{"id":293,"date":"2007-12-22T01:01:05","date_gmt":"2007-12-22T01:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/12\/more-christmas-carol-surprises.html"},"modified":"2007-12-22T01:01:05","modified_gmt":"2007-12-22T01:01:05","slug":"more-christmas-carol-surprises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/12\/more-christmas-carol-surprises.html","title":{"rendered":"More Christmas Carol Surprises"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 1 in the series: More Christmas Carol Surprises<\/em>
\nPermalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nThree years ago I did a blog series called Christmas Carol Surprises<\/em>. As we draw near to Christmas, I thought it might be good to revisit and add to this series. What follows will be an edited and expanded version of my earlier material, with quite a bit of new stuff added in.
\nFirst, my confession: I love Christmas carols. I love the way they sound. I love the memories they evoke. And, in many cases, I love the truths they celebrate. So in the next few days I\u2019m going to do a short series on Christmas carols. I promise that it will be informative, fun, and maybe a bit inspirational too.
\nThere are limits to my love of Christmas carols, however. I don’t like hearing them in stores in October, or even most of November. It isn’t just the commercialization of Christmas that bugs me. Rather, listening to Christmas carols for three months dilutes their specialness. So, though I love Christmas carols, I should add that I love them in December, with a bit of overlap into November (after<\/em> Thanksgiving) and January (until Epiphany on January 6).
\nChristmas Carol Fun<\/strong>
\nDo you like Christmas carols? Do you think you know Christmas carols pretty well? Then I have a website for you. FunTrivia.com<\/a>, which claims to be the \u201cworld\u2019s largest, best, and most fun trivia website\u201d has a great collection of Christmas music trivia quizzes<\/a>. My favorite is \u201cChristmas Carol Trivia: Sacred Carols,\u201d<\/a> but there are many more. Warning: You can spend a lot of time at this site if you\u2019re not careful.
\nAncient Christian Songs<\/strong>
\nEarly in the second century A.D. the Roman governor of Pontus and Bithynia (northern Turkey) wrote letters to the Emperor Trajan. In one of these letters<\/a> he described the actions of some troublesome (from Pliny\u2019s point of view) Christians: \u201cThey asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god<\/em>, . . .\u201d This is one of the earliest references to Christian singing.
\nMany scholars believe that early Christian songs are quoted in the New Testament letters of Paul. One of these, in Philippians 2:5-11, includes the following lyrics:<\/p>\n

[Christ Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God,
\ndid not regard equality with God
\nas something to be exploited,
\nbut emptied himself,
\ntaking the form of a slave,
\nbeing born in human likeness.
\nAnd being found in human form,
\nhe humbled himself
\nand became obedient to the point of death\u2014
\neven death on a cross. (2:5-8)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though we wouldn\u2019t call this a Christmas carol, it does focus on the birth of Jesus and His death. It sees this birth through the lens of theology rather than narrative, however. Some scholars view this song as a theological statement informed by the early stories of Jesus\u2019s birth. This is possible, but cannot be proven. Of course the main point of this “song” isn’t the birth of Jesus, but His death.
\nCarols as Forbidden Folk Music<\/strong>
\nAlthough the church did include religious singing in its liturgy surrounding the birth of Jesus, carols were written in a more popular idiom. The word \u201ccarol\u201d originally described a song that had verses and a repeating chorus. It was frequently sung in the context of folk dancing (circle dancing). Most of the Christmas carols in the Middle Ages were secular or pagan in origin, and thus they were not popular with religious officials. On more than one occasion, as early as the 7th century and as late as the 16th century, Roman Catholic councils attempted to ban Christmas carols altogether. Only the reverent sounds of sacred chant were deemed appropriate for memorializing the birth of Jesus.
\nMy own theological ancestors, the Reformed Puritans of Britain, attempted to get rid, not only of Christmas carols, but also of Christmas itself. They attempted to \u201cpurify\u201d the church of both secular and Roman Catholic elements. When they were in power in Britain in the middle of the 17th century, the Puritans actually succeeded in making the celebration of Christmas illegal. No carols, no fun, no Christmas! The earliest Europeans in America, coming from English Puritan stock, did not celebrate Christmas, and in fact made a point of not doing so. In fairness to these folk, however, we should understand that the secular and pagan celebrations of Christmas were often filled with drunken excess, rather more like Mardi Gras in New Orleans than most secular Christmas celebrations today (except, perhaps, for office parties run amuck).
\nThe Influence of St. Francis<\/strong>
\nMany historians credit St. Francis of Assisi with vitalizing the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ. Early in the 13th century he created the first (or one of the first and surely the most famous) life-sized Nativity scenes, complete with live animals, a real baby in the manger, and a worship service. This service included the singing of lively, joyful Christmas music \u2013 something that was virtually unknown up to this time. Francis forged the combination of genuine love for Christ with genuine celebration, which almost always includes joyful music. (Photo: This painting by Giotto (c. 1300) depicts the “crib” of St. Francis. Notice the singers in the back row. In the photo below, the<\/span> singers in the back row are easier to see in this detail. Notice the vigor of their singing! They’re singing joyous carols, indeed.<\/span>)<\/span>
\nThe Revival of Christmas and Christmas Carols<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Even though the celebration of Christmas was technically legal from the late 17th century and onward, the holiday was largely ignored by the English. Continental Europeans were more apt to celebrate Christmas with a combination of secular, pagan, and Christian traditions. It\u2019s from the Continent that we get, for example, the traditions of Christmas trees and Santa Claus. In 19th-century England, however, Christmas was largely forgotten, a victim of religious disinterest and industrial urbanization.
\nYet in the Victorian Age new champions of Christmas emerged, among them Clement Moore (who wrote the poem we know as \u201c\u2018Twas the Night Before Christmas\u201d in 1822) and Charles Dickens (who wrote several Christmas stories including, of course, \u201cA Christmas Carol\u201d in 1843\u201d). Under the influence of these and other writers, Christmas became a popular celebration, a day for feasting and family. During this same period of time many of our favorite carols were either written or published for the first time. (I’ve written quite extensively on Dickens and Christmas<\/a>.)
\nResources<\/strong>
\nFor more information about Christmas carols, see The New Oxford Book of Carols.<\/a><\/em> A fantastic online source of information is The Hymns and Carols of Christmas<\/a>. Much of what I have summarized in this post comes from these two sources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 1 in the series: More Christmas Carol Surprises Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Three years ago I did a blog series called Christmas Carol Surprises. As we draw near to Christmas, I thought it might be good to revisit and add to this series. What follows will be an edited…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christmas-carols"],"yoast_head":"\nMore Christmas Carol Surprises - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}