Biblical Poetry in Symmetry, Magnificat, Mary, Abraham ... God

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Poetry in Symmetry

This is the blessing
…God to Abraham
(Genesis 12:2)

I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will magnify your name so that you will be a blessing.

This is the psalm
… Mary to God
from her Magnificat
(Luke 1:46, 48, 49)

 

My soul magnifies the Lord;
For he has looked with favor upon his handmaid’s lowliness
from now on all generations shall call me blessed

The poetry of Scripture echoes from age to age

Wording reflected
Thoughts, renewed
Promises and people…

Redeemed

We like balance in our pictures, architecture, snowflakes - our Bible...

God magnifies Abraham’s name
Mary magnifies the name of God

Same word … magnify … μεγαλύνω (megaluno)

God would do mighty things through Abraham
Mary thanks God for having done mighty things for her

God would bless Abraham so that his name would become a blessing
Mary says in her Magnificat, “from now on all generations shall call me blessed.”

 

Mary ends her Magnificat by alluding to God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2

 

Words reflected

Like an image darting on the water

Biblical poetry in symmetry

From whence the pretty pictures…
The winter reflection
The cross reflection

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A confluence - the rivers meet and mingle like Abraham and Melchizedek ...

a confluence in Geneva

one is the River Rhone
the other, the River Arve

both emanate from glaciers
both pick up different things as they flow
different land, different elements, different color

and they meet and mix
somewhere there …  in the middle

confluence

there was once only one seeker of God Most High – Abraham
and there was only one priest of God Most High – Melchizedek
each flowing, picking up different things, never connecting

until, one day the only seeker flows by the only priest

confluence awaits

the seeker is having a typical day

business activity
a problem child
oh … and a war

following a voice from heaven
following the light to his darkness
following the answers to his questions

never once does he consider that his conclusive answers lie in Jerusalem
and there is someone in Jerusalem who needs a confluence for himself

so he’s about ready to pass by Jerusalem … again

seeking_the_perfect_blue_by_starwaltdesign-d6cu01i

but this time…

the inspiration he seeks as hard as an artist in search of the exact. perfect. blue
flows down the hillside so that the two can meet, and mingle, and share

somewhere there …  in the middle

the priest of this God nobody appeared to know about, “El–Elyon” – God Most High
streams down from the hillside, bestowing bread and wine, and receiving a tithe from Abraham

a confluence below Jerusalem

momentous. moment.

one man has a practical, personal, on the ground understanding of the only God
the other has theological knowledge – a religious, mountain top kind of learning

the conversations they must have had
each filling in the various vacancies
of the other one’s perception of God

but…

years before this meeting gets a chance to unfold
Abraham must leave family, career, his native country
and maybe he’s like a fledgling bird at the edge of the nest

a bit scared
and oh so curious
but not quite ready

nestlings005_800_king_vickie

and maybe he needs one last push, a promise that he isn’t leaving it all for nothing

maybe that’s when God provides the final nudge
with words recorded in the Greek of the Septuagint
(with pronunciation below, and a literal translation)

(and the Greek version of Mary’s “magnificat” in bold print)

καὶ   ποιήσω  σε    εἰς    ἔθνος   μέγα
Ki      poyeso-se   ayees ethnos mega
and I will make you into [a] nation, great

καὶ    εὐλογήσω σε
ki    youlogaysow-se
and I will bless you

καὶ μεγαλυνῶ     τὸ ὄνομά σου
ki    megaluno     tow onoma-sue
and will magnify the name of you

καὶ ἔσῃ    εὐλογητός
ki   esay   youlogaytos
and you will be blessed

it’s Genesis 12:2
the first use of Mary’s word, magnificat, in the Scriptures

it’s only “magnificat” in the Latin  (man-yee-fee-cot)
in the Greek it’s “μεγαλύνω” (megaluno)

now to unwrap this pretty present…

 

 

The Picture Perfect Artwork:
the confluence
the colors
the fledgling

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In which something becomes something else | Panis Angelicus

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In which we translate Panis Angelicus

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Translating Panis Angelicus from Latin to English… …treasures lay hidden in the 800 year old poetry of Aquinas. There are so many delicious layers to burrow through. But before scooping up the goodness, I thought it might be worth double checking the translation. If I have that wrong I can have everything wrong. So I’m […]

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In which I only begin to understand Panis Angelicus

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It’s a most indelibly memorable song. But the words…the words… and the depth of the meaning. Breathtaking. Sublime. The translation from the Latin of Panis Angelicus only begins to unlock its mysteries. To truly get this hymn is to never hear it again without the heart falling to its knees. To truly get this hymn […]

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