day set apart for the worship of God received the most distinctive
character as day of rest (_Heortology_, p. 2). Hence the early
Christians called the days of the week _feriae_.

Why did the Church adopt the word _feriae_? She wished to mark the day
of the week and not to name them by their pagan name (_e.g., dies
lunae_) nor by their Jewish names (_e.g., prima sabbati_), which should
be a sort of recognition of the dead and dying synagogue. Hence she
adopted the word _feria_, to denote the Christian rest in the Lord, the
Christian peace and the abstinence from all sin, and that each and every
day should be consecrated to God. The Christian use of the word is found
in Origen (185-254) and was fully established in the time of Tertullian.

In the time of Amalare (circa 830) the ferial office had taken a
well-defined form, Matins having twelve psalms and six antiphons. In
Lauds of every _feria_ were recited the psalms, _Miserere; Deus, Deus
meus; Deus misereatur nostri_; a canticle drawn from a prophet and
varying each day of the week (_e.g., Confitebor_, Isaias xii., for
Monday's Lauds; _Ego dixi_, Isaias xxxviii., for Tuesday's Lauds,
etc., and the two psalms _Laudate_ (148, 150) and the _Cantate_, psalm
149). In the small hours the Sunday psalms without antiphons were
recited. Vespers had daily, fixed psalms. At each hour the _Kyrie
Eleison_ and ferial _prayers_ were said on bended knees and the hours
terminated--as do the hours of Holy Week still--with _Pater Noster and
Miserere_.

Ferias are divided into three classes, major ferias, privileged ferias
and non-privileged. Ash Wednesday and the three last days of Holy Week
are the major ferias which are privileged and exclude all feasts (_vide_
Tit. II., sec. 2). Non-privileged feriae are the feriae of Lent and