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The phrase 'watches of the night' has been used since at least the Book of Mishna: "watches of the night": the night-time; watch originally each of the three or four periods of time, during which a watch or guard was kept, into which the night was divided by the Jews and Romans". [1]
The fourth watch (Greek: Φυλακῇ) or guard is a word which points to the Romans changing guard every three hours of the night. These were their watches kept in cities and in armies. They changed frequently, for fear a longer watch would give an occasion to sleep. If the night was short, they divided it into three watches.
The daytime canonical hours of the Catholic Church take their names from the Roman clock: the prime, terce, sext and none occur during the first (prīma) = 6 am, third (tertia) = 9 am, sixth (sexta) = 12 pm, and ninth (nōna) = 3 pm, hours of the day. The English term noon is also derived from the ninth hour.
In Luke 12:38, the phrase "second or third watch of the night" employed in the NIV is changed to "middle of the night or toward daybreak" in the TNIV. The TNIV translators have, at times, opted for more traditional Anglo-Saxon or poetic renderings than those found in the NIV.
The night from six o'clock in the evening to six o'clock in the morning was divided into four watches or vigils of three hours each, the first, the second, the third, and the fourth vigil. [10] The Night Office is linked to Psalm 119:62 : "At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments."
The tradition of Watch Night services in the United States dates back to Dec. 31, 1862, when many Black Americans gathered in churches and other venues, waiting for President Abraham Lincoln to ...
Etching by Jan Luyken illustrating the parable, from the Bowyer Bible.. The Parable of the Faithful Servant (or Parable of the Door Keeper) is a parable of Jesus found in Matthew 24:42-51, Mark 13:34-37, and Luke 12:35-48 about how it is important for the faithful to keep watch.
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