IDEA OF THE BREVIARY.

_Etymology_.--The word, Breviary, comes from an old Latin word,
_Breviarium_, an abridgment, a compendium. The name was given to
the Divine Office, because it is an abridgment or abstract made from
holy scripture, the writings of the Fathers, the lives of the Saints.
The word had various meanings assigned to it by early Christian writers,
but the title, Breviary, as it is employed to-day--that is, a book
containing the entire canonical office--appears to date from the
eleventh century. Probably it was first used in this sense to denote
the abridgment made by Pope Saint Gregory VII. (1013-1085), about the
year 1080.

_Definition_.--The Breviary may be defined as "the collection of
vocal prayers established by the Church, which must be recited daily by
persons deputed for that purpose."

_Explanation of the Definition_.--"Prayers," this word includes not
only the prayers properly so called, but also, the whole matter of the
divine office. "Vocal," the Church orders the vocal recitation, the
pronunciation of each word. "Established by the Church," to distinguish
the official prayers of obligation from those which the faithful may
choose according to their taste. "Which must be recited," for the
recitation is strictly obligatory. "Daily," the Church has fixed these
prayers for every day of the year, and even for certain hours of the
day. "By persons deputed for that purpose," therefore, persons in holy
orders recite these prayers not in their own name, but as
representatives of the universal Church.

_Different Names for the Breviary_.--This book which is, with us,