Friday, March 1, 2024

It is the 1st of March 2024. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Today, the 1st of March, is ironically the day George Wishart died- we discussed him and his predecessor, Patrick Hamilton, yesterday. Today is also St. David’s Day- not the ancient King but rather the Welsh bishop and patron saint of Wales. We gave him his flowers (daffodils, of course) on an earlier show. But we remember a son of Wales and one of the greatest devotional poets in the English language today- George Herbert, who died just short of his 40th birthday on this, the 1st of March in 1633.

Here's a quick word about poetry: In the early years of this show, Herbert was a constant along with his contemporary John Donne and his spiritual successor, William Cowper. I have come to realize as both a professor and on this podcast that poetry doesn’t do the same to everyone, so I ask if poetry is not a medium you enjoy, please reflect on the medium as his outlet as a kind of prayer- one you might not always understand but can see the fervor and attention paid to it by one of the masters.

Herbert’s life began auspiciously, and by the time he was at Cambridge, you might have expected him to become one of the great names amongst his contemporaries. Ironically, we only know of him on account of a collection of poems published posthumously by a friend. This collection of poems, the Temple, would become a devotional text and poetic template for centuries to come.

George Herbert was born on April 3rd, 1593, in Montgomery Castle in Wales, where his grandfather and father had been prominent leaders. Unfortunately, his father died when he was young, leaving his mother to raise ten children alone. To do this, she relied on the kindness of others and would move from Wales to Oxford and to London, where young George would attend the Westminster school before earning a scholarship to Cambridge.

He was living between the Tudor-Stuart succession, being born in the time of Queen Elizabeth and during the handover to King James of Scotland. A thoroughgoing devotee of the church of England, he came into favor with the likes of Lancelot Andrewes of King James Bible fame, Francis Bacon, and even King James himself.

But fame was not in the cards for George, who seemed to seek out a quieter life, especially with the death and downfall of his friends at court. He would take his ordination vows and eventually end up in Bemerton in the south of England in 1629, the same year he married. But his sickly disposition was not helped in the new climate, and he would die of tuberculosis three years into his work and marriage on this, the 1st of March in 1633. He had written poetry, including a poem on the occasion of his mother's death in 1627, but as a clergyman and not a professional poet, it was uncouth to publish, and his poetry, especially in English, was more of a creative and devotional outlet. He wrote of these as “a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have passed between God and my soul before I could subject mine to the will of Jesus, my Master, in whose service I have now found perfect freedom.”

As he was on his deathbed, he passed the poems, collected under the title of “the Temple,” to his friend Nicholas Ferrar, the head of a nearby Anglican commune. Ferrar published the poems with a biographical sketch, which would be in print continuously. Herbert’s work was not only unique (he used over 100 different meters for the 160 or so poems) but deeply moving with his depictions of his own sin, the work of Christ, and his union with Christ.

Over time, many would attempt to take his poems and turn them into hymns- we see this especially with Charles Wesley. But these were not meant to be sung and tend to have meters that either have to be reworked or can be clunky in traditional settings. One popular collection of tunes from Ralph Vaughn Williams did produce the hymn Come My Way, My Truth, My Life- more on that in a second.

The Pulley, the Collar, and Easter Wings remain a few of his more popular poems- the last one being a poem whose words make the shape of angel wings. George Herbert, a devotional poet extraordinaire, died on this, the 1st of March in 1633, just shy of his 40th birthday.

The last word for today is from Herbert- from the hymn "Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:"

1 Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:

such a way as gives us breath;

such a truth as ends all strife;

such a life as killeth death.

2 Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:

such a light as shows a feast;

such a feast as mends in length;

such a strength as makes a guest.

3 Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:

such a joy as none can move:

such a love as none can part;

such a heart as joys in love.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 1st of March 2024, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a master of the devotional limerick, he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man likely still in Bentonville, seeing where else one might be able to ride their bikes… I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.