{"id":1977,"date":"2013-08-06T19:43:56","date_gmt":"2013-08-06T23:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/christmasclassics.com\/christmasmusic\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2013-09-10T14:53:23","modified_gmt":"2013-09-10T18:53:23","slug":"person-of-the-day-rev-john-mason-neale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/christmasclassics.com\/christmasmusic\/person-of-the-day-rev-john-mason-neale","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Classics PERSON OF THE DAY: Rev. John Mason Neale"},"content":{"rendered":"

On this day in 1866, the Rev. John Mason Neale died. A humble and scholarly Anglican priest, his reputation largely rests with his research and translations of ancient Greek and Latin religious texts, tasks that must have come easily to him since he was proficient in twenty-one different languages. The contributions of Neale to the revitalization of ancient and medieval church hymns and his deft translations of them cannot be underestimated. The brilliant scholar was known to have lamented the Reformation’s neglect of the rich history of hymnody, despite the movement’s praiseworthy restoration of worship and song to the language of the common people.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Neale was also a well-respected composer of Christmas carols and hymns, some of which were delivered as a result of translating centuries-old hymns and songs, including those of a secular strain.<\/p>\n

Three of those carols have grown quite popular since the publication of his 1853 collection Neale\u2019s Carols for Christmastide<\/i><\/strong>.<\/em><\/span> The most sacred was the carol hymn Veni, Emmanue<\/i>l<\/em> (O Come, O Come Emmanuel)<\/em> based upon the Latin great O Antiphons of Advent <\/b><\/em><\/span>whose seven verses are believed to have been composed by monastery monks who sang one verse per day at Vespers, the late afternoon or early evening canonical hour of prayer, for seven straight days prior to Christmas Eve.<\/p>\n

Good Christian Men<\/i>, Rejoice<\/i><\/strong><\/span>, <\/em>the second carol, was Neale\u2019s loose English translation of one of Germany’s best-loved carols, In Dulci Jubilo<\/i><\/strong><\/span>. <\/em>Neale found the melody of this medieval Latin-German carol in Piae Cantiones<\/i><\/strong><\/span>,<\/em> the famous 1582 Swedish book of carols that also produced the tune for Good King Wenceslas<\/b><\/em><\/span>,\u00a0the third\u00a0familiar carol. For the latter, Neale was looking for a good role model for children. He found it in King Wenceslas of Bohemia who was known to be a just and merciful king and having considerable compassion for the poor and sick.<\/p>\n

It could be said that King Wenceslas was also a role model for Neale himself since he, too, led an exemplary life by dedicating his\u00a0 life to the less fortunate. The hymn composer had a penchant for caring for the lowliest on society’s scale, and his Christian deeds set him apart from other clerics holding more lofty positions in the Anglican Church.<\/p>\n

Such was Neale’s station in life that his own bishop, imagining Neale of Roman Catholic leanings, prohibited him from performing any ministerial duties and relegated him to a seemingly less desirable post. Thus, in 1846 Neale was made warden of Sackville College, a position he held for the rest of his life. Sackville College, however, was actually an almshouse, a charitable residence for the poor and aged. Twelve years later the humbly intrepid, and often frail and sickly, Neale founded the Sisterhood of St. Margaret, a group dedicated to the poor, needy, and suffering. For this charitable effort he was accused of a return to nuns, again earning him the enmity of Church authorities that thought he was converting to the Roman Catholic faith. Neale\u2019s ministry later established an orphanage, a school for girls, and a home for unwed mothers, the latter forced to close due to church and local opposition. In a nutshell, Neale’s dedication to serving the poor and indigent was on a level with that of his work with sacred texts and hymns. Each pursuit was performed tirelessly, with dignity, and for the higher good.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel, meaning “God with us,” is a splendid title for a carol hymn. It must have held special significance to Rev. Neale as he worked among the poor. The title reaffirms the religious concept of Christ’s birth as God Incarnate dwelling among men and announcing to them his mission here on earth. In the world of the ancient Hebrew, the choice of name was made judiciously, as the name Emmanuel must have been for Neale. For the scholarly Anglican priest, the name radiated in bold light and demonstrated, coincidentally, his own essential character and purpose as a man.<\/p>\n

Today the Rev. Neale lays in peace at St. Swithun churchyard in East Grinstead, England, close to Sackville College where he abundantly served so well those who had so little.<\/p>\n

\"Rev.<\/a>

Rev. John Mason Neale<\/p><\/div>\n

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