Kleinig, John W. “The Mystery of Doxology.” In Paul T. McCain and John R. Stephenson, Mysteria Dei. Essays in Honor of Kurt Marquart. Concordia Theological Seminary Press: Fort Wayne, 129-47.
One of the most puzzling features of early Christian worship is the sudden appearance of doxologies in the liturgy of the church. Hymns of praise were sung daily by the Levitical choir in the daily service at the temple (Kleinig 1993, 100-131). In the temple and the synagogue the people acclaimed God with eulogies which acknowledged the Lord as the giver of blessing. In fact, eulogies were such an important part of Jewish prayer that the first tractate of the Mishnah was devoted to them. But at no time did the Israelites perform doxologies to the Lord in their worship.