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TheAdoration of the Shepherds is the traditional name for aNew Testament episode in the story ofJesus's nativity, which is the subject of many works of art. In itshepherds are near witnesses to Jesus's birth inBethlehem, arriving soon after he is actually born. The episode is recounted, or at least implied, in theGospel of Luke and follows on from theannunciation to the shepherds, in which the shepherds are summoned by an angel to the scene of the birth. Like the episode preceding it, the adoration is a common subjectin art, where it is often combined with theAdoration of the Magi. In such cases it is typically just referred to by the latter title.
As well as many paintings and sculptures, the episode features in muchChristmas music, bothcarols and classical music.
The adoration is an episode in the nativity narrative of theGospel of Luke. Shepherds are watching their flocks by night, apparently near Bethlehem, when an angel appears to announce the good news that "today in the City of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord".[1] The angelic promise is accompanied by a sign: they will find the saviour in the form of "a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger".[2] "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host" (the Greek word used here indicates a military formation, an army) appeared and joined the angel, singing "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace among those of good will".[3]
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
TheAnnunciation to the Shepherds, which precedes the adoration, forms a distinct subject inChristian art and is sometimes included in a nativity scene as a peripheral feature (even though it occurs before the adoration itself), as in the 1485 scene byDomenico Ghirlandaio, where it can be seen in the upper left corner. Ghirlandaio also shows a procession of Magi about to arrive with their gifts.
Roger Baxter reflects on verse 15 ("Let us go to Bethlehem..."), writing, "Observe the prompt obedience of the shepherds, and learn thence to obey with promptitude the divine inspirations." For they came with haste. No one can see Christ slothfully," says St.Ambrose.[4]
TheVenerable Bede makes a similar comment: "The shepherds hasten, for the presence of Christ must not be sought with sluggishness; and many perchance that seek Christ do not merit to find Him, because they seek Him slothfully."[5]
The scene is very commonly combined with theAdoration of the Magi, which makes for a balanced composition, as the two groups often occupy opposite sides of the image space around the central figures, and represent the theological interpretation of the episode where the two groups –Jewish andgentile – represented the peoples of the world between them.[citation needed] This combination is first found in the 6th-centuryMonza ampullae made in ByzantinePalaestina Prima.
The depiction of the Adoration of the Shepherds as a subject distinct from that of the Magi began to appear in thewestern Christian world in around the 15th century. The shepherds are sometimes shown presenting simpler gifts to Jesus than those of the Magi, such as lambs.[6] InItalian Renaissance painting, drawing on classical stories ofOrpheus, the shepherds are sometimes depicted with musical instruments.[7] Alternatively, it has been argued that this motif derives from a custom of playing the pipes before images of theVirgin and Child at Christmas in parts of Italy.[8] A charming but atypical miniature in theLa Flora Hours inNaples shows the shepherds playing to theChrist Child, as a delighted Virgin Mary stands to one side.[citation needed] It became a common theme inaltarpieces as well as other art forms.[6]
Many artists have depicted the subject. Famous examples include:
Several well-knownChristmas carols mention the Adoration of the Shepherds. Some of these do so along the lines of urging the listener to come to Bethlehem such as the "Shepherd's Pipe Carol". The modern "Calypso Carol" has the lines "Shepherds swiftly from your stupor rise / to see the Saviour of the world," and the chorus "O now carry me to Bethlehem." "Angels We Have Heard on High" says, "Come to Bethlehem and see / Him Whose birth the angels sing."
"O Come, All Ye Faithful" ("Adeste Fideles" in the Latin version) has a verse which runs:
See how the shepherds,
Summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither
Bend our joyful footsteps.
Other carols which mention the Adoration of the Shepherds include "Silent Night", "What Child Is This?", "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly", "I Wonder as I Wander", and "O Come, Little Children". The German carol "Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her" ("From Heaven Above to Earth I Come") contains several stanzas on the subject of following the shepherds and celebrating the newborn baby. TheCzech carol "Nesem vám noviny ("Come, All Ye Shepherds", in German "Kommet, ihr Hirten") concerns the adoration of the shepherds; the middle verse ofMari Ruef Hofer's English version runs:
Hasten then, hasten to Bethlehem's stall,
There to see heaven descend to us all.
With holy feeling, there humbly kneeling,
We will adore Him, bow down before Him,
Worship the King.[9]
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