03.16. Glory of God and Peace of Man.
Glory of God and Peace of Man.
Alone by humble shepherds at Bethlehem was heard the song of the angelic host. Just as the circumstances of the birth of Christ were lowly in the extreme, so the announcement of that birth was made "privately, at midnight, and without anything of worldly pomp and ostentation."
We might have expected that the highest in the land, the secular rulers or the ecclesiastical leaders, would have been honored by first hearing the announcement; but, instead, lowly shepherds watching their flocks by night were the privileged ones. Bishop Ryle well remarks: "The saying of James should come into our mind, as we read these words: ’Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him?’ (James 2:5). The want of money debars no one from spiritual privileges. The things of God’s kingdom are often hid from the great and noble, and revealed to the poor. The busy labor of the hands need not prevent a man being favored with special communion with God. Moses was keeping sheep, Gideon was threshing wheat, Elisha was ploughing, when they were severally honored by direct calls and revelations from God. Let us resist the suggestion of Satan, that religion is not for the working man. The weak of the world are often called before the mighty. The last are often first, and the first last." The angel, and the angels.
Luke records two angelic utterances. One was the announcement of "an angel of the Lord." The other was the song of "the heavenly host." Each referred to the incarnation of the Son of God--the former "proclaims the transcendent fact," and the latter "hymns its blessed results."
"The angel" said, "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." The closing words of this quotation might with equal accuracy be otherwise translated, though nothing better than the familiar rendering can he given. It is interesting to note that the precise combination does not appear elsewhere in the New Testament; and the translation could be either "Messiah, Lord," or "Anointed Lord" (R.V. margin), or "the Messiah, the Lord," or "an anointed one, a Lord." We shall do well, however, to retain the text of our Common and Revised Versions.
It is the song of the angels which now engages our attention, and which has a more especial right to inclusion in our series of studies. It is preserved alone by Luke, who loves to record angelic ministrations and who is "the first Christian hymnologist":
"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’" (Luke 2:13-14, R.V.). In passing, it may be noted that the word "praising" is in grammatical agreement with "host" and not "multitude." The suggestion is that "the whole host of heaven was praising God, not merely that portion of it which was visible to the shepherds." This word for praising is a favorite one with Luke, and is not used by any other Gospel writer.
"Good will to men"--or "men of good will."
Regarding the substance of the angels’ song, it will be noted that the Revised Version, quoted above, differs from the more familiar translation of the Common Version, which reads: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." The difference between the two versions is primarily due to the fact that the translators were following differing Greek texts. The Common Version has the word "eudokia" ("good will"), nominative; while the text followed by the Revisers has a genitive "eudokias" ("of good will" or "of good pleasure"). The weight of manuscript authority is in favor of the revised text, though the marginal note should be regarded, that "many ancient authorities read ’peace, good pleasure among men." Even accepting the Greek text followed by King James’s version, its rendering must be challenged in one particular. The preposition "en" cannot be translated "towards"; the meaning would have to be "good will among men."
Apart from the weighing of manuscript authority, of which the ordinary reader may know nothing, the internal evidence seems to favor the reading of the Revised Version. "The hymn consists of two members connected by a conjunction; and the three parts of the one member exactly correspond with the three parts of the other member." "Glory" balances "peace," "in the highest" balances "on earth," and "to God" balances "among men of good pleasure." Dr. Plummer remarks that "this exact correlation between the parts is lost in the common triple arrangement; which has the further awkwardness of having the second member introduced by a conjunction, while the third is not, and of making the second and third members tautological. ’On earth peace’ is very much the same as ’good will amongst men.’" To the last objection of Plummer it could be answered that the peace on earth is between man and man, while the third part relates to "goodwill (of God) among men." But, judged by every standard, the Revision is superior to the Common Version; and here is a case where, despite familiarity and hallowed associations, we should be willing to exchange phrases dear to us from childhood for words which convey more clearly the heavenly announcement of the results of the incarnation of the Son of God.
Dr. F. J. A. Hort, a great scholar and one of the most influential members of the Committee of Revisers, preferred another translation of the passage. He followed the revisers’ Greek text; but held that the first of the two clauses should end with "earth" and not with "God," thus: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth; peace among men of his good pleasure." The meaning, then, would be: "Glory to God not only in heaven, but now also on earth." It is evidence of the right of our text to he classed as "ambiguous" that this translation can be giver]. While it is a possible one, however, it is not probable, and it has found but few supporters. Plummer notes that "it destroys the exact correspondence between the parts of the two clauses, the first clause having three or four parts, and the second only two." Not only is the symmetry destroyed, but the first part is overweighted, and the second is too meagre in proportion. The lessons of the readings.
Excellent sense is found in either Common or Revised Version, and though we prefer the revision, it will be well to consider the general lessons of the two renderings. In one of his letters, Darwin observes, "I always think the most perfect description of happiness that words can give is ’Peace on earth, goodwill to men.’"
"Glory to God in the highest." The angels put first things first. "Creation glorified God, but not so much as redemption." "The highest" will he "the highest places" or "heavens." Maclaren has an excellent comment: "The incarnation will bring ’glory to God’ there; for by it new aspects of his nature are revealed to those clear-eyed and immortal spirits who for unnumbered ages have known his power, his holiness, his benignity to unfallen creatures, but now experience the wonder which more properly belongs to more limited intelligences, when they behold that depth of condescending Love stooping to be born. Even they think more loftily of God, and more of man’s possibilities and worth, when they cluster round the manger, and see who lies there."
McLeod Campbell wrote: "Surely ’Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill towards men’ are words which as yet belong more to prophecy than to history."
"On earth peace." In his "Ode on the Nativity" John Milton treated the peaceful condition of the world at the time of Christ’s birth as significant or symbolical:
"No war or battle’s sound Was heard the world around; The idle spear and shield were high uphung. The hooked chariot stood Unstained with hostile blood, The trumpet spake not to the armed throng; And kings sat still with awful eye As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by." |
This is a doubtful treatment of the situation. Farrar, dismissing it, says that "it was not in this sense that the birth of Christ brought peace." Primarily, we think of the peace of God which comes to the heart of man, of perfect peace between God and man, but also we think of "the peace which, once admitted into the heart, makes men live at peace one with another."
"Christ’s work," writes Alexander Maclaren,. "is to bring peace into all human relations, those with God, with men, with circumstances, and to calm the discords of souls at war with themselves. Every one of these relations is marred by sin, and nothing less thorough than a power which removes it can rectify them. That birth was the coming into humanity of him who, brings peace with God, with ourselves, with one another. Shame on Christendom that nineteen centuries have passed, and men yet think the cessation of war is only a ’pious imagination’ The ringing music of that angel chant has died away, but its promise abides." Who have the peace? Not all men have the peace of God dwelling in them. Until men turn to him who was the Prince of Peace and imbibe his spirit and do his will they cannot have his peace. It comes to "men of good pleasure" or "men of good will," to "men in whom he is well pleased," or even (as Weymouth puts it) to "men who please him." It matters little which of these phrases we employ; the underlying meaning is the same.
God’s promises are often misappropriated. The most gracious and precious promises are never unconditional. We must do more than admire them; we must seek to fulfil the conditions of enjoying them. Dante declares, "In his will is our peace." In doing that will we become pleasing to him and so receive into our hearts the promised peace, which can only come to those in whom God is well pleased.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you" (John 14:27).
"Peace be unto you all that are in Christ" (1 Peter 5:14).
"Live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you" (2 Corinthians 13:11).