Abdisho bar Brikha (+ 1318)By the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ I write a brief collection of synodical canons.Section 5. On what those matters are which are established canonically for the whole community of Christians.Chapter 1 On how many prayers there are which are appointed for each of the ranks of Christians, and what they are.The Good and Merciful One, Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, knowing the weakness of our nature and its infirmities,ordered 7 times of prayer for us through the Prophets in his Godhead, and through the Apostles in his manhood andGodhead together, according to our weakness. The Ecumenical Fathers, because they too journeyed in this pathway,ordered these 7 times for Solitaries, Cenobites, and Novices. Their successors appointed that the service at each hourshould be completed with 3 Hulalas, with chaste Priests in the world and steadfast faithful who possess a love of prayer alsoobserving and being guided by this order. Consequently, the fathers who came after these, when they saw that not all laypeople were equal in the love of worship, and again sometimes their work affairs did not afford them opportunity to fulfilltheir service as ordained, moderated [the requirement], and taking into account [everyday] entanglements, as well as[human] weakness, they commanded that laymen are not allowed to absent themselves from 4 services: these are Evening[Prayer], Compline, Night [Prayer], and Morning [Prayer]. These they defined with the rule of the Word of our Lord.C.2 On whether there are various regulations for these 4 services of laymen. The order for the service of evening andmorning is canonical and cannot be shortened or lengthened. That for compline and the night is according to the monasticorder: 1 hulala is chanted [for] compline and an anthem, a short canticle, a hymn of praise, and a litany. However, byreason of the entanglements of laymen in the world, these 4 prayers were ordered for them at night, which they were alsoallowed to...