Another example of a song recorded in the New Testatement is the song of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist.  You’ll recall that the angel Gabriel had appeared to him in a vision and foretold that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to the man who would introduce the Messiah to Israel, and that John had questioned this due to his wife’s advanced age.  Gabriel then told Zechariah that he would not be able to speak until after the birth, because of his disbelief.

Eight days after the birth, just before John was to be circumcised, Zechariah wrote “His name will be John” for all to see, and immediately his tongue was loosed and he burst into song (which later came to be called the “Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel”).

The prophecy-in-song contains two parts.  The first, a song of thanksgiving for the realization of Messianic hope.  The second, an address to his newborn son John:

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us-
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Following the Magnificat (described in yesterday’s column) and the Benedictus, the third great canticle recorded in Luke’s Gospel came to be known in Church history as the ”Nuc Dimittis Servum Tuum,” found in Luke 2:29-32.  This song of praise came from Simeon, described as a “righteous and devout” Jew who had been praying and waiting for the Messiah. 

When Joseph and Mary took the baby Jesus to the temple to be consecrated, Simeon, whom the Holy Spirit had promised would not die until he had seen Christ, found Jesus in the temple courts, took him in his arms, and praised God:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”

Tomorrow we will look at passages from various epistles that scholars consider to be hymn fragments, for the reasons discussed in part two of this series.  We’ll end today with some passages written in song structure from the book of Revelation:

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.  So shall it be! Amen.

Revelation 1:5b-7

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Revelation 4:11

And they sang a new song:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”

Revelation 5:9-10

In a loud voice they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

Revelation 5:12-13

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry; and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great-
and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

Revelation 11:15-18

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
They overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”

Revelation 12:10-12

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