Anonymous – The First Noel

Not much is known about the origins of The First Noel.  I don’t mean the content that influenced the song.  I refer to the song itself.  It originated from Cornish tradition and was first published by Davies Gilbert in London circa 1823 in Some Ancient Christmas Carols.  It had comparatively more stanzas than today’s version, with nine in total.  However, the earliest tune in existence is speculative  One of the earliest records we have appears ten years later, in William Sandys’ Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern.  The modern version we use today comes from The English Hymnal, published in 1906 from the Church of England.

Although I myself an originalist when it comes to lyrics, since most of us do not sing Gilbert’s version, we will examine the six verses and refrain that comes from England.

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1. What message does the song communicate?

There are four major parts to this song:

1. The announcement of the newborn Jesus to the shepherds;
2. The shepherds finding Jesus by following the star;
3. The Three Wise Men who also find Jesus from the same star, offering gifts and worship; and
4. A call to action for us to enter into the same attitude of praise and worship from both parties.

As I will mention in section 2, the second is unbiblical and the third contains an unsupported detail on the number of visitors.

Score: 8/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

Verse 2, lines 1 and 2, Verse 3, line 2, and Verse 5, line 1 are unsupported by Scripture.  The rest of the song is biblically sound.

This song is public domain.

[Verse 1]

The first Nowell the angels did say

The word “Nowell” is a transliteration of the modern French word “noël”, which means “birthday”.  Some English versions use the word “Noel” rather than “Nowell”.

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay, keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep:

The Refrain tells us what the angels said to the poor shepherds as they tend to their flocks by night (Luke 2:8).

[Refrain]

Nowell, Nowell, Nowell, Nowell,
Born is the King of Israel.

Describes one of the events in Luke 2:8-13. An angel visits the shepherds and declares that the Savior, Jesus Christ, has been bord.

[Verse 2]

They looked up and saw a star,
Shining in the east, beyond them far:
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night:

Who are the “they” described in Verse 2? If we look at the original source material, it is the magi who are led by a star, according to Matthew 2:1-12. However, according to the song, it is the shepherds! There is no descriptor that indicates a transition from the shepherds to the magi. If we examine the lyrics from Verse 3, it becomes evident that the authors intend to include the “wise men” as those who followed the star, presumably east; However, the immediate context is unfortunate given that the only available antecedent at this point is the shepherds.

[Verse 3]

And by the light of that same star,
Three Wise Men came from country far;

According to Matthew 2:1-12, it does not tell us how many of them visited Jesus.  We assume three because there were three gifts; However, the Biblical record does not support this view.

To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star whersoever it went:

This is accurate according to Matthew 2:1-12.

[Verse 4]

This star drew nigh to the north-west;

I’m not going to debate whether it was west, northwest or southwest.  We know that the Magi came from the east, so the mention of northwest is good enough for me.

O’er Bethlehem it took its rest;
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay:

Once again, this is accurate to the text.

[Verse 5]

Then entered in those Wise Men three,
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence,
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense:

Aside from the first line, this is precisely what took place (Matthew 2:11).

[Verse 6]

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
And with his blood mankind hath bought:

The author draws us to enter into the same joyful celebration and reverence that the shepherds and Magi had when they visited the new born Jesus.

Score: 8/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Most outsiders to Christianity aren’t aware of the intricate details explained in section 2.  They might have a vague sense of the elements that make up the Christmas “story”: There was a baby Jesus born in Bethlehem, in a manger.  They were visited by shepherds and angels were involved…somehow.  Three wise kings visited them as they followed a star.  They gave gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense.  Despite the inaccuracies to Scripture, unbelievers will still understand the basic elements and that it depicts the story by which Christians celebrate Christmas.

NOTE: I am not going to get into Paganism and the Roman Catholic Church for this review, except to say Genetic Fallacy.

Score: 8/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It seeks to glorify the birth of Jesus; However, the song’s compromises to Scripture highly veils it.

Score: 8/10

Closing Comments

Overall, The First Noel is mostly a solid depiction of the two recorded Biblical accounts of visitors to the newborn baby Jesus.  However, its biblically unsupported descriptors of the shepherds following the star and the number of wise men slightly compromises the message and, in turn, God’s glory.  Still, I don’t plan to completely avoid this Carole anytime soon.  I just won’t sing some of the verses!

Final Score: 8/10

Artist Info

Track: The First Noel (One of my favorite versions is Josh Groban feat. Faith Hill.  Listen to it.)

Artist: Anonymous

Album: N/A

Genre: Christmas, Hymn

Release Year: 1906

Duration: N/A

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

12/20/2021 – Toned down language regarding the number of wise men who visited Jesus.  Also, I removed my commentary on the “cold night” and was more precise on which lines were incorrect in section 2.  I also removed my criticism of “magi” being wise men.  Both are in various translations of Scripture.  Given these changes, I raised the score for section 1, 2, and 4.  This increased this song’s overall score, from 7/10 to 8/10.  Thanks to Steve for challenging me!