BENEDICTUS. - Canticle that Zechariah uttered at the birth of his son John the Precursor (Lk. 1:67-79), so named from the first word in the Latin version. It can be divided into two parts: the first (vv. 68-75) contains a praise of God: 1) for having already begun the work of redemption (vv. 68-69); 2) for his faithfulness in fulfilling the promises (vv. 70-75). The second (vv. 76-79) is devoted to the child, of whom it is said: 1) that he will be the precursor of the Messiah (v. 76); 2) that his office will be to announce the messianic salvation (v. 77); 3) that the cause of such salvation is the mercy of God (vv. 78-79).

In substance, the B. is modeled on the prophecies of the Old Testament; yet it is a prophecy strictly so called only in vv. 76-77. Similarities have been noted with the Jewish prayer known as the Sémônèh 'eirèh. The authenticity of the B. is bound up with the historical value of the Infancy Gospel (v.). Its great antiquity emerges from its very content, which does not linger to describe the person of the Messiah and his human career.

Domenico Trisoglio

@incollection{ec2_benedictus, author = {Trisoglio, Domenico}, title = {Benedictus}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {1299}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/benedictus} }

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