Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree (also known as Apple Tree) is a poem written by an unknown New Englander in the 18th century. It has been set to music by a number of composers, including Jeremiah Ingalls (1764–1838) and Elizabeth Poston (1905–1987).
The first known publication of "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree" was in 1784 in Divine Hymns, or Spiritual Songs: for the use of Religious Assemblies and Private Christians compiled by Joshua Smith, a lay Baptist minister from New Hampshire. The hymn may have been based on an earlier anonymous poem first printed in London's Spiritual Magazine in August 1761 crediting "R.H." as the writer.[1]
The song may be an allusion to both the apple tree in Song of Solomon 2:3 which has been interpreted as a metaphor representing Christ, and to Jesus' description of his life as a tree of life in Luke 13:18–19 and elsewhere in the New Testament including Revelation 22:1–2 and within the Old Testament in Genesis. Apple trees were commonly grown in early New England and there was an old English tradition of wassailing or wishing health to apple trees on Christmas eve.[2] The song is now performed by choirs around the world, especially during the Christmas season as a Christmas carol.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Journal of American folklore, Volume 58-59 (American Folk-lore Society by Houghton, Mifflin, 1945) citing the earlier source as: London Spiritual Magazine in August 1761 (George Pullen Jackson:White and Negro Spiritauls, N.Y., 1943, 63, note 6)
- ^ William Hone, The Every-day book and Table book (Pub. for T. Tegg, 1830), pg. 1605 (606)
- ^ Images of Christ Volume 2 of Roehampton Institute London papers, (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004), pg. 198
[edit] External links
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- Jesus Christ the Apple Tree words at Hymns and Carols of Christmas
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