There are a number of theological aberrations in the major Lutheran hymnals. Some have more while others have less. This page is intended as a guide for the pastor or organist or music director in choosing hymnody and liturgy that is in keeping with the doctrines that are taught within a local congregation. This page focuses on The Hymnal Supplement '98 (Sup98) (c) 1998.
This is an unfortunate page to update. I would have hoped this page to remain blank. In this age of great theological sharpness, I would have thought that nothing would slip through the doctrinal review process with this modern hymnal. Alas, crippled humanity has come forth. The good news is that there are 99 other worthwhile hymns in the book, so do not sweat the one that slipped through the process. Skip it and give thanks to God for the 99.
Hymn 805 The angel Gabriel from Heaven Came" The first verse wile making correct statements which come from the Holy Scriptures, combine or merge two descriptions into one. The resulting statement is untrue. This is a classic logic problem gone awry. The first half of the offending verse goes as follows:
The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
With wings as drifted snow, with eyes as flame:
It is true that the angel Gabriel came to Mary (The Annunciation) to tell her she would be the Mother of God and bear Jesus the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-27). The problem is with the line that follows. The "white as snow" description that we find in the Bible is not associated with angels. This particular descriptor comes from Saint John's description of the hair of the "One like the Son of Man" (Jesus) and not an angel (Revelation 1:13-14). Saint John also describes the eyes of the "One like the Son of Man" as "His eyes like a flame of fire" (Rev. 2:18, 19:12-13). There are no descriptions in the Bible regarding the color of Angel's wings nor of the color of an angel's eyes. Again, the hymn writer applies John's description of Jesus to the angel Gabriel. This is an error. While all of the language has Biblical origins, the merged statement is a fiction that falls into the category of a "misleading" statement that can find no firm biblical support.
A student at one of our Concordia Universities made me aware of this one. This gives me some hope in the future generation of LCMS Lutherans.
Disclaimer: Information an this page is for entertainment informational and instructional purposes only and is not to be construed as the doctrinal position of the author or of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Consult your Bible (Greek and Hebrew preferred, but the NASB or NKJ is acceptable) and the Book of Concord. This information has not been approved by the LCMS. Please notify the compiler if there are any verifiable inaccuracies presented.
Comments or suggestions: (please no spamm or other time + bandwidth-wasting baloney!)
Last revised 12/9/2004 8:57 PM