BENEDICTUS. - The canticle pronounced by Zacharias at the birth of his son Giovanni the Forerunner (Lc. 1, 67-79), so called from its first word in the Latin version. It may be divided into two parts: the first (vv. 68-75) contains praise of God: 1) because He had already begun the work of redemption (vv. 68-69); 2) because of 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 proclaim messianic salvation (v. 77); 3) that the cause of such salvation is the mercy of God (vv. 78-79).
In substance, the B. is modelled on the prophecies of the Old Testament; nevertheless, it is a prophecy in the strict sense only in vv. 76-77. Similarities have been noted with the Jewish prayer called Sémônèh 'eirèh. The authenticity of the B. is connected with the historical value of the Gospel of the Infancy (v.). Its great antiquity is evident from its very content, which does not dwell upon describing the person of the Messiah and his human career. Domenico Trisoglio