St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition...

Why can't we have "Jerusalem"?

Q. Why won’t you let us have “Jerusalem” at services in St Luke’s Church?

A. The usual words to “Jerusalem” aren’t in the Mission Praise hymn book we use at St Luke’s, basically because it isn’t a Christian hymn.

The words “And did those feet in ancient times walk upon England’s mountains green?” are a poem by William Blake. The poem obviously means Jesus’ feet (it goes on to say the “countenance divine”, and “the holy Lamb of God”), and it is basically saying didn’t Jesus come and visit England? The answer, of course, is - no, he didn’t. Jesus lived and died in Palestine.

Why would Blake write such a thing? It would be nice to imagine that Blake wanted to say that Jesus is still living all over the world by his Holy Spirit, and if we invite him into our lives by his Holy Spirit, then we will find him to be with us in all the different places we live. However, Blake probably didn’t mean it metaphorically like that - he probably meant it literally.

The poem is based on an old non-Christian idea that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross, but rather he was revived and then secretly smuggled out of Palestine by an inner circle of disciples. Once recovered he embarked on a worldwide preaching mission, during which he came to England and toured our green mountains and pleasant pastures. There are several modern books around which suggest the same ideas: the most well-known one is “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”, which also deals with the foundations of freemasonry.

However, the bible is completely against this idea: the whole point of the gospel is Jesus’ sacrificial death for mankind to take away the penalty of our sin - if Jesus hadn’t really died then there would be no message for him to take on a worldwide preaching mission. It is quite clear from the gospels that Jesus expected to die in Jerusalem, and that his disciples believed that he had not just been revivied from unconsciousness but resurrected from the dead. The main problem of books like “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail” is that the historical evidence is firmly against them.

It is true that the poem has been sung in churches in the past, and a lot of people like the tune very much. But nowadays we think it is important to sing words which are true, and for that reason we don’t allow Blake’s poem in our services. However, there is another hymn to the same tune which we do sing: all about Jesus’ ascension and him sending the Holy Spirit to us: “Lord, may we see your hands and side.”

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. July 2000, Page 6.
Home Page. Index of articles. Questions: index, Confidentialities, Yeast at HC, Jerusalem, Spilled wine. In this issue: (July 2000) Vicar's Letter, Remarriage? Antioch, Question.	In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition... Why can't we have "Jerusalem"? Q. Why won’t you let us have “Jerusalem” at services in St Luke’s Church? A. The usual words to “Jerusalem” aren’t in the Mission Praise hymn book we use at St Luke’s, basically because it isn’t a Christian hymn. The words “And did those feet in ancient times walk upon England’s mountains green?” are a poem by William Blake. The poem obviously means Jesus’ feet (it goes on to say the “countenance divine”, and “the holy Lamb of God”), and it is basically saying didn’t Jesus come and visit England? The answer, of course, is - no, he didn’t. Jesus lived and died in Palestine. Why would Blake write such a thing? It would be nice to imagine that Blake wanted to say that Jesus is still living all over the world by his Holy Spirit, and if we invite him into our lives by his Holy Spirit, then we will find him to be with us in all the different places we live. However, Blake probably didn’t mean it metaphorically like that - he probably meant it literally. The poem is based on an old non-Christian idea that Jesus didn’t really die on the cross, but rather he was revived and then secretly smuggled out of Palestine by an inner circle of disciples. Once recovered he embarked on a worldwide preaching mission, during which he came to England and toured our green mountains and pleasant pastures. There are several modern books around which suggest the same ideas: the most well-known one is “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”, which also deals with the foundations of freemasonry. However, the bible is completely against this idea: the whole point of the gospel is Jesus’ sacrificial death for mankind to take away the penalty of our sin - if Jesus hadn’t really died then there would be no message for him to take on a worldwide preaching mission. It is quite clear from the gospels that Jesus expected to die in Jerusalem, and that his disciples believed that he had not just been revivied from unconsciousness but resurrected from the dead. The main problem of books like “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail” is that the historical evidence is firmly against them. It is true that the poem has been sung in churches in the past, and a lot of people like the tune very much. But nowadays we think it is important to sing words which are true, and for that reason we don’t allow Blake’s poem in our services. However, there is another hymn to the same tune which we do sing: all about Jesus’ ascension and him sending the Holy Spirit to us: “Lord, may we see your hands and side.” John Hartley
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