The apocryphal addition to the Book of Daniel, known as the Song of the
Three Holy Children, may be considered with Old Testament lyrics.
Comprising sixty-seven verses, it was added to _Daniel 3:23_, but,
strictly speaking, its date, author and original language are unknown. It
is probable that it is of Hebrew authorship and belongs to the first
century, B. C. Its use, however, is unquestioned.[6] The first part,
Blessed art Thou, O Lord of our fathers,
is the familiar _Benedictus es, Domine_; and the second part,
O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord,
is the _Benedicite, omnia opera_.
The term _canticle_, mentioned above, has been applied in a general sense
to such lyrics from the Old Testament and also from the New. "In
practice," says James Mearns, "it means those Songs of Holy Scripture
which have been selected for ecclesiastical use and are appended to, or
incorporated with, the Psalter or other parts of the Divine Office."[7]
Both Eastern 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.