J-B wrote:Quote:Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed,
By the stream and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, woolly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee.
He is called by thy name,
For He calls Himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and He is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, and thou a lamb,
We are called by His name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
What's a "Lamb"? I long deemed shepherd as "LORD", so the Lamb should be mankind? But how to understand this poem?
And how to understand "I" here?
Thank you.
JB
The lamb is/could be so many things!
Er....you know a lamb is a baby sheep, right?
Jesus gets known as the Lamb of God.
Lamb of God
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For the band, see Lamb of God (band).
Lamb of God (Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian tradition. It is believed to refer to Jesus' role as a sacrificial lamb atoning for the sins of man in Christian theology, harkening back to ancient Jewish Temple sacrifices in which a lamb was slain during the passover, the blood sprinkled along the door and eaten.
Biblical references
The title is first found twice in the Gospel of John:
The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)
The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." (John 1:35f)
The image of Jesus as lamb is also very prominent in the Book of Revelation, where Jesus is referred to as Lamb twenty-eight times. However, Book of Revelation uses a different Greek word for Lamb: the apocalyptic picture of a ruling and victorious lamb should probably not be read into the title "Lamb of God" in the Gospel of John. However, even if the "Lamb of God" title does not in itself imply victory, Revelation clearly identifies this victorious lamb as having been the sacrificial offering: "you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God" (Rev 5:9).
The title also appears in Acts 8:32, 1 Cor 5:7 (implied), and 1 Peter 1:19.
Also, note that some scholars such as Thomas McElwain consider the belief that Jesus has already paid the whole price for sin as a later belief, one unknown to any of the disciples of the first century. They argue that "the followers of Jesus Christ went on participating in the sacrificial system of the temple in Jerusalem until its destruction in AD 70" and "the apostolic church, for more than a generation after the ascension of Jesus, still offered the Old Testament sacrifices." The Epistle to the Hebrews clearly teaches that Jesus replaces the temple service, its sacrifices and its priests. But they argue that "the historical fact is that such belief came only in connection with the destruction of the temple." The composition of the book of Hebrews has been dated to shortly after the Pauline epistles were collected and began to circulate, circa AD 95 which is after the destruction of the temple.[1]
It means a male without blemish.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
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Background
Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, detail of the Ghent Altarpiece by Jan Van EyckTo fully understand the Biblical significance of the title, it must be understood in the context of earlier lamb symbolism.
The blood of the paschal lamb of the Old Testament protects and saves the Israelites in Exodus 12. This link is made explicit in 1 Corinthians 5:7. For Paul, Christians are saved by Christ as their true paschal lamb.
The Old Testament also testifies to the earlier practice of sin offerings as a possible means of atonement. Lambs could be used in these offerings (e.g. Leviticus 4:32-34 and 5:6), and this link is strongly suggested by John 1:29 and 1 Peter 1:19. Like the sin of a person could be forgiven through the offering and the pouring out of the blood of an "unblemished" lamb (cf. Lev 4:32), so Christians would be freed from sin by the blood of Jesus as the unblemished Lamb of God. See Sin for further discussion about the concept of sin and the means of atonement in Judaism.
Lastly, Christians believe that the suffering servant of Isaiah 53 refers to Jesus. It is controversial as to how to translate this passage and to whom this passage refers. Some identify the servant as Israel personified arguing that the identity of the servant has already been established by Isaiah in previously stated passages (Isaiah 41 :8-9; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3). According to a Christian translation of the Isaiah 53, the suffering servant remains silent "like a lamb led to the slaughter" (53:7) and "gives his life as an offering for sin" (53:10). Christians add that this link is explicit in Acts 8:32 and strengthens the idea of Jesus as a sin offering.
Geza Vermes posited that the title Lamb of God does not necessarily refer to the metaphor of a sacrificial animal. He points out that in Galilean Aramaic the word talya, literally "lamb," had the common meaning of "male child". This is akin to "kid" meaning "child" in modern colloquial English. The female equivalent of Talya was Talitha, literally "ewe lamb" and figuratively "girl" (the word is found in the Narrative of the Daughter of Jairus). Thus, "Lamb of God" could have been a slang means of saying "Son of God" or "God's Kid".
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Mass
Lamb of God is also the popular name of a litany beginning with these words used in the Roman Catholic Mass and in the worship services of many other churches. It is said to have been introduced into the Mass by Pope Sergius I (687-701). Based upon John 1: 29, the Latin form (with translation) is:
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
This litany is spoken or sung during the Rite of Fraction and Commingling.
In a Requiem Mass, the words "dona nobis pacem" are replaced by "dona eis requiem" (give them rest).
It is also appended to many of the Church's litanies. In the Church of England, it is acceptable for the "Agnus Dei" to be sung in English by the choir during the administration of Holy Communion, provided that the reception of the elements is not delayed till its conclusion.
In the Roman Catholic Church, this name also refers to a small cake made of the wax of the Paschal candle and impressed with this figure. Since the 9th century, it has been customary for the Pope to bless these cakes, and distribute them on the Sunday after Easter among the faithful. In modern times the distribution has been limited to persons of distinction, and is made by the Pope on his accession and every seven years thereafter.
So...the lamb is firstly a lamb, about whom Blake is thinking, and to whom he addresses his poem, and which he contrasts with himself.....the "I" refers both to the author of the poem, and to humanity generally, at the same time....he contrasts sheep and human, at the same time as both are similar in that both are god's creation.
The lamb in christian cultures has the resonances mentioned above, as well as being a byword for innocence and harmlessness plus, since humanity is often seen as the sheep, and god/jesus as the shepherd, the lamb is also us......humanity.
Another scriptural resonance is this (about a prophesied time of goodness and happiness):
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:6
This poem begs to be read with another of Blake's:
The Tiger
TIGER, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?
When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?
Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
