The Friendly Beasts

Who of us, as a child or with our child, has not enjoyed singing about the animals that were with Baby Jesus on Christmas night?! Perhaps you even played the part of the donkey, cow, sheep or dove or one of the others added to the song at a later date, ie: camel, rooster or mouse. Well, as familiar as this child's selection might be, very little is known.

The author? unknown
The date written? perhaps 12 c. France
The music? could have been taken from a Latin song used in the Mass, Orientis Partibus Adventavit Asinus, which translated means From the East the Donkey came. This song was used for The Donkey's Festival in the 13 c. church to commemorate the Flight into Egypt. At the end of each verse, the congregation would sing "Heh! Sir Ass, oh Heh" as a live donkey was led into the sanctuary! The modern church has nothing on the medieval church for drama and entertainment!

Well, thinking about the occasion for the song -- were there really animals present at the birth? There are none in the Gospel accounts of the birth. Was the birth really in a stable?
And were the animals (if present) aware of their awesome guest? We've been enjoying a Teaching Course on Art of the Northern Renaissance and such a variety of stables, some quite ornate, and settings are portrayed and almost all of them included the ox, the donkey, some sheep.

Rather than getting bogged down in the facts, let's just enjoy the simplicity of the 6 verses. The first begins:
Jesus our brother, strong and good, Was humble born in a stable rude;
And the friendly beasts around Him stood, Jesus our brother, strong and good.

Verse 2 is "sung" by the donkey, shaggy and brown who carried His mother to Bethlehem;
Verse 3 has the cow, all white and red, giving his manger for His bed.
Verse 4 is the sheep with the curly horn, giving his wool for a blanket warm.
And the dove in vs. 5 cooed Him to sleep so He would not cry.

The final verse:
And every beast, by some good spell, In the stable dark was glad to tell,
Of the gift He gave Emmanuel,
The Gift He gave Emmanuel.

Animals have played important roles throughout Scripture and we some immediately come to mind like the serpent in the Garden, Jonah and the whale, the ravens that fed Elijah and another famous donkey belonging to a prophet called Balaam. All of the animals mentioned served God in one capacity or another and we can know that if there were animals to greet the Christ Child, they, too, were there not by accident but because ALL CREATION is to give praise to God. The Psalms are full of all creation joining in Praise to God and Isaiah tells us that mountains and hills will burst into song and trees will clap their hands! (Isaiah 55:12)

Burl Ives recorded this song in a Christmas album in 1952 and from then it became very popular as a standard for albums, TV shows and children's programs. A recent rendition was sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell, baritone, along with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Mitchell sounding like the animals as he sang their verse. Beautiful and very different.

So you can enjoy the song for yourself: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/r/friendbe.htm