www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Other Sacramental Mysteries Do Orthodox Christians have Canonical hours?

I know Roman Catholics have some setup where they at some certain time pray, it can also include individual and have books called "Breviary". Just wondering if Orthodox Christians have something similar? Or if prayers works differently than Catholics.

Yes they do. It's in a book called a horologion. However, you need a few different books for all the propers and stuff.

And one can look up Fr John Whiteford's "Orthodox Liturgical Resources" for an excellent online outline of the Byzantine Hours with many propers available there too. Then there is the "Dynamic Horologion and Psalter" which brings us the Hours in both new and old calendars with the daily propers built right in.

One may also Google the "Coptic Agpeya" for the Coptic Church's Horologion of seven daily Hours which are long, but one prays the unchanging prayers that comprise each Hour (composed of 12 psalms per hour - including seven extra psalms for the First Hour and three separate services for the Midnight Hour each with 12 psalms).

Then there are the ways in which one may substitute other prayers for the Eastern Hours such as a Kathisma division of the psalter which can replace any of the Hours, except for Matins which, at a minimum, requires two or three Kathismata.

Each Kathisma can be replaced by 300 Jesus prayers per Kathisma and so each Hour may be replaced by 300 Prayers and 600 Prayers for Matins.

Alex