Read Online Silent Night by Inc. Barbour Publishing - Free Book Online
Authors: Inc. Barbour Publishing
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Kings
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar–
Field and fountain, moor and mountain–
Following yonder star
.
O star of wonder, star of night
,
Star with royal beauty bright
,
Westward leading, still proceeding
,
Guide us to thy perfect light
.
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
J ohn Henry Hopkins Jr. had two claims to fame: He delivered the eulogy for President Grant, and he wrote the Christmas classic “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
Posterity gave him the nickname “Vermont’s Father Christmas.” Needless to say, he wasn’t actually Santa. He wasn’t even born in Vermont. The inaccuracies carried on in the title of his famous carol.
We know from the Bible that three gifts were given to the Christ child, but nowhere does it say there were three
givers
. Those visitors to the Nativity are described as “magi” or wise men. People simply assumed they must have been kings to give such lavish gifts.
Hopkins was a Pennsylvania clergyman. In 1857 he was a busy man—an author, designer of stained glass, and illustrator, with a parish to look after as well. But he wasn’t too busy for family.
Every year the Christmas holidays would be spent with relatives in Vermont. Hopkins was a favorite with his nephews and nieces, and he liked to entertain them. One year he had a special treat for them, a new song from the Gospel of Matthew. The children’s delight must have encouraged him enough to include the piece in a Christmas pageant for the New York seminary.
In 1863 the song appeared in Hopkins’s collection
Carols, Hymns, and Songs
. Two years later its increased fame merited a special illustrated publication of its own. Since then it has been sung around the world.
Hopkins may have been perpetuating a tradition that wasn’t strictly accurate—but it really didn’t matter. His song is one of worship and praise. It was a gift to the children of his family; it was a gift to the rest of us for many Christmases to come. It celebrates the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and the greatest gift the world has ever known—a Savior!
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh
.
M ATTHEW 2:11
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar–
Field and fountain, moor and mountain–
Following yonder star
.
O star of wonder, star of night
,
Star with royal beauty bright
,
Westward leading, still proceeding
,
Guide us to thy perfect light
.
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
J ohn Henry Hopkins Jr. had two claims to fame: He delivered the eulogy for President Grant, and he wrote the Christmas classic “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”
Posterity gave him the nickname “Vermont’s Father Christmas.” Needless to say, he wasn’t actually Santa. He wasn’t even born in Vermont. The inaccuracies carried on in the title of his famous carol.
We know from the Bible that three gifts were given to the Christ child, but nowhere does it say there were three
givers
. Those visitors to the Nativity are described as “magi” or wise men. People simply assumed they must have been kings to give such lavish gifts.
Hopkins was a Pennsylvania clergyman. In 1857 he was a busy man—an author, designer of stained glass, and illustrator, with a parish to look after as well. But he wasn’t too busy for family.
Every year the Christmas holidays would be spent with relatives in Vermont. Hopkins was a favorite with his nephews and nieces, and he liked to entertain them. One year he had a special treat for them, a new song from the Gospel of Matthew. The children’s delight must have encouraged him enough to include the piece in a Christmas pageant for the New York seminary.
In 1863 the song appeared in Hopkins’s collection
Carols, Hymns, and Songs
. Two years later its increased fame merited a special illustrated publication of its own. Since then it has been sung around the world.
Hopkins may have been perpetuating a tradition that wasn’t strictly accurate—but it really didn’t matter. His song is one of worship and praise. It was a gift to the children of his family; it was a gift to the rest of us for many Christmases to come. It celebrates the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and the greatest gift the world has ever known—a Savior!
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh
.
M ATTHEW 2:11
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