Tag Archives: Holy Wisdom

Christ Was Born at Midnight?

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Byzantine mosaic from Palermo, circa 1150

For while all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, Thy almighty Word leaped down from heaven from thy royal throne, as a fierce conqueror into the midst of the land of destruction, with a sharp sword carrying thy unfeigned commandment, and he stood and filled all things with death, and standing on the earth, reached even to heaven. (Wisdom 18:14-16)

St. Luke tells us that there were shepherds in the field at night who were told by angels that Christ had been born. But the Gospel does not say that Jesus was born at night. Many readers simply assume that the angel appeared to the shepherds at night as Christ was being born. But that is not explicitly stated in the Gospel. The idea that Christ was born at midnight developed over time and was especially influenced by this text from the Book of Wisdom.

The passage from Wisdom is describing the Word coming down to slay the firstborn of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. The Word comes to redeem the Chosen People, slaying their enemies and leading them from bondage and death into freedom and life. This text was understood by the early Christians as also referring to the descent of the Word into Hell on Holy Saturday to destroy Death and Hell, leading the human race to salvation and life. This descent into Hell and Resurrection was the focus of the Easter Vigil. Over the centuries, the celebration of Easter Eve influenced the celebration of Christmas Eve and the descent of the Word at midnight was applied to Christmas as well as Easter.

Some early Christians did think that Christ was born at midnight even before this became a common idea influenced by the Wisdom passage. The Protoevangelium in the second century describes Christ’s birth at night and how the newborn baby filled the stable-cave with light that was so bright Joseph and the midwives he had gone to find could not enter the cave when they arrived. Gradually, as the light faded, they saw that Christ had been born already and was nursing at his Mother’s breast.

There was always brilliant light when God appeared in the Old Testament. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the light of God’s glory was too bright. (Exodus 40:35) The priests could not enter the Temple to serve when Solomon dedicated it because the light was too bright. (1 Kings 8) Many Christmas cards show beams of light shining from the manger and we sing about the bright beams of light from Christ’s face in Christmas carols.

Christ’s life begins and ends in a borrowed cave–the stable and the tomb. The light shines in the darkness when the Word descends at night into that stable and even to the dark depths of Hell to save the world. God’s activity to save–whether at the Exodus, at the Nativity, or at the Death and Resurrection–is always the same: he comes down to where we are and finds us there, no matter how dark that place is.

A Rider Faithful and True

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The rider Faithful and True on his white horse in the Tolkovy Apocalypse (Moscow, early 17th century).

And I saw Heaven wide open, and behold, a white horse; its rider’s name was Faithful and True and in righteousness he judges and makes war…. he was clothed in a cloak dipped in blood , and he was called the Word of God. (Apoc. 19:11, 13)

Christ, the Word of God, rides into battle and emerges victorious. The Word of God, the Logos, is the divine blueprint for the universe while the Wisdom of God is the practical application of that blueprint.

The New Testament tells us that the Word was made flesh (John 1:14) and the Old Testament tells us that Wisdom leaped down from the heavenly throne in the middle of the night to save the Hebrews in Egypt. This image of Wisdom coming to earth at midnight (Wisdom 18) to slay the enemies of Israel was first used by the Church to describe Christ’s descent into Hell and his Resurrection during the night between Holy Saturday and Easter morning but then the image of Wisdom’s descent to earth at midnight also suggested the birth of Christ at Bethlehem and eventually resulted in our celebrations of “Midnight Mass” on Christmas Eve.

The Word was made flesh. Wisdom came to earth. To say that “Wisdom built herself a house” on earth is the poetic equivalent of saying “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (Pope St. Leo the Great, Tome 2) The victory of the Word over the enemies of God is the victory of Wisdom over the enemies of God.

Christ is the Wisdom of God made flesh but because Wisdom—“Sophia” as she is identified in the oldest manuscripts of Proverbs—is a woman’s name, Wisdom has also been considered an allusion to Christ’s most pure Mother, the ever-blessed Virgin Mary. The victory of the Word-Wisdom is also the victory of the Mother of God, the Second Eve, treading on the head of the serpent that overcame the first Eve. Our Lady of Victory, although a feast to commemorate a victory over the Turks, is also an allusion to the victorious Mother of God who shares in the victory of her Son. She makes her Son’s victory possible by giving him flesh in her womb.

“Peace Shall be a Pathway for His Feet.”

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A Byzantine icon of Christ as the Great High Priest, seated on a bishop’s throne (cathedra), as the donor and his son kneel in supplication. Christ’s hand is raised in blessing, typically accompanied by the greeting, “Peace be unto all.”
Christ depicted as a bishop at the Eucharist, giving Holy Communion to the apostles; St. Paul leads those approaching the chalice while St. Peter leads those approaching from the other side. The assembly of the apostles is typically a depiction of the Church assembled in peace as the Body of Christ, in which all peoples can be reconciled.

“Righteousness shall go before him, and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.” (Psalm 85:13)

On the most straightforward, historical level, peace was the pathway for the Gospel insofar as the pax Romana made it possible to preach the Gospel from Syria to Great Britain, from Egypt to the North Sea. Apostles and missionaries were able to travel the system of Roman roads–many of which still exist–which were kept safe by the Roman soldiers and the sheer number of people travelling on the roadways. Although it was safe to travel from one end of the empire to the other, it was expensive. Apostles and missionaries needed financial support from their home parish or would stop and work to support themselves as they made their journey.

The peace and stability of the Roman empire not only enabled the growth of the Church but made it possible for letters and communication to be shared. It was the re-establishment of the “Roman peace” that the many kingdoms of western Europe during the Middle Ages aspired to.

Peace is also understood to be the pathway for Christ to meet the worshipper at the celebration of the Eucharist. Each person who approaches the altar, walking towards encountering Christ in the Holy Gifts of the Eucharist, must first make peace with their neighbors either by exchanging the Kiss of Peace or by heeding Christ’s admonition to “leave your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother has anything against you; go, be reconciled and then come to offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). Peace and reconciliation between Christians was the road that had to be built or repaired to make Christ’s arrival possible.

Christ himself was also understood to be the peace of God; in Constantinople, the church of the Holy Peace is nowadays sometimes called St. Irene’s but which was always understood previously to be dedicated to Christ, the Peace of God.

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of two, thus making peace.” (Ephesians 2:14-15 )

(The great cathedral of Hagia Sophia was also understood to be dedicated to Christ, the Wisdom of God, rather than the woman-martyr St. Sophia.)