Jesus the Son of Man · Chapter
Phumiah, the High Priestess of Sidon explained
Phumiah, the High Priestess of Sidon, calls upon her maidens to sing praises of a heroic figure who slew dragons and gods, but then stays their harps, declaring that their song cannot reach His majesty.
What happens
Phumiah, the High Priestess of Sidon, calls upon her maidens to sing praises of a heroic figure who slew dragons and gods, but then stays their harps, declaring that their song cannot reach His majesty. She gathers them to hear His words and deeds, emphasizing the depth of His voice beyond their passion.
Themes in this chapter
Humanity and Divinity of Jesus
The song portrays Jesus as a heroic youth with human attributes (youth, beard) yet divine power (slaying gods).
Nature and the Divine
Imagery of harps, sea, cliff, forest, and oak connects the divine to natural elements.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“Take your harps and let me sing. Beat your strings, the silver and the gold; For I would sing the dauntless Man Who slew the dragon of the valley, Then gazèd down with pity Upon the thing He had slain.”
Let us make music, for I wish to sing of the fearless man who killed the valley dragon and then looked upon it with compassion.
Phumiah introduces the heroic figure with pity, suggesting a merciful nature.
“Lay by your harps. We cannot sing Him now. The faint whisper of our song cannot reach His tempest, Nor pierce the majesty of His silence.”
Stop playing; our song is too weak to match His power or break through His majestic silence.
Phumiah acknowledges the inadequacy of human praise in the face of divine majesty.