The Magnificat And The Benedictus And The Nunc Dimittis. The Three Great Canticles Of The New Testament.

The Blessed Virgin Mary

is Crowned Queen of Heaven

by Her Beloved Son,

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There are three great New Testament Canticles.

"The Magnificat"

(The Canticle of Mary).

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The Magnificat (Latin for: [My Soul] magnifies) — also known as The Song of Mary, The Canticle

of Mary and, in Byzantine Tradition, The Ode of The Theotokos; Greek: Ἡ ᾨδὴ τῆςΘεοτόκου —

is a Canticle frequently sung (or spoken) Liturgically in Christian Church Services. It is one

of the eight most ancient Christian Hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian Hymn. Its name

comes from the first word of the Latin version of The Canticle's Text.

The Text of The Canticle is taken directly from The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:46-55), where it

is spoken by The Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.

In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, the child

moves within Elizabeth's womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her Faith, Mary

sings what is now known as The Magnificat, in response.

"The Benedictus"

(Canticle of Zachary).

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The Benedictus (also known as The Song of Zechariah or The Canticle of Zachary), given in The Gospel of Luke 1:68-79, is one of the three Canticles in the opening Chapters of this Gospel, the other two being The "Magnificat" and The "Nunc Dimittis". The Benedictus was The Song of Thanksgiving uttered by Zechariah on the occasion of The Circumcision of his son, John the Baptist.

The Canticle received its name from its first words in Latin

(Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel, “Blessed be The Lord God of Israel”).

Zacharias writes down the name of his son,

John the Baptist, before singing "The Benedictus".

Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494).

Date: 1486-1490.

Current location: Tornabuoni Chapel, Florence, Italy.

Source: Web Gallery of Art

(Wikimedia Commons)

"The Nunc Dimittis"

(Canticle of Simeon).

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"The Nunc Dimittis", also known as The Song of Simeon, or The Canticle of Simeon, is a Canticle

from a New Testament Text in The Second Chapter of Luke's Gospel. It is so named after its

"Incipit" [Editor: First few words of the Text] in Latin, meaning '"Now you dismiss . . ."

(Luke 2:29–32), often used as the final Hymn in The Religious Service of Compline.

According to the narrative in Luke's Gospel, Simeon was a devout Jew who had been

promised by The Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen The Messiah.

When Mary and Joseph brought The Baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, for the

Ceremony of Consecration of The First-Born Son, Simeon was there, and he took Jesus

into his arms and uttered words rendered variously as follows.

Simeon's Song of Praise

"The Nunc Dimittis".

Artist; Aert de Gelder (1645–1727).

Date: 1700-1710.

Current location: Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis,

The Hague, Netherlands.

Source/Photographer: Unknown.

(Wikimedia Commons)

Latin (Vulgate):

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine,

secundum verbum tuum in pace:

Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum

Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:

Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

English (Douay-Rheims, 1582):

Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant,

O Lord, according to Thy word in peace;

Because my eyes have seen Thy salvation,

Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:

A light to the revelation of the Gentiles,

and the glory of Thy people Israel.