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Provencal Plays at Christmastide
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Nativity Picture (From Byzantine Ivory in the British Museum)
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Calabrian Shepherds Playing in Rome at Christmas
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Worshipping the Child Jesus (From a Picture in the Museum at Naples)
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Angels and Men Worshipping the Child Jesus (From a Picture in Seville Cathedral)
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Simeon Received the Child Jesus into his Arms (From Modern Stained Glass in Bishopsgate Church, London)
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Lichfield Cathedral
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While shepherds watched their flocks by night,
All seated on the ground;
The angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around.
Carol.
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THE HERALD ANGELS.
Lo! God hath ope'd the glist'ring gates of heaven, And thence are streaming beams of glorious light:
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All earth is bath'd in the effulgence giv'n
To dissipate the darkness of the night.
The eastern shepherds, 'biding in the fields, O'erlook the flocks till now their constant care, And light divine to mortal sense reveals
A seraph bright descending in the air.
Hark! strains seraphic fall upon the ear, From shining ones around th' eternal gates: Glad that man's load of guilt may disappear, Infinite strength on finite weakness waits.
Why are the trembling shepherds sore afraid? Why shrink they at the grand, the heavenly sight? "Fear not" (the angel says), nor be dismay'd,
And o'er them sheds a ray of Godsent light. O matchless mercy! All-embracing love!
The angel speaks and, gladly, men record:-- "I bring you joyful tidings from above:
This day is born a Saviour, Christ the Lord!"
Hark! "Peace on earth, and God's goodwill to men!" The angels sing, and heaven resounds with praise-- That fallen man may live with God again,
Through Christ, who deigns the sons of men to raise. W. F. D
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CHAPTER I.
THE ORIGIN AND ASSOCIATIONS OF CHRISTMAS. The First Christmas: the Advent of Christ.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, And bear a Son,
And shall call His name Immanuel. (Isaiah vii. 14.)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son; and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for it is He that shall save His people from their sins. Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a Son, And they shall call His name Immanuel;
006which is, being interpreted, God with us. And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
(Matthew i. 18-25.)
"There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. And Joseph went to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child."
(Luke ii. 1-5.)
And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the007 field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. And an angel
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of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this is the sign unto you; Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased.
And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in the manger. And when they saw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, even as it was spoken unto them.
(Luke ii. 8-20.)
The Place of the Nativity.
The evangelist Matthew tells us that "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king;" and Justin Martyr, who was born at Shechem and lived less than a century after the time of Christ, places the scene of the Nativity in a cave. Over
this cave has risen the Church and Convent of the Nativity, and there is a stone slab with a star cut in it to mark the spot where the Saviour was born. Dean Farrar, who has been at the place, says: "It is impossible to stand in the little Chapel of the Nativity, and to look without emotion on the silver star let into the white marble, encircled by its sixteen ever-burning lamps, and surrounded by the inscription, 'Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est.'"
To visit such a scene is to have the thoughts carried back to the greatest event in the world's history, for it has been truly said that the birth of Christ was the world's second birthday.
Now, death is life! and grief is turn'd to joy! Since glory shone on that auspicious morn, When God incarnate came, not to destroy, But man to save and manhood's state adorn! W. F. D.
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The Nativity by Sandro Botticelli.
Centre Portion of Picture in National Gallery
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The Word "Christmas": Its Orthography and Meaning.
"Christmas" (pronounced Kris'mas) signifies "Christ's Mass," meaning the festival of the Nativity of Christ, and the word has been variously spelt at different periods. The following are obsolete forms of it found in old English writings: Crystmasse, Cristmes, Cristmas, Crestenmes, Crestenmas, Cristemes, Cristynmes, Crismas, Kyrsomas, Xtemas, Cristesmesse, Cristemasse, Crystenmas, Crystyn-mas, Chrystmas, Chrystemes, Chrystemasse, Chrystymesse, Cristenmas, Christenmas, Christmass, Christmes. Christmas has also
been called Noel or Nowel. As to the derivation of the word Noel, some say it is a contraction of the French nouvelles (tidings), les bonnes nouvelles, that is "The good news of the Gospel"; others take it as an abbreviation of the Gascon or Provencal nadau, nadal, which means the same as the Latin natalis, that is, dies natalis, "the birthday." In "The Franklin's Tale," Chaucer alludes to "Nowel"
as a festive cry at Christmastide: "And 'Nowel' crieth every lusty man." Some say Noel is a corruption of Yule, Jule, or Ule, meaning "The festival of the sun." The name Yule