Zechariah's Benedictus is the least-known of the canticles that the Church has sung throughout her history. In Lutheran liturgies, it is used as the primary canticle for the Order of Morning Prayer. It is also an alternate canticle for the Te Deum in Matins. The Benedictus is the second of four canticles passed down through Church history that are reactions to the great announcements of the season of Advent.
