Why does the Battle Hymn of the Republic say Jesus was born "in the beauty of the lillies"?

Upvote:-3

I thought the word in the Battle Hymn of the Republic is not "born" but "borne", meaning "carried". The idea is that, in His death and resurrection, Christ crossed the sea that separates this life from the next. So the reference would be to Easter, not to Christmas, and lilies are a traditional decoration for Easter celebrations.

Upvote:2

From my research I have concluded, that:

1. The Lilly is touted as the purest white of the flowers and is the standard of
whiteness used in judging other flowers.

2. The word transfigured according to Merriam Webster 'TRANSFIG'URE, v.t. 
[L. trans and figura.] To transform; to change the outward form or appearance.

It seems to me, that what the writer meant to convey is that just as the Lilly is the standard for judging the purity of other flowers, so Christ is the standard by which man's purity is judged. And that because of his purity we are changed into something of comparable beauty as is the Lilly.

Upvote:3

it's a reference to the Sermon on the Mount. consider the lilies of the field. Jesus says that the lilies are more beautiful than Solomon in all his glory. Solomon was the richest king in the history of Israel.since Christ was born in poverty, in a stable, any beauty that he had would have to be the beauty of the lilies. meaning in a beauty not provided through work, toil, or riches.

Upvote:7

The answer I think may be found by comparing it to that other song from the same general time period that says "He's the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star; He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul." (i.e. The Lilly of the Valley).

Its reference to Song of Solomon 2:1, "I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys."

Upvote:8

According to this site, the first draft of the song actually had the words

In the whiteness of the lilies he was born across the sea

And then the final version of the song, which was first published in 1862 had the words

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea

That same site references a book by Edmund Wilson entitled Patriotic Gore: Studies in the Literature of the American Civil War (New York: Oxford University Press, 1966). On page 96 of that book, the author suggests that the lyrics may be referring to Easter lilies (which are associated with the death and resurrection of Jesus).

Absent any reason given by Julia Ward for choosing those words, we can merely speculate as to why she chose them. Based on the context, though, she was clearly wanting to convey the hope portrayed in Jesus' birth and the beauty of what He accomplished in stark contrast to the darkness underlying the rest of the song.

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