n the fourth century it was recited by torchlight.

_Antiquity_. The Jews honoured God by special and solemn evening
service. Their feasts by God's command began in the evening. "From
evening unto evening you shall celebrate your sabbaths" (Lev. xxiii,
32). And David sang "Evening and morning and at noon I will speak and
declare" (Psalm 54:32). The eariy Christians faithfully followed
the practice.

"In the sixth century, the order of Psalms, etc., in Vespers differed
little from the Vespers in our modern Breviaries. Long before the sixth
century there were evening Offices in various forms. Its existence in
the fourth century is also confirmed by St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, St.
Basil, St. Ephraem ... Before the fourth century we find allusions to
the evening prayer in the early Fathers, Clement I. of Rome, St.
Ignatius, St. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, the Canons of
St. Hippolytus, St. Cyprian (for texts see Baumer-Biron; 1. c.t. 20 seq.
73-74, 76, 78)"--(Dorn Cabrol, _Cath. Ency._, art "Vespers").

Why do we offer up public prayer in the evening? The old liturgists
reply:--

1. To imitate the devout Christians of apostolic times.

2. To honour Jesus, the true Sun of the world, Who hid Himself at His
Incarnation, and in His life, and Whose glory was hidden in His Passion.

3. To thank Christ for the Eucharist, which He instituted in the evening
of His earthly life, ... "and they prepared the Pasch. But when it was
evening (vespere autem) He sat down with His twelve disciples" (St.
Matthew, xxvi. 20). At this vesper meeting He gave to priests the power
to offer the sacrifice of the Mass, to change bread and wine into His
body and blood. At this vesper service, too, Christ and His apostles
celebrated the divine praises, "Hymno dicto" (St. Matthew xxvi. 30).

4. In the evening our Lord's body was taken down from the cross.

5. At the approach of evening Christ appeared to His disciples at Emmaus
and revealed to them His divinity. "Stay with us because it is towards
evening (_advesperascit_) and He went in with them. He took bread and
blessed and brake and gave it to them and their eyes were opened and
they knew Him" (St. Luke xxiv. 29-30). At Vespers we thank God for the
Eucharist.

The hymns at Vespers date for the most part from the sixth century. They
are of great beauty and have the peculiar characteristic of telling of
the days of creation. Thus St. Gregory's (?) fine hymn, _Lucis Creator
optim