Editing Canticle (section)

==Eastern Christian==
{{details|Canon (hymnography)}}
In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] there are nine Biblical Canticles (or Odes) that are chanted at [[Matins#Eastern Christianity|Matins]]. These form the basis of the [[Canon (hymnography)|Canon]], a major component of Matins.

The nine Canticles are as follows:
* Canticle One &mdash; The (First) [[Song of the sea|Song of Moses]] ({{bibleverse||Exodus|15:1-19}})
* Canticle Two &mdash; The (Second) [[Song of Moses]] ({{bibleverse||Deuteronomy|32:1-43}})<ref>Canticle Two is normally only said on Tuesdays of Great Lent.</ref>
* Canticle Three &mdash; The [[Song of Hannah|Prayer of Hannah]] ({{bibleverse|1|Samuel|2:1-10}})
* Canticle Four &mdash; The Prayer of [[Habakkuk]] ({{bibleverse||Habakkuk|3:1-19}})
* Canticle Five &mdash; The Prayer of [[Isaiah]] ({{bibleverse||Isaiah|26:9-20}})
* Canticle Six &mdash; The Prayer of [[Jonah]] ({{bibleverse||Jonah|2:2-9}})
* Canticle Seven &mdash; The Prayer of the [[Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego|Three Holy Children]] ([http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/azariah.html Daniel 3:26-56])<ref name="Prot">In many Protestant versions of the Bible, this is found separately in the [[Deuterocanonical Books|Apocrypha]].</ref>
* Canticle Eight &mdash; The Song of the Three Holy Children (Daniel 3:57-88)<ref name="Prot" />
* Canticle Nine &mdash; The Song of the [[Theotokos]] (the ''Magnificat'': {{bibleverse||Luke|1:46-55}}); the Song of [[Zechariah (priest)|Zacharias]] (the ''Benedictus'' {{bibleverse||Luke|1:68-79}})

Originally, these Canticles were chanted in their entirety every day, with a short refrain inserted between each verse. Eventually, short verses ([[Troparion|troparia]]) were composed to replace these refrains, a process traditionally inaugurated by Saint [[Andrew of Crete]].<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Ware
  | first = Kallistos
  | author-link = Timothy Ware
  | title = The Festal Menaion
  | publisher = Faber and Faber
  | location = London
  | year = 1969
  | page = 546 }}</ref>
Gradually over the centuries, the verses of the Biblical Canticles were omitted (except for the Magnificat) and only the composed troparia were read, linked to the original canticles by an [[Irmos]]. During [[Great Lent]] however, the original Biblical Canticles are still read.

Another Biblical Canticle, the ''Nunc Dimittis'' ({{bibleverse||Luke|2:29-32}}), is either read or sung at [[Great Vespers|Vespers]].