You may know that I'm an Advent junkie and a music lover. You may not know that the text in Luke known as the Magnificat, Mary's song, is one of my favorite passages. So over the next ten days in the spirit of Advent and the connection I see between Jesus' coming and justice and compassion, might and mercy, I'm going to edit and present in 10 parts an academic paper I wrote on this text. I hope you enjoy...
The Community and Narrative of St. Luke
As a musician, both classically trained as a pianist and composer as well as self-taught in the less refined genres of music, I have come to appreciate more and more the role of balance in good music. There must be balance in lyric, melody, harmony, tempo, and rhythm. Without this the life of music chokes on its last breath. With balance, however, lungs are filled and songs soar. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are filled with songs, from the priestly and poetic record of creation to the four songs in Luke’s birth narrative to the songs of heavenly worship in John’s Revelation. Here we will explore exegetically one of these songs, perhaps the best known. And in this song, in its literature, content, and context, we will find balance. A balance that fosters and nourishes new life.
The writer of Luke, in his two-volume collection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Acts of the Apostles, offers first and twenty-first century readers the best Greek found in New Testament literature. Apparently a missionary companion of Paul’s, the writer addresses both of these books, Luke and Acts, to Theophilus.
This text comes most likely from a community outside of Palestine. In Luke’s gospel, the ‘terminology points toward a Hellenistic city with a synagogue.’ Ephesus or Antioch have been suggested as likely locations though there is not scholarly consensus. What is sure is that Luke’s community was in an ‘urban setting in the Eastern Mediterranean.’ Tension is present in the score between the narrative, discourse, and theology of Luke’s gospel and the social, political, and religious setting of his community. This is not unusual in many Hellenistic cities in the eastern part of the Roman Empire at this time. This tension sets up the lyrical content perfectly. Even Luke himself lives in this tension,
being both a poet and a scientist, a Greek and a follower of a Jewish Messiah.
St. Luke the Instrument is bringing together a community in Diaspora and diverse to be sure. And in this community, a ‘group of nonelite persons who are culturally and ethnically mixed,’ songs are being sung: the Beautitude, Magnificat, Benedictus, Nunc Dimittis, Evangel, and Gloria. This is the track listing that moves the plot forward.
Mary’s Song of Songs
Let us listen in as Mary’s sings her song.
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.’
It is only appropriate to begin a discussion of Mary’s song with attention paid to the traditional Latin name for this text, Magnificat. This is, of course, the first word in the Latin Vulgate version of the song. ‘My soul magnifies the Lord.’ Magnify. It is a word too easy to pass by out of familiarity or inattention, yet it is so critical to properly understand the tone and texture of this Hebrew lyrical poem. ‘In what, indeed, does the magnifying of the Divine Being consist, if not in giving Him, by constant adoration (the verb is in the present tense), a larger place in one’s own heart and in the hearts of men?’ It is into a humble setting and a humble song that this magnificent event enters. It is as if the melody must remain simple in order for the lyrical content to have space for full expression and full experience.
This first word is most appropriate. In this simple child, Mary, that is, something magnificent is happening. In this simple lyric something magnificent is communicated. In a simple urban community in the Eastern Mediterranean something magnificent is taking shape.
Much of Mary’s song consists of Old Testament quotations. In this recital, there are allusions to and imitations of the song of Hannah found in I Samuel 2. There are additionally several phrases from the book of Psalms. Some scholars believe that this is largely a ‘Jewish eschatological hymn’ that Mary adapted to her present context. Perhaps it finds its origin in the time of the Maccabean War. Special attention must be paid here since it is actually quite rare for Luke to be using text from the Old Testament. Mary surely knew these old hymns of the faith by heart. This has led some to accuse Mary and the writer of Luke’s gospel of a complete lack of originality and creativity. But what actually occurs in Mary’s song is that these familiar Old Testament texts are given a ‘deeper meaning and a higher application’ than they had in their original contexts. Perhaps not a composer, Mary is surely a brilliant and faithful arranger.
In addition to Old Testament lyrical poetry, other songs of praise must be noted and compared when studying Mary’s Magnificat. In Luke alone, as has been noted, several other songs play quite an important role in the birth narrative. There were of course victorious songs of praise to Caesar that would have been common in that day. Additionally, it can be compared to praise songs in other incarnation narratives. The Incarnation is not an idea or event unique to Christian thought. In Luke’s context, there were Jews and Gentiles and so those in spiritual leadership could find themselves in tension both with the expression of the religious past as well as the secular and pagan expressions surrounding them in the present. The tension present and the immutable character of God that is communicated serves to set apart this event in the Christian story as a creative work of art and an original message of good news.
There are four main sections to Mary’s song. First, with a sweet and calm tone, Mary reflects in verses 46 to 48a upon what has taken place in her and to her. These are her actual impressions.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.”
In a more animated second section, verses 48b-50, she ‘rises to the divine fact which is the cause of them.’
“Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.”
With the ‘full height and energy of the song’ present in the third stanza from verse 51 to 53, she ‘contemplates the development of the historical consequences.’
“He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.”
An additional observation is here helpful. In this third section, there are three antitheses in that are presented in a way one might not expect: the righteous and proud, the powerful and the lowly, and the hungry and rich. The members cross rather than being delivered in parallel form. The proud in 51b are linked to the powerful in 52a. The lowly in 52b are identified in close lyrical connection to the hungry in 53a.
Finally, in the fourth stanza, an ‘Amen’ in verses 54 and 55, she ‘celebrates the moral necessity of this fact as the accomplishment of God’s ancient promises to his people.’
“He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
This song is made vibrant and beautiful by the arc of emotion and the direction of the story. Its literature, content, and context is made effective, memorable, and revolutionary even by its balance.
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