Folia Theologica et Canonica 4. 26/18 (2015)

IUS CANONICUM - Szabolcs Anzelm Szuromi, O.Praem., The systematic development of the Liturgy of Hours during the first centuries - based on the Jewish and Christian tradition

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SZABOLCS ANZELM SZUROMI, O.PRAEM.

four centuries.2 This daily prayerful activity and the many theological interpretations correlating with that particular prayer of the Church had gradually crystallized as structuralized form of prayer of the Church. It is called Divine Office, or by later terminology: the Liturgy of Hours. The Catholic Church still prays this ancient liturgy - reformed at several times throughout the centuries - as one of the oldest link to the Jewish prayerful - liturgical life.

I. The Psalms in the religious life of Israel

The Hebrew text of the Old Testament contains 150 Psalms (the Septuaginta has 151 and even the numeration is altered as compared with the so called Ma- soretic text; the Latin Vulgata also follows the numeration of this text-form).3 Citing Huba Rózsa’s summarizing statement regarding the original date of the corpus of Psalms, we can say “some part of the Psalms springs without doubt from the time before the Babylonian captivity. The recent researches support the antiquity of the Psalm-poetry in the Ancient East, even in Israel.”4 It is well approved by those results which have been discovered concerning the early time of Israel, including the age of settlement of the Israelite tribes, when the pre-Israelite community was located at the Middle-Palestine highland. The reciting their several daily prayers - consecrating every section of the day - was a basic liturgical activity of every family at the Middle-Palestine highland which kept together the community in faith of the only one recognized God.5 This custom later on should make a strong, essential and indispensable influence on the liturgy of the Temple of Jerusalem. Based on Hermann Gunkel’s (t 1932) research is clear that the very location of the Psalm-poetry is the divine worship, the cult; nevertheless, he identified some Psalms which were made for the expression of personal devotion.6 We classify five genres of psalms: lamenting- psalms (personal, collective); praising-psalms; hymnal-psalms; royal-psalms; and finally as the fifth a miscellaneous category which contains historical-psalms, liturgical-psalms, prophetical admonitions, and psalms of wisdom.7 It seems that every single category has relation to the cult and to the divine worship. The above indicated correlation crystal-clearly supported by Psalm 118(119): 161 — 168 “Lies I hate and detest / but your love. / Seven times a day I praise you /

2 E.g., Lang, J. P., Dictionary of the Liturgy, New York 1989. 361.

3 Rózsa, H., Az. ószövetség keletkezése. Bevezetés az Ószövetség könyveinek irodalom- és hagyománytörténetébe, II. Budapest 19967 321-322.

4 Rózsa, H., Az ószövetség keletkezése, II. 328-329.

5 Albright, W. F., From the Stone Age to Christianity, New York 1957.: 209-236.

6 Cf. Gunkel, H., Ausgewählte Psalmen, Göttingen 1917.4

7 Rózsa, H., Az ószövetség keletkezése, II. 335-342.