Compline or Complin is the final church service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The term is pronounced "Comp'-lin" and is sometimes also called Night Prayer or Prayers at the End of the Day. Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the liturgical day. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, and certain other Christian denominations with liturgical traditions prescribe Compline services. Compline tends to be a contemplative office that emphasizes spiritual peace. Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time (also called offices), developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between prayers. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round (also called offices). Canonical hours also refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Liturgy of the... It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Luthers seal Lutheranism is a Christian tradition based upon the main theological insights of Martin Luther. ... From the Greek word λειτουργια, which can be transliterated as leitourgia, meaning the work of the people, a liturgy comprises a prescribed religious ceremony, according to the traditions of a particular religion; it may refer to, or include, an elaborate formal ritual (such as the Catholic Mass), a daily activity such...

In the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, Compline is divided as follows: introduction, brief examination of conscience and penitential rite, a hymn, psalmody with accompanying antiphons, scriptural reading, the responsory, the Canticle of Simeon, concluding prayer, and benediction; the final antiphon to the Blessed Virgin Mary is an essential part of the office. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Liturgy of the Hours is particularly popular in monastic communities. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... This article is about the musical term. ... The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hÄ“ biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture, Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their (differing but overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ... Nunc Dimittis is the Latin name of the passage in the second chapter of Luke that is commonly called the Canticle of Simeon. ... A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually after a church worship service. ... This article is about the musical term. ... Blessed Virgin Mary A traditional Catholic picture sometimes displayed in homes. ...

In Anglican tradition, an order for Compline is given as follows in the Church of England's (un-ratified) 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer: the opening sentences, the confession of sins, the psalms and other Bible lessons, and prayers, including a benediction. It is found in a similar form in the 1979 BCP of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. (ECUSA), among others. The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... 1979 ECUSABCP The Book of Common Prayer is foundational prayer book of the Church of England and also the name for similar books used in other churches in the Anglican Communion. ... The Episcopal Church may refer to several members of the Anglican Communion, including: Episcopal Church in the United States of America Scottish Episcopal Church Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East Episcopal Church of Cuba idk of the Sudan Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church ... The Episcopal Church or the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America is the American Church of the Anglican Communion. ...

Historical development of Compline before the Second Vatican Council

This section incorporates information from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1917. References to psalms follow the numbering system of the Septuagint, and said in the Latin of the Vulgate. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, (Vatican two) was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh. ... The Septuagint (LXX) is the name commonly given in the West to the Koine Greek Alexandrine text of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh/Old Testament) produced some time between the third to first century BC. The Septuagint Bible includes additional books of the old Jewish canon beyond those contained in the... It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ... The Vulgate Bible is an early 5th century translation of the Bible into Latin made by St. ...

The term Compline (Complin) is derived from the Latin completorium, complement, and has been given to this particular Hour because Compline is, as it were, the completion of all the Hours of the day: the close of the day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St. Benedict in his Rule (cc. xvi, xvii, xviii, and xlii), and he even uses the verb complere to signify Compline: "Omnes ergo in unum positi compleant"; "et exuentes a completorio" (xlii). The Hour of Compline, such as it now appears in the Roman Breviary, may be divided into several parts, viz.: the beginning or introduction, the psalmody, with its usual accompaniment of anthems, the hymn, the capitulum, the response, the evangelical canticle, the prayer, and the benediction. It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round (also called offices). Canonical hours also refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Liturgy of the... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round (also called offices). Canonical hours also refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Liturgy of the... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... This article is about Saint Benedict of Nursia, for other uses of the name Benedict see Benedict (disambiguation) Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. ... St Benedict of Nursia The Rule of St Benedict by Benedict of Nursia (fl. ... A breviary (from Latin brevis, short or concise) is a liturgical book containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially for priests, in the Divine Office (i. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... An anthem is a choral composition to an English religious text sung in church services. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... Nunc Dimittis is the Latin name of the passage in the second chapter of Luke that is commonly called the Canticle of Simeon. ... A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually after a church worship service. ...

The origin of Compline has recently given rise to considerable discussion among liturgists. General opinion, which is also that of Bäumer and Batiffol, ascribes the origin of this Hour to St. Benedict, in the beginning of the 6th century. It was St. Benedict who first gave it this name; he decided also that this Hour should consist of three psalms (4, 90, and 133) to be said without anthems, the hymn, the lesson, the versicle Kyrie eleison, the benediction, and the dismissal (ch. xvii and xviii). But Father Pargoire and, later still, A. Vandepitte oppose this opinion and seek a more ancient origin for this Hour. A text in Callinicus (between 447 and 450), first introduced in Father Pargoire's argument, informs us that between Vespers and the night Office there was celebrated in the East a canonical Hour called in this text prothypnia, because it preceded the first sleep, being nothing but what the Greeks of to-day call apodeipnon, on account of the meal it follows. However, in the thirty-seventh question of his rules, St. Basil, also, speaks of an intermediate Hour between Vespers and the night Office. Father Pargoire therefore disputes the assertion that St. Benedict was the originator of Compline, being rather disposed to trace its source to St. Basil. In the article mentioned Father Vandepitte confirms these conclusions; nevertheless he states, in the clearest terms, that it was not in Cæsarea in 375, but in his retreat in Pontus (358-362), that Basil established Compline, which Hour did not exist prior to his time, that is, until shortly after the middle of the 4th century. Dom Plaine also traced the source of Compline back to the fourth century, finding mention of it in a passage in Eusebius and in another in St. Ambrose, and also in John Cassian. These passages have been critically examined, and Fathers Pargoire and Vandepitte have proved that before St. Basil's time the custom of reciting Compline was unknown. At any rate, even if these texts do not express all that Dom Plaine says they do, at least they bear witness to the private custom of saying a prayer before retiring to rest. If this was not the canonical Hour of Compline, it was certainly a preliminary step towards it. The same writers reject the opinion of Ladeuze and Dom Besse, both of whom believe that Compline had a place in the Rule of St. Pachomius, which would mean that it originated still earlier in the fourth century. It is not necessary to enter into this discussion, but it might be possible to conciliate these different sentiments by stating that, if it be an established fact that St. Basil instituted and organized the Hour of Compline for the East, as St. Benedict did for the West, there existed as early as the days of St. Cyprian and Clement of Alexandria the custom of reciting a prayer before sleep, in which practice we find the most remote origin of our Compline. But let the result of this discussion be what it may, it cannot be denied that St. Benedict invested the Hour of Compline with its liturgical character and arrangement, which were preserved in the Benedictine Order and almost completely adopted by the Roman Church; it is hardly to be believed, as Dom Plaine maintains, that the Hour of Compline, at least such as it now exists in the Roman Breviary, antedated the Benedictine Office. In default of other proof, it may be noted that the Benedictine Office gives evidence of a less advanced liturgical condition, as we have seen that it consists of a few very simple elements. The Roman Office of Compline is richer and more complicated. To the simple Benedictine psalmody—modified, however, by the insertion of a fourth psalm (30), "In te Domine speravi"--it adds the solemn introduction of a benediction with a reading [perhaps the spiritual reading which, in St. Benedict, precedes Compline (ch. xlii of the Rule)], and the confession and absolution of faults. But what endows the Roman Compline with a distinctive character and greater solemnity is, to say nothing of the ending, the addition of the beautiful response, In manus tuas, Domine, with the evangelical canticle Nunc Dimittis and its anthem, which is very characteristic. It is really difficult to understand why St. Benedict, whose liturgical taste favoured solemnity in the Office, should have sacrificed these elements, especially the evangelical canticle. By way of liturgical variety the service of initium noctis may also be studied in the Celtic Liturgy, such as it is read in the Antiphonary of Bangor, its plan being set forth by Warren and by Bishop. Under the title of Apodeipnon (after meals), the Greeks have an Hour that corresponds to our Latin Compline; it is very long and complicated, and its description may be seen in Father Pétridès' article, cited below. This Apodeipnon, or Grand Apodeipnon, appears in an abridged form, or Small Apodeipnon.pp This article is about Saint Benedict of Nursia, for other uses of the name Benedict see Benedict (disambiguation) Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. ... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... An anthem is a choral composition to an English religious text sung in church services. ... A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... Kyrie is a Greek word that means Lord or Oh, Lord. ... A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually after a church worship service. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Vigils is a term for night prayer in ancient Christianity. ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions which developed in Greece, the Balkans, the rest of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, northeastern Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity. ... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round (also called offices). Canonical hours also refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Liturgy of the... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Basil (ca. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Nocturns (Latin: Nocturni or Nocturna) are an ancient form of Christian night prayer. ... Caesarea Mazaca (modern Kayseri) is an ancient town of Anatolia which served as the residence of the kings of Cappadocia. ... Events The Huns invade Europe. ... After the colonisation of the Anatolian shores by the Ionian Greeks, Pontus soon became a name which was applied, in ancient times, to extensive tracts of country in the northeast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) bordering on the Euxine (Black Sea), which was often called simply Pontos (the Main), by... Events Earthquake in Nicaea. ... Events February 21 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... Eusebius is the name of several significant historical people: Pope Eusebius - Pope in AD 309 - 310. ... Saint Ambrose, Latin Sanctus Ambrosius, Italian SantAmbrogio (circa 340 - April 4, 397), bishop of Milan, was one of the most eminent fathers of the Christian church in the 4th century. ... John Cassian (c. ... Pachomius, who died around AD 345 in Tabennisi, Egypt, was one of the founders of Christian monasticism. ... Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions which developed in Greece, the Balkans, the rest of Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, northeastern Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity. ... This article is about Saint Benedict of Nursia, for other uses of the name Benedict see Benedict (disambiguation) Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. ... Latin Rite, in the singular and accompanied, in English, by the definite article (The Latin Rite), is a term by which documents of the Catholic Church designate the particular Church, distinct from the Eastern Rite Churches, that developed in western Europe and northern Africa, where Latin was the language of... Saint Cyprian (Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus) (died September 14, 258) bishop of Carthage and an important early Christian writer, was born probably at the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received an excellent pagan education; having converted to Christianity, he became a bishop (249... Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. ... The longest lasting of the western Catholic monastic orders, the Benedictine Order traces its origins to the adoption of the monastic life by St. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... A breviary (from Latin brevis, short or concise) is a liturgical book containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially for priests, in the Divine Office (i. ... A Benedictine is a person who follows the Rule of St Benedict. ... The Liturgy of the Hours is particularly popular in monastic communities. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... St Benedict of Nursia The Rule of St Benedict by Benedict of Nursia (fl. ... A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. ... Nunc Dimittis is the Latin name of the passage in the second chapter of Luke that is commonly called the Canticle of Simeon. ... An anthem is a choral composition to an English religious text sung in church services. ... // How Christianity Reached the Area One part of Britain, indeed, derived a great part of its Christianity from post-Patrician Irish missions. ... The Antiphonary of Bangor is an ancient Latin manuscript, supposed to have been originally written at Bangor, County Down (Northern Ireland). ... It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ...

See also

• Divine Office
• Canonical hours
• Invitatory
• Matins
• Lauds
• Terce
• Sext
• None
• Vespers
• Vigils
• Nocturns

• Lord's Prayer
• Doxology
• Kyrie

Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time (also called offices), developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between prayers. ... Canonical hours are ancient divisions of time, developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round (also called offices). Canonical hours also refer to the official set of prayer of the Roman Catholic Church that is known variously as the Liturgy of the... The Invitatory is a psalm, traditionally numbered 94 in the Septuagint or 95 in the Masoretic text , used to start Matins in the Divine Office. ... For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Lauds is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. ... Terce is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the almost all the Christian liturgies. ... Sext is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Vigils is a term for night prayer in ancient Christianity. ... Nocturns (Latin: Nocturni or Nocturna) are an ancient form of Christian night prayer. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Lords Prayer The Lords Prayer, sometimes also known amongst English speakers as the Paternoster, a term derived from the first two words in Latin versions, is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity. ... A doxology is a short hymn of praise to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. ... Kyrie is the vocative case of the Greek word κύριος (kyrios - lord) and means O Lord. ...

External links

• An Office for Compline (United Methodist) (PDF)
• Liturgy of the Hours (Roman Catholic)
• An Order for Compline from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (ECUSA)

This article incorporates text from the public domain Catholic Encyclopedia. The Liturgy of the Hours is particularly popular in monastic communities. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Lauds is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. ... Prime is a fixed time of prayer of the traditional Divine Office, said at 6 a. ... Terce is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the almost all the Christian liturgies. ... Sext is a fixed time of prayer of the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia (also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia today) is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by the The Encyclopedia Press, designed to give authoritative information on the entire cycle of Catholic interests, action and doctrine. // History The writing of the encyclopedia began on January 11...