beyond the modern Beth-saour; it has been identified either with Deïr-er-Raouat (convent of the shepherds) or with Seiar-er-Ganhem (enclosure of the sheep).

We learn further from Cassian the reason that led to the institution of this office. The office of the night, comprising Matins and Lauds, ended then at sunrise, so that Lauds corresponded to the dawn. After the night offices at Bethlehem, as in the other Palestinian monasteries, the monks might retire afterwards to rest. As no other office called them together before Terce (Third Hour), those who were lazy seized the opportunity of prolonging their sleep till nine in the morning, instead of applying themselves to manual work or spiritual reading. To end this abuse, it was decided, in the above monastery, to continue the custom of reposing after the night office, but, to prevent an undue prolongation of sleep, the monks were recalled to choir at the hour of Prime, and after the recital of a few psalms they were to work until Terce. All this is established by authentic texts. The only difficulty is that some contemporaries of Cassian or even his predecessors, such as Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Jerome, St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom, speak of an office recited at sunrise, and which therefore would seem to be identical with Prime. But they are speaking of Lauds, which in some communities was recited later, and so was identified with the hour but not with the subject matter of Prime.