This Sunday marks the start, in the Benedictine Office, of the post-Easter cycle of readings, which starts with the four books of Kings (or Samuel I&II and Kings I&II if you prefer).
The inner logic of the reading cycle
There is, it should be noted, a chronological basis for the current reading cycle, which dates back to (at least) the eighth century.
The Matins reading cycle in the Roman and Benedictine Offices, you will recall, started with Genesis in Septuagesimatide, and originally took in the first seven books of the Bible over Lent.
Eastertide took as to the narrative of the aftermath of the Resurrection, in Acts, as well as to last books of the New Testament, the Catholic Epistles and Revelation.
After Easter, we turn to the book of Kings, which effectively picks up from the narrative of Jewish history read during Lent, and deals with the institution of the kings of Israel, to the destruction of the kingdom and the Exile.
Kings is the start of a cycle, which extends from June onwards, that was thought to correspond to four great world monarchies (according to Eusebius and Jerome, and spelt out in Amalarius' commentary on the responsories), namely the Assyrians, the Persians, the Macedonians and the Romans. [1]
The books of Kings can be seen as setting out types for the struggles of the Church Militant, and foretelling and foreshadowing the creation of the true and eternal kingdom of God, yet to be fully realised, above all with David as a type of Christ.
The earlier (?Benedictine) cycle...
In the earliest reading cycle we have preserved for Rome, though, the readings after Eastertide also included Chronicles (which extends the history of the Jewish people up to the authorisation for the restoration of the Temple and Jerusalem). [2]
The evidence we have for this cycle associates it with St Peter's, and the later one, still used in the 1962 Office, with the Lateran. It is possible though, that the earlier cycle was originally more widely used, but then superseded by an eighth century reorganisation of the Matins readings. [3]
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the older cycle recorded (in Ordos XIV and XVI), is that the reading of Kings and Chronicles continued up to the middle of autumn (mid-November), providing a much lighter reading schedule for the summer months, consistent with the Rule's omission of weekday readings at Matins (and the prohibition on reading Kings after dinner lest it disturb weak minds, in RB 42).
The responsories used during June and July still seem to reflect traces of this earlier, more expansive cycle, including some texts from Chronicles, as the table below illustrates.
The second and third Nocturn readings
Just how many Sundays are devoted to the books of Samuel/Kings each year depends on the date of Easter (and hence Pentecost): this year there are seven Sundays (ie up the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost); the theoretical maximum is eleven. I have included the full possible list for reference purposes in the table below.
Notes
[1] Amalarius of Metz, Liber de Ordine Antiphonarii, PL 105: 1245-; For an interesting discussion of the context, see Graeme Ward (2018), "The Order of History: Liturgical Time and the Rhythms of the Past in Amalarius of Metz's De ordine antiphonarii", in Elina Screen; Charles West (eds.), Writing the Early Medieval West, Cambridge University Press, pp. 98–112.
[2] Ordos XIV and XVI in Michel Andrieu (ed), Les ordines romani du haut moyen age, vol 2, 1961.
[3] Maiani, Brad, Readings and Responsories: The Eighth-Century Night Office Lectionary and the Responsoria Prolixa, The Journal of Musicology, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Spring, 1998), pp. 254-282. The reorganisation of the Matins reading cycle in this period would also help explain why Monte Cassino initially followed the Roman practice of weekday readings in summer rather than St Benedict's prescriptions on the subject.
The inner logic of the reading cycle
There is, it should be noted, a chronological basis for the current reading cycle, which dates back to (at least) the eighth century.
The Matins reading cycle in the Roman and Benedictine Offices, you will recall, started with Genesis in Septuagesimatide, and originally took in the first seven books of the Bible over Lent.
Eastertide took as to the narrative of the aftermath of the Resurrection, in Acts, as well as to last books of the New Testament, the Catholic Epistles and Revelation.
After Easter, we turn to the book of Kings, which effectively picks up from the narrative of Jewish history read during Lent, and deals with the institution of the kings of Israel, to the destruction of the kingdom and the Exile.
Kings is the start of a cycle, which extends from June onwards, that was thought to correspond to four great world monarchies (according to Eusebius and Jerome, and spelt out in Amalarius' commentary on the responsories), namely the Assyrians, the Persians, the Macedonians and the Romans. [1]
The books of Kings can be seen as setting out types for the struggles of the Church Militant, and foretelling and foreshadowing the creation of the true and eternal kingdom of God, yet to be fully realised, above all with David as a type of Christ.
The earlier (?Benedictine) cycle...
In the earliest reading cycle we have preserved for Rome, though, the readings after Eastertide also included Chronicles (which extends the history of the Jewish people up to the authorisation for the restoration of the Temple and Jerusalem). [2]
The evidence we have for this cycle associates it with St Peter's, and the later one, still used in the 1962 Office, with the Lateran. It is possible though, that the earlier cycle was originally more widely used, but then superseded by an eighth century reorganisation of the Matins readings. [3]
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the older cycle recorded (in Ordos XIV and XVI), is that the reading of Kings and Chronicles continued up to the middle of autumn (mid-November), providing a much lighter reading schedule for the summer months, consistent with the Rule's omission of weekday readings at Matins (and the prohibition on reading Kings after dinner lest it disturb weak minds, in RB 42).
The responsories used during June and July still seem to reflect traces of this earlier, more expansive cycle, including some texts from Chronicles, as the table below illustrates.
Position
On Sundays (Benedictine 1962)
|
Position
notes,
cantus
|
Incipit
|
R source
|
1
|
Roman Monday1/Thurs
|
Praeparate corda vestra
|
1 (Sam) Kings 7:3
|
2
|
Roman Monday 2/Thurs
|
Deus omnium exauditor
|
1 Kings 13:17, 37
|
3
|
omitted
|
Deus omnium exauditor
|
[Ps 151 (Apoc)] v=1 Kings 17:37
|
4
|
Roman Monday 3/Fri
|
Dominus, qui eripuit me
|
1 Kings 17, 37
|
5
|
Roman Tuesday/Fri 1
|
Percussit Saul mille
|
1 Kings 18:7; 21:11; 29:5; Sirach 47:4-8
|
6
|
Roman Tuesday/Fri 2
|
Montes Gelboe
|
2 Kings 1:19-21
|
7
|
Roman Tuesday/Fri 3
|
Ego te tuli
|
2 Kings 7, 8
|
8
|
Roman Wed/Sat 2; Monpp4 on
|
Exaudísti Dómine
|
3 Kings 8, 20
|
9
|
Roman Wed/Sat1
|
Peccávi super númerum
|
Oratio Manasse
|
10
|
Roman Wed /Sat3; Rom mon pp4 on no 3
|
Audi, Dómine, hymnum
|
3 Kings 8, 28-29
|
11
|
Omitted
|
Dómine, si convérsus
|
3 Kings 8, 42-43.48
|
Rom Mon post Epiph 4 onwards
|
Recordare Domine
|
1 Para 21:15-17
|
|
Rom Tues post Epiph. 4 on
|
Domine si conversus
|
2 Para 6:24-25
|
|
Roman Tues pp4 on
|
Factum est
|
4 Kings 2:12, 11
|
Just how many Sundays are devoted to the books of Samuel/Kings each year depends on the date of Easter (and hence Pentecost): this year there are seven Sundays (ie up the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost); the theoretical maximum is eleven. I have included the full possible list for reference purposes in the table below.
Sunday/Feast
|
Nocturn I
|
Nocturn II
|
Nocturn III
|
Gospel
|
PP2 (within the Octave of Corpus Christi)
|
1 Kings (Samuel) 1
|
Chrysostom - Ex Hom. 60 ad pop. Antioch
|
Gregory the Great – Homily 36 on the Gospels
|
Lk 14:16-24
|
[Sacred Heart]
|
Encyclical Letter of Pope Pius XI
|
Bonaventure
|
Jn 19: 31-37]
|
|
PP3
|
1 Sam 9-10
|
St Gregory (attrib)
|
St Gregory
|
Lk 15: 1-10
|
PP4
|
1 Sam 17
|
Caesarius Sermon 121
|
Ambrose On Luke
|
Lk 5:1-11
|
PP5
|
[2 Sam 1
|
Gregory on Job 4:4
|
Augustine Sermon on the Mount
|
Mt 5:20-24
|
PP6
|
2 Sam 12
|
Ambrose Apologia David
|
Ambrose on Lk 6
|
Mk 8:1-9
|
PP7
|
1 Kings 1
|
Jerome letter to Neotianum
|
Hilary on Mt 6
|
Mt 7:15-21
|
PP8
|
1 Kings 9
|
Augustine City of God 17:8
|
Jerome letter 121 to Algasiam
|
Lk 16:1-9
|
PP9
|
2 Kings 1
|
Caesarius Sermon 124
|
Gregory Hom 39 on Gospels
|
Lk 19:41-47
|
PP10
|
2 Kings 9
|
Chrysostom on Romans Hom 25
|
Augustine Hom 115
|
Lk 18:9-14
|
PP11
|
2 Kings 20]
|
Jerome on Isaiah Bk 11:38
|
Gregory Homilies on Ezekiel no 1
|
Mark 7:31-37
|
Notes
[1] Amalarius of Metz, Liber de Ordine Antiphonarii, PL 105: 1245-; For an interesting discussion of the context, see Graeme Ward (2018), "The Order of History: Liturgical Time and the Rhythms of the Past in Amalarius of Metz's De ordine antiphonarii", in Elina Screen; Charles West (eds.), Writing the Early Medieval West, Cambridge University Press, pp. 98–112.
[2] Ordos XIV and XVI in Michel Andrieu (ed), Les ordines romani du haut moyen age, vol 2, 1961.
[3] Maiani, Brad, Readings and Responsories: The Eighth-Century Night Office Lectionary and the Responsoria Prolixa, The Journal of Musicology, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Spring, 1998), pp. 254-282. The reorganisation of the Matins reading cycle in this period would also help explain why Monte Cassino initially followed the Roman practice of weekday readings in summer rather than St Benedict's prescriptions on the subject.
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