Jesus Christ Is Born Today: Christmas Hymn

 Introduction

Christ is born!  Glorify Him!

Today I have a Christmas hymn I wrote years ago, though I did some adjustments to the text today.  The inspiration, of course, is the famous Paschal hymn, "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today": originally, my first verse was simply a Christmas-themed rewrite of that hymn's first verse.  With further work, though, my hymn drifted away from a strict "parody" of the Paschal hymn.  Like it, though, my hymn is set to the tune "Lyra Davidica," taken from the 1708 hymn collection of the same name.

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Text

 1. Jesus Christ is born today, (Alleluia!)
in a starlit earthen cave, (Alleluia!)
When He once in Bedlam town (Alleluia!)
Donned our flesh and doffed His crown! (Alleluia!)

2. Born of Mary, virgin pure, (Alleluia!)
who was virgin did endure, (Alleluia!)
Mother-Queen of heaven's court, (Alleluia!)
Godhead's boat's own human port! (Alleluia!)

3. Adam's flesh by sin was stained; (Alleluia!)
now all-cleansing grace is rained. (Alleluia!)
Hail the Second Adam's birth! (Alleluia!)
Greet the Saviour full of mirth! (Alleluia!)

4. Ox and ass, now come and play; (Alleluia!)
lamb and kid, come join the fray; (Alleluia!)
Men and angels, join and sing; (Alleluia!)
Earth and Heav'n, all praise your King! (Alleluia!)

Commentary

1. In the Byzantine tradition, Jesus was born in a cave, rather than a manger attached to a house.  In icons, the cave is usually seen on a mountain, away from town, though I've seen some commentators say that it could have been a cave with a house built nearby: the householders might have used the nearby cave as a pre-built stable or manger.  In this case, the Byzantine and Roman traditions could be reconciled.  The star that lights the cave could be the Star of Bethlehem, though most commentators say that the Star appeared later, over wherever the Holy Family was living at the time.  The argument is that, after Herod is deceived by the Magi, he orders the killing of all boys two and under: that would imply that the Magi came through Jerusalem sometime closer to the two-year point than to immediately after Jesus' birth.  The star in this hymn could also be a representation of the divine light, of the light of the angels, or of the light of the Holy Spirit.  "Bedlam" is an old English contraction of "Bethlehem," most commonly used to refer to the Bethlehem Royal Hospital in London, established in 1247 by the Bishop-elect of Bethlehem (a diocese there was erected during the Crusades).  A century or two after its founding, the hospital began to specialize in care for the mentally-ill, hence the term "Bedlam" for wildness, craziness, insanity, etc.  This is the origin of the pseudonym "Tom o' Bedlam" used by Edgar in Shakespeare's King Lear.

2. The Queen Mother was an important personage in the Old Testament (a notable example being Bathsheba's intercessory role in 1 Kings 2); the concept clearly applies to Mary, Queen of Heaven and Mother of Christ the King.  The Byzantine tradition also loves the image of Mary as a port or harbor for the storm-tossed: here, I have expanded on that image to make her the harbor for the boat of human flesh which carries the Godhead of the Son.

3. The Greek Fathers commonly described original sin as a stain on a mirror: our nature is meant to be a mirror of God (we being made in His image and likeness).  Through grace, that stain, that muck, that mire, is washed away.  The "Second Adam" language is Pauline.

Text ©2023 Brandon P. Otto.  Licensed via CC BY-NC.  Feel free to redistribute non-commercially, as long as credit is given to the author.