Christmas post #3 - Mortality

I apologize for this one being out late, but it couldn't be helped. I had difficulty figuring out which song I'd work on today, but when it hit me, boy did it ever HIT me. I think a Mack truck would have left less of an impression. The song today isn't a Christmas song, though it certainly has the lyrics of one. It's been put into Christmas CD's and others specifically because of its content, though you'll never hear it on any radio broadcast, not even likely on the Christian stations. The only reason I know about it was from an experience many many moons ago (about 11 now) when my piano teacher (who also taught voice) got together her students to sing in a full on choir to produce a Christmas show with narration. One of the songs in there just hit me with its arrangement, and it stuck with me. The song "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" is extremely solemn. Its words very poignant in their meaning, and very quiet, express some of the fundamental beliefs in Christianity.

Written as early as the 4th Century (that's right, before Rome fell people), as part of the Divine Liturgy of Saint James, it was intended as the Cherubic hymn for the Offertory. It was written originally, not in Latin, but in Greek.

So what? What's the big deal between Latin and Greek? That simple difference in language? Is a HUGE difference. But what it points to is that this song was not written in the Latin Roman West, nor was it truly likely used in the West as much as in the East. By the 4th Century, there was a clear split in the Empire between East and West, and especially after the Emperor Constantine relocated his Capitol City to Constantinople in the Eastern section of the Emperor. The dominant culture in the Aegean basin was Greek ever since the end of the Hellenistic Age started by Alexander the Great in the 300's BC. Despite Roman domination of the region, Latin never truly took hold. The Romans, great copiers of culture, were never able to copy Greek philosophy, learning, medicine, architecture, or legality enough to supplant Greek on its home turf. In the West, Latin became dominant. In the East, Greek reigned supreme, and this cultural and linguistic barrier would eventually lead to a full on split in the Christian church between the Latin Roman West and the Greek East, but this hadn't happened by the 4th century, even though the groundwork was there. The big significance we see from history affecting this song is the meaning and the symbolism. We've seen in Silent Night and before it in Veni, Veni Emmanuel, that the symbolism is there, yes, but it's not as driving or powerful as the words and symbolism here in this song. In later centuries as the split grew wider in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Church grew more and more dependent upon the Russian Empire, where illiteracy was rampant well into the 20th century. In order to give religion to the people and ensure that the meaning was plain, Eastern Orthodoxy developed as a sensory religion, moving away from liturgies filled with readings from a Bible and filled their liturgies with incense, chanting, ikons (extremely richly decorated paintings of biblical figures, mostly the Virgin Mary and Christ), as well as songs like this with descriptive imagery. Without further ado: "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence/And with fear and trembling stand/Ponder nothing earthly minded
A reference to the 12 minor prophets of the Old Testament, who are collected in the Book of Habakkuk "But the Lord IS in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him." (Habakkuk 2:20). And with fear and trembling stand. But why would anyone fear God? Because. By all rights our own Sinful natures as human beings have forced our backs to be turned on God. By all rights, God should punish us, and in the Old Testament we see a lot of that. Sodom and Gomorrah, the Great Flood, the plagues on the Egyptians during the Israelite's captivity just to name a few of the more commonly known ones. Ponder nothing earthly minded. Referencing Paul's letter to the Galatians. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Galatians 6:7-8).

For with blessing in His hand/Christ our God to Earth descendeth/Our full homage to demand
This is why we should fear, but in truth we do not need to. That is one of the many miracles of God. His forgiveness and redemption, showcased right here in this 4th century hymn. Does Christ our God descend to Earth with vengeance and anger? No. With Blessing. All He asks in return is homage, which is faith that by knowing Jesus one knows God, and thus heals the relationship that was broken by Sin.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

King of kings, yet born of Mary/As of old on earth He stood/Lord of lords in human vesture/In the body and the blood
Referring to the Gospel of John, an anti-Docetic gospel. Docetism was a problem plaguing the early church, as was the Arian controversy of the 3rd century, just 1 century before this hymn was written. Docetism denied that Christ was truly human, and Arianism, propogated by a Christian teacher named Arius. Short history lesson, I promise. 3rd Century rolls around. Great Christian teacher named Arius lives in Alexandria in Egypt. People come up and ask him, "Is Jesus the Son of God, meaning that God created Jesus?" Arius says "Yes! God created Jesus!" The bishop of Alexandria (A guy by the name of Alexander) at the time gets all sorts of distressed and goes to his chief scribe and theological buddy, Athanasius and asks him if that's really the truth. Athanasius says "Heck no! Jesus is of the same essence, begotten, not created or made by the Father". Long story short? Riots break out as Christians debate homoousia (the same essence) or homoiousia (similar essence). Constantine, new Emperor of the Roman Empire, calls a huge conference at Nicaea in 325, to help decide the whole issue. Athanasius' argument wins out. Why? Here's why. If Jesus is not God, then Jesus cannot forgive sins or save the souls of humanity. Only God can do that, and not even Arius would debate that fact that only God can save souls. End result? Arius was banished, the Nicene creed was written and made part of Christianity forevermore, and the whole thing happened again in 381 when the debate over the Holy Spirit arose. Back to the lyrics! Lord of Lords in Human Vesture/In the body and the Blood. Countering the heretical belief of Docetism, that Christ was not human, and making reference to John 1:14, as well as Paul's letter to the Philippians "But made himself of no reputaation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross." (Philippians 2:7-8)

He will give to all the faithful/His own self for heavenly food
Do I really need to explain this passage? This is a pure reference to the last supper, and as I pointed out before, it was part of the Offertory section of the Liturgy of Saint James. This was sung in mass as the bread and wine were being brought to the altar, the Bread and Wine that, through the process of transubstantiation, become the very body and blood of Jesus Christ. "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the Disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: For this is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25) This is the "Blessing in His hand" that He offers in exchange for our homage.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

Rank on rank the host of heaven/Spreads its vanguard on the way/As the Light of light descendeth/From the realms of endless day
The host of heaven is the angels. Making reference to both the birth of Christ, where "the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them..." (Luke 2:9) as well as the rest of the Bible, where the angels are mentioned, places like First Kings: "And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left." (1 Kings 22:19). The Light of lights is a reference to the opening verses of the Gospel according to Saint John "And the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. . . That was the true light, which lighteth every man that commeth into the world." (John 1:5, 9)

That the powers of hell may vanish/As the darkness clears away
'The darkness comprehended it not'. Jesus Christ is God, and the message Jesus brings into our lives defeats the powers of hell. The temptations that Satan lays before us cannot compare with the redemption and grace that God offers to us through Jesus.

At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

At His feet the six winged seraph/Cherubim with sleepless eye/Veil their faces to the presence/As with ceaseless voice they cry/Alleluia, Alleluia/Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Referencing the different types of angels, first mentioned in the book of Isaiah. Seraphim were the six winged angels that sang the glories of the Lord. "I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple. Above it stood the Seraphims: each one had six wings, with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly. And one cried unto another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:1-3). The Cherubim were the angels sent to guard the entrance of Eden and are referenced time and again in the Old Testament, but perhaps very well by Paul in the letter to the Hebrews. He referred to the Cherubim as the guardians of the Holiest of Holies in the Temple of Solomon, wherein the Ark of the Covenant and the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments were held. "Above it were the Cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat." (Hebrews 9:5). It isn't just the Seraphim, it's the Cherubim as well, it's the whole of the heavenly host of angels that's crying with a ceaseless voice, the praises of the Lamb of God's coming into the world, and in covering their faces, even the angels of the heavenly host are showing deference to the Lord God, Jesus Christ.

Of all the renditions I've heard, I preferred the one arranged by Bob Krogstad for his show "The Thrill of Hope", but I recently found an arrangement of all four versus sung by a man by the name of Ryland Angel which is quite beautiful. Until later today folks! Tune in for Installment number 4 of the Christmas posts!