Annunciation to the shepherds
The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the
Biblical narrative
As described in verses 8–20 of the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, shepherds were tending their flocks out in the countryside near Bethlehem, when they were terrified by the appearance of an angel. The angel explains that he has a message of good news for all people, namely that "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."[1]
After this, a great many more angels appear, praising God with the words "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
Translational issues
The King James Version of the Bible translates the words of the angels differently from modern versions, using the words "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men".[3] Most Christmas carols reflect this older translation, with "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", for example, using the words "Peace on the earth, good will to men, / From Heaven's all gracious King."
The disparity reflects a dispute about the
Even though some other ancient Greek manuscripts (and many medieval ones) agree with the edited Codex Sinaiticus, most modern religious scholars and Bible translators accept the reading of the majority of ancient manuscripts,[5] translating as "on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests"[2] (NIV) or "on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased"[10] (ESV).
The
Theological interpretation
It is generally considered significant that this message was given to shepherds, who were located on the lower rungs of the social ladder in first-century
The phrase "peace to men on whom his favor rests" has been interpreted both as expressing a restriction to a particular group of people that God has chosen[16] and inclusively, as God displaying favor to the world.[17]
Depiction in art
Initially depicted only as part of a broader
Scenes showing the shepherds at the side of the crib are a different subject, formally known as the
The landscape varies, though scenes in the background of a Nativity very often show the shepherds on a steep hill, making visual sense of their placement above the main Nativity scene. The number of shepherds shown varies also,
In
Music
Christmas cantatas often deal with the Annunciation. It features prominently in both Bach's Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend, Part II of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, and in Part I of Handel's Messiah.
Christmas carols
Many
The episode plays a much greater role in Charles Wesley's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (1739), which begins:
Hark! The herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th'angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
The carol "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the American Civil War, reflects on the phrase "Peace on earth, good will to men" in a pacifist sense, as does "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear".[21]
The German carol "Kommet, ihr Hirten" (Come, you Shepherds) reflects the Annunciation and the Adoration of the shepherds.
In popular culture
The phrase "Peace on earth, good will to men" has been widely used in a variety of contexts. For example, Samuel Morse's farewell message in 1871 read "Greetings and thanks to the telegraph fraternity throughout the world. Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men. – S. F. B. Morse."[22]
The novelty song "I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas" uses the line to juxtapose the meaning of the holiday with the often chaotic nature of the celebrations; as Gabriel Heatter preaches the annunciation of peace and good will, "(just) at that moment, someone slugs Uncle Ben."
Image gallery
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Joachim Wtewael, Annunciation to the Shepherds, 1606
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Jules Bastien-Lepage, The Annunciation to the Shepherds, 1875
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Carl Bloch, The Sheperds and the angel, 1879
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Heinrich Vogeler The Annunciation to the Shepherds, 1902
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Henry Ossawa Tanner, Angels Appearing before the Shepherds, 1910
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Tiffanystained-glass window, c. 1910
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Window at St. Matthew's, 1912
See also
References
- ^ Luke 2:11–12, NIV (BibleGateway).
- ^ a b Luke 2:14, NIV (BibleGateway).
- ^ Luke 2:14, KJV (BibleGateway).
- ^ ISBN 0-8028-4098-1.
- ^ ISBN 0-8028-3512-0, p. 111.
- ^ ISBN 0-8028-2315-7, p. 129.
- ^ ISBN 3-438-05113-3.
- ^ Aland and Aland, p. 233.
- ^ The erasure is visible in the online Codex Sinaiticus at the top left of the relevant page, at the end of the sixth line of the first column Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. See also here for a manuscript comparison tool.
- ^ Luke 2:14, ESV (BibleGateway).
- ^ Douay-Rheims Bible online (Luke 2), from the Latin "in terra pax in hominibus bonae voluntatis."
- ^ New American Bible online (Luke 2).
- ^ See also here for a comparison of many other translations.
- ^ Green, p. 130.
- ^ Luke 1:52, NIV (BibleGateway).
- ^ Marshall, p. 112.
- ^ Green, p. 137.
- ISBN 1-85669-439-9, p. 91.
- ^ ISBN 0-313-29329-5, pp. 16–17.
- ISBN 0-313-24658-0, p. 18.
- ISBN 0-87972-821-3, p. 171.
- ISBN 0-7864-1808-7, p. 36.