and Western Churches early made official use of the Old
Testament canticles,[8] while the Greek Church elaborated upon them in
formal metrical compositions, called _canons_, or groups of _odes_ based
upon an acrostic structure, a distinctive feature of Greek hymnody from
the seventh century.[9]

It was only natural that the hymnody of the Old Testament should have
exerted a marked influence upon Christian practice. The Old Testament
tradition was very strong. Familiar phraseology was ready at hand for the
composition of new canticles which were often mere centos from the Psalms
or other portions of the Hebrew scriptures. It should be recalled that
Christianity not only arose in the Semitic environment but also was for
some years localized chiefly in the oriental sections of the Roman
Empire, and that it was affected by oriental ideas and modes of
expression. Even after Greek and Roman influences were strongly felt,
hymnology retained this traditional Semitic character and pagan lyrics
were held in suspicion.

III. New Testament Hymns

The transition, therefore, to the canticles of the New Testament was easy
and perhaps inevitable. The _Benedictus_,

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel (_Luke 1:68-79_),

spoken by Zacharias, the _Nunc dimittis_,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace (_Luke 2:29-32_),

by Simeon, and above all the _Magnificat_,

My soul doth magnify the Lord (_Luke 1:46-55_),

from the lips of the Virgin Mother, are among the most famous of early
Christian hymns, which, together with the song of the angelic host at the
birth of Jesus, the _Gloria in excelsis_,

Glory to God in the highest (_Luke 2:14_),

appear within the Gospel narratives.

In the remaining portions of the New Testament other hymn fragments are
found. Some of these are direct quotations from known sources.[10] In the
_Book of Revelation (4:8)_, reference is made to the words of _Isaiah
(6:3)_,

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,

a passage which has survived in the Western Church in the expanded form
of the _Tersanctus_, and in the Eastern Church as the _Hymnus Angelicus_.
In the same Book (_Rev. 15:3_), the Song of Moses (_Ex. 15:1-10_) is
recalled. Some passages are considered parts of familiar pieces otherwise
unknown. The quotation in the _Epistle to the Ephesians_,

Awake thou that sleepest (_Eph. 5:14_),

may fall into this group or be conside