Monday, February 21, 2011

christ as the philosopher's stone

From Wiki:


The philosophers' stone (Latinlapis philosophorum) is a legendary alchemical substance, said to be capable of turning base metals, especially lead, into gold(chrysopoeia); it was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful forrejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For a long time, it was the most sought-after goal in Western alchemy, meditated upon by alchemists such as Sir Isaac NewtonNicolas Flamel, and Frater Albertus

I discovered this lovely little hymn by George Herbert

    Teach me, my God and King,
        In all things thee to see,
And what I do in any thing,
        To do it as for thee:

        Not rudely, as a beast,
        To runne into an action;
But still to make thee prepossest,
        And give it his perfection.

        A man that looks on glasse,
        On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it passe,
        And then the heav’n espie.

        All may of thee partake:
        Nothing can be so mean,
Which with his tincture (for thy sake)
        Will not grow bright and clean.

        A servant with this clause
        Makes drudgerie divine:
Who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,
        Makes that and th’ action fine.

        This is the famous stone
        That turneth all to gold:
For that which God doth touch and own
        Cannot for lesse be told.


Isn't that a cool image? Christ as the philosopher's stone. The elixir of life, immortality is found in him. Ordinary work, our 'drudgerie', is turned into gold when touched by Christ!

Trying to work it into a not-too-obscure cong song (with a HSM meter.)

Herbert + Disney = ???

3 comments:

  1. Better than Herbert + Coldplay... (that'd be the current Hillsong version!)

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  2. Thanks for explaining. That is pretty interesting. I like how the hymn comes complete with old English spelling...

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  3. Just listened to Bells of New York City before reading those words. Josh Groban is almost Disney. I think it's a fit!

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