Angelic Overtures of Mary Baker Eddy’s “Christ and Christmas”
Orgain, Alice. Angelic Overtures of Mary Baker Eddy’s “Christ and Christmas.” New York: Self, 1941.
Twelve years after Orgain’s excommunication from The Mother Church in 1929, she published this lengthy book as an interpretation of Mary Baker Eddy’s illustrated poem, Christ and Christmas, a symbolic expression of the evolution of Eddy’s Church. This interpretation gives Orgain the platform from which she argues against the legal finding of the ‘Great Litigation’ of 1921. The title of this book stems from Eddy’s own placement of Christ and Christmas, into the hands of “angels with overtures” announcing its Principle and idea. Orgain’s interpretation is that “angels alone hold the key to the interpretation…” (vii), and that the poem’s mission was “to reveal the God-anointed mission of our Leader” (xiii). Seeing symbolism in everything, Orgain’s primary thesis is that Christ and Christmas is an emblematic expression of Eddy’s ‘subjective’ (her conscious identity as revelator) and ‘objective’ (her work with the church) progress toward her ultimate goal. Each verse of Christ and Christmas is developed into a full chapter of exegesis on the biblical account of Jacob and his wives.
For more about Eddy’s poem “Christ and Christmas” see also annotations (and related posts):
This reference is written by an ‘independent’ Christian Scientist and is included in the bibliography because of its historical value. For further explanation, click here.