Confused Carol Theology
Posted by spdar on December 25, 2008
Happy Christmas !
Now that I am waiting for my Christmas Dinner and having just been to a Christmas Morning service I am a little confused by the final line in one of the carols. The line was …
Sav’d by his love, incessant we shall sing
Of angels and of angel-man the King
What perplexed me is what on earth is an “Angel-Man”? Surly it can not be suggesting that Jesus was an Angel!
Christians, Awake! Salute The Happy Morn
The Carol is called “Christians, Awake! Salute the Happy Morn” written as a Christmas poem John Byron and altered slightly to become a Carol John Byron was also the author of “Hark! the herald angels sing“. John Byron was friends with John Wesley but I am aware that they had a “religious sympathy deeper than the differences of their temperaments and theological views” which would suggest that Mr Byron’s theology was different to Wesley’s. That said it would not indicate that these differences were fundamental in their nature.
Fully God – Fully Man
My concern is that the line we are looking at “Of angels and of angel-man the King” is indicating that Jesus was not, as the bible tells us, fully God who becoming flesh (man) but was an Angel who became a man. This is heresy if this is what it saying !
“(1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning. (14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1,2 & 14
Have the Words been Altered?
After a little research I have found what I think is the origional by John Byron called “CHRISTMAS DAY FOR DOLLY”. Allegedly written for his daughter, Dolly, the final verse says …
Saved by His love, incessant we shall sing
Eternal praise to heaven’s Almighty King.
Now that I am happy with, Mr Byron you are forgiven … not that it would seem you need to be as someone else changed your words. So who was this heratic that decided to change the line to be “Of angels and of angel-man the King” rather than “Eternal praise to heaven’s Almighty King”?
According to the “An Annotated Anthology of Hymns by J. R. Watson, Timothy Dudley-Smith” the origional has been altered many times for various hymn books. It seems that this may have been where this heresy has crept in.
Can You Help?
In the limited time I have before the Turkey appears I have not been able to find the culpret. Do you Know ? If you do let me know in the comments below.
Other Examples of “Dodgy Carols”
Do you know any other carols where the text is less than theologicaly sound? If so, let me know.
In the meantime let me wish you all a ver happy Christmas and a blessed new year! Merry Christamas.
