Given that it is Christmas day we thought we would post Mary’s Magnificat, Mary’s response to learning she would bear a child, Jesus. The passage is so called because in the Latin Bible in verse 47 of Luke 1 (Luke 1:46-55) it begins with the words magnificat animum mea dominum, which means, “My soul magnifies the Lord.”
And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me–holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants for ever, even as he said to our fathers.”
Madeleine and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you for your readership, comments and links over the past year.
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A common objection to belief in the God of the Bible is that a good, kind, and loving deity would never command the wholesale slaughter of nations. In the tradition of his popular Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan teams up with Matthew Flannagan to tackle some of the most confusing and uncomfortable passages of Scripture. Together they help the Christian and nonbeliever alike understand the biblical, theological, philosophical, and ethical implications of Old Testament warfare passages.
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones.”
Great news.
Merry Christmas to you and Madeleine