Cap. XVII
QUOT PSALMI PER EASDEM HORAS CANENDI SUNT

[Ms P, fol. 81v – Paulus Diaconus – 
Ps.-Basil: Ms K¹, fol. 7v; Ms E¹, fol. 92v; Ms. E2, fol. 140v]

Ch. 17
HOW MANY PSALMS ARE TO BE SUNG AT THESE HOURS

Translated by: Susan Boynton

Aptum enim ordinem tenuit S. Benedictus in eo quod superius distinxerat tempora, quibus officia divina agenda sint, et nunc subjunxit, quanti psalmi per easdem horas canendi sunt. Dicit enim: ₁Jam de nocturnis vel matutinis [page 309] digessimus ordinem psalmodiae; nunc de sequentibus horis videamus: ₂Prima hora dicantur psalmi tres singillatim et non sub una Gloria, ₃hymnus ejusdem horae post versum: Deus in adjutorium meum intende , [Ps 69.1] antequam psalmi incipiantur. ₄Post expletionem vero trium psalmorum recitetur lectio una, versus et Kyrie eleison, et missae sunt. ₅Tertia vero, sexta et nona eodem ordine celebretur: oratio, i. e. versus, hymni earundem horarum, terni psalmi, lectio, versus, Kyrie eleison et missae sunt.

Saint Benedict maintained a fitting order because further above, he had distinguished the times when the divine services are to be performed, and now he added how many psalms are to be sung during those hours. For he says: ₁We have now arranged the order of psalmody for nocturns or matins; [page 309] now let us see to the following hours: ₂At the first hour, let three psalms be said separately and not under one Gloria. ₃Let the hymn for the same hour be sung after the verse Lord, come to my aid [Ps 69:1] before the psalms are begun. ₄After the completion of the three psalms let one lesson be recited, a verse, the Kyrie eleison, and missae sunt. ₅Let the office for third, sixth, and ninth hour be said in the same order, that is, a verse, the hymns of those hours, the three psalms, the lesson, the verse, the Kyrie eleison and the dismissal.

Missae duobus modis intelligunt sapientes: fiant missae, i. e. fiant absolutiones; sive alio modo dicuntur missae transmissiones, ut attineant ad illam orationem, eo quod per officium sacerdotis orationes populi diriguntur ad Deum; unde dicit sacerdos: Exaudi Domine vocem populi tui et reliq. [cf. Ps 29:5]

Knowledgeable people understand missae in two ways: let the missae be done, that is, let absolutions be done; missae can also be called transmissions, akin to that prayer by which the prayers of the people are addressed to God through the ministry of the priest, whence the priest says: Hear, Lord, the voice of your people and so on [cf. Ps 29:5].

Sequitur: ₆Si major congregatio fuerit, cum antiphonis, si vero minor, in directum psallantur.

There follows: ₆If the community is rather large, let the psalms be sung with antiphons, but if it is small, the psalms should be sung straight through.

Congregatio ergo est, ubi duodecim fratres sunt. Bene duodecim fratres sunt congregatio, quia possunt illi suam implere legem. Verumtamen et hoc in deserto; nam prope civitatem non est bonum, tantum duodecim monachos esse sub uno abbate, quia, si omnes miseris per singula officia, non etiam plene sufficiunt ad honestatem diversorum hominum, qui ad monasterium veniunt; propterea quia est prope civitatem, major debet esse congregatio, i. e. quam duodecim. In hoc loco notandum est, quia, cum dicit B. Benedictus: si vero minor congregatio fuerit, in directum psallantur, non dicit, ut sua intentio sit, ut non etiam psallantur cum antiphonis, sed propter gravitatem, ne videatur grave esse, si minori congregationi juberet psallere cum antiphonis sicut majori. Nam major congregatio potest cum antiphonis psallere, quia possunt se invicem adjuvare; nam si minor congregatio cecinerit, non facit contra regulam, tantum ut sine murmuratione fiat.

A community exists where there are twelve brothers. Twelve brothers are properly a community since they can observe his rule. Nevertheless, this is also the case in the desert; for near a city it is not good for only twelve monks to be under one abbot since, if you should appoint them to individual duties, there are not enough for the dignity of the various men who come to the monastery; for this reason a community near a city should be larger, that is, [consisting of] more than twelve. It should be noted that in this passage that although Saint Benedict says but if the community is small, the psalms should be sung straight through, he does not say as if it were his meaning that they should not also sing the psalms with antiphons, but on account of severity, lest it seem severe of him to order a small community to sing the psalms with antiphons as he would expect a large community to do. For a larger community can sing with antiphons because they can help one other; but if a small community should also sing [with antiphons], it does not violate the rule, as long as it is done without murmuring.

Sequitur: ₇Vespertina autem synaxis quatuor psalmis cum antiphonis terminetur, ₈post quos psalmos lectio recitanda est, inde responsorium, Ambrosianus, versus, canticum de evangelio, litania et oratio dominica, et fiant missae. ₉Completorium [page 310] autem trium psalmorum dictione terminetur, qui psalmi directanei sine antiphonis dicendi sunt, ₁₀post quos hymnus ejusdem horae, lectio una, versus, Kyrie eleison, benedictio, et missae fiant, i. e. orationes sive supplicationes monachorum transmissae ad Deum.

There follows: ₇Let the evening office be limited to four psalms with antiphons, ₈after which psalms a lesson is to be recited, then a responsory, an Ambrosian hymn, a verse, a Gospel canticle, the litany and the Lord’s Prayer, and let the missae be done. ₉Compline, [page 310] however, begins with the recitation of three psalms straight through without antiphons, ₁₀followed by the hymn of that hour, one lesson, a verse, the Kyrie eleison, a blessing, and the dismissal, that is, the prayers or supplications of monks transmitted to God.

Synaxis graece, latine conventus dicitur, i. e. ubi conveniunt in simul fratres; et non solum de vespera synaxis dicitur, sed etiam de prima, tertia et reliq. Quamvis S. Benedictus de illo conventu dicat, qui in ecclesia colligitur, tamen secundum instituta et collationes Patrum de omni conventu, qui extra oratorium fiebat, synaxis dicebatur.

The Greek word synax means assembly in Latin, that is, where the brothers come together; not only the evening hour is called synax also the first, third, and other hours. Although Saint Benedict said of the assembly that it is gathered in a church, nevertheless according to the teachings and lectures of the fathers, every assembly outside the oratory was called a synax.

Nam quid sit psalmus sive hymnus atque versus necnon etiam et canticum et lectio, superius jam diximus.

We have already stated above what a psalm or hymn and verse and also a canticle and lesson is.