The Inter-Hours (; ; ) are brief services in the
Daily Office
In the practice of Christianity, canonical hours mark the divisions of the day in terms of fixed times of prayer at regular intervals. A book of hours, chiefly a breviary, normally contains a version of, or selection from, such prayers.
In t ...
of the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
and
Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to:
* The Catholic Church in Greece
* The Eastern Catholic Churches
The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...
Churches. The Inter-Hours are called for during the Lenten seasons of the Church year. They are styled after the
Little Hours
In Christianity, the Little Hours or minor hours are the canonical hours other than the three major hours.
In the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Indian Orthodox Church (two denominations in Oriental Orthodox Christianity) these fixed prayer tim ...
—
First Hour,
Third Hour,
Sixth Hour, and
Ninth Hour—only briefer.
The Inter-Hours are called for during the Lesser Fasts (
Nativity Fast
In Christianity, the Nativity Fast—or Fast of the Prophets in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church—is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churc ...
, and the
Apostles' Fast. According to ''Nikolsky Ustav'', they are to be read during
Great Lent
Great Lent, or the Great Fast (Greek language, Greek: Μεγάλη Τεσσαρακοστή, ''Megali Tessarakosti'' or Μεγάλη Νηστεία, ''Megali Nisteia'', meaning "Great 40 Days", and "Great Fast", respectively), is the most impor ...
if the ''
Ladder of Divine Ascent'' is not read during the Little Hours.
Each Inter-Hour follows one of the Little Hours is named for the Hour it follows (i.e., the Inter-Hour of the First Hour, etc.). The structure of each Inter-Hour is as follows:
*O come, let us worship...
*Three
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( , ; ; ; ; , in Islam also called Zabur, ), also known as the Psalter, is the first book of the third section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) called ('Writings'), and a book of the Old Testament.
The book is an anthology of B ...
(these are fixed for the particular Inter-Hour, and do not vary from day to day)
*
Trisagion
The ''Trisagion'' (; 'Thrice Holy'), sometimes called by its incipit ''Agios O Theos'', is a standard hymn of the Divine Liturgy in most of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox, Western Orthodox, Oriental Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox, an ...
and the
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father (, ), is a central Christian prayer attributed to Jesus. It contains petitions to God focused on God’s holiness, will, and kingdom, as well as human needs, with variations across manusc ...
*
Troparia
*Lord, have mercy (40 times)
*Concluding prayers and blessing
*
Prayer of St. Ephraim
*Final prayer
*Dismissal by the Priest
[If another service immediately follows the Hour, there will be no dismissal.]
The Fixed Psalms are as follows:
*Inter-Hour of the First Hour—45, 91, 92 (
LXX)
*Inter-Hour of the Third Hour—29, 31, 60
*Inter-Hour of the Sixth Hour—55, 56, 69
*Inter-Hour of the Ninth Hour—112, 137, 139
The Inter-Hours are only done on "days with Alleluia"; that is to say, days when the services follow a Lenten format and, as a result, the
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service.
The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...
may not be celebrated. According to present-day usage, the Inter-Hours are often said only on the first day of the Lesser Fasts.
Notes
{{Reflist
Little Hours
Byzantine Rite