The Hymns of Saint Luke

The four canticles of Luke's birth story--the Magnificat, Benedictus, Gloria in excelsis, and Nunc dimittis--are taken to be integral components of the narrative and a sustained lyrical prelude to the author's two-volume historical work. Each composition is analyzed in three steps: proximate context; text; and macrocontext, the last displaying, in each case, a graded contribution to the cumulative preview of Luke's overall argument that the songs constitute. The summary impression made by this a