“Little is known of the lyrics of the early church. Some historians believe that they sang Scriptural passages about the birth of Christ, such as ‘The Song of Mary’ (Luke 1:46-55), ‘The Song of Zacharias’ (Luke 1:68-79), ‘The Song of the Angels’ (Luke 2:14), and the Song of Simeon’ (Luke 2:29-32). The poetic nature of 1 Timothy 3:16 indicates that this too could have been an early church hymn.”
“God was manifest in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen of angels,
Preached unto the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up into glory.”

(Nathan Hege, Come with Singing, Farmington, New Mexico: Lamp and Light Publishers, Inc. 2007, 36)