For years, when asked what I wanted for Christmas, I've been replying: peace on earth, good will toward men :-)
No one ever seems to recognize that this comes from the bible, Luke 2.14 to be precise!
Linus said it best in A Charlie Brown Christmas:
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, 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, good will toward men.
Merry Christmas!
Here's a longer excerpt from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Blessed Christmas to you too!
ReplyDeleteWell it's not in my Bible (which ends with Divrei Ha-Yamim), but I recognize it from Handel's _Messiah_ and (in Latin) from many musical settings of the Gloria text from the Catholic Mass ("in terra pax, homínibus bonæ voluntátis"). I suppose this is not the forum for reconciling Big Bang cosmology, and the rest of modern physics, with Christian theology (or with any other religion that incorporates a supernatural world)...
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about "in terra pax, homínibus bonæ voluntátis" is that almost anyone, regardless of religious belief, can endorse it! Happy holidays :-)
ReplyDeleteThey don't recognise it's from the Bible...
ReplyDeleteI find that stunning. I thought only New England was that post-Christian.
However, the ancients, including the Jews of that era in Palestine, had a different meaning for "peace" than we do, more related to comity than to absence of war.
Endorse what? Irreconcilable differences, differences which can only be resolved by force, are a fact of sublunar existence. "Can't we all just get along?" No.
ReplyDelete"peace on earth, good will toward men" -- the original is closer to: "peace on earth to men of good will (eirēnē en anthrōpois eudokias)". men of good will as opposed to those not, those to whom peace is not wished.
ReplyDelete