Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Encyclopedia
"Matthew, Mark, Luke and John", also known as the "Black Paternoster", is an English language
prayer
and nursery rhyme
traditionally said by children as they go to bed. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
number of 1704. It is related to another prayer the "White Paternoster", with which it is often confused.
before me, behind me Sin
, Nergal
at my right, Ninib at my left", is echoed by the medieval Jewish prayer: "In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel
at my left; Uriel
before me; Raphael
behind me and the Shekhinah
of God be above my head" which is used as a prayer before sleep. A Christian version has been found for Germany at the end of the medieval period. However, the first record of the lyrics in English is from Thomas Ady
's witchcraft treatise A Candle in the Dark, or, a treatise concerning the nature of witches and witchcraft (1656), which tells of a woman in Essex
who claimed to have lived in the reign of Mary I
(r. 1553-8) and who was alive in his time and blessed herself every night with the "popish charm":
George Sinclair, writing of Scotland in his Satan's Invisible World Discovered in 1685, repeated Ady's story and told of a witch who used a "Black Paternoster", at night, which seems very similar to Ady's rhyme:
A year later it was quoted again by John Aubrey
, but in the form:
A version similar to that quoted at the beginning of this article, was first recorded by Sabine Baring-Gould
in 1891 and it survived as a popular children's prayer in England into the twentieth century.
(c. 1175–1253), Bishop of Lincoln
, condemned the use of a "Green Paternoster" by old women in a treatise on blasphemy
, which contained reference to "Green Pater Noster, Peter's dear sister". In Chaucer's "Miller's Tale" (c. 1387) he refers to a prayer known as the "White Paternoster", elements of which, particularly the blessing of four parts of a house, can be seen in the later "Black Paternoster":
It has been suggested that the differing colours associated with these verses may have been determined by the colour of prayer beads
, with different coloured beads used to prompt the recitation of ave
s and paternosters.
After the Reformation this "White Paternoster" was among a number of prayers and devotions that were converted into magical rhymes, becoming widely known charms. Lancashire minister John White (1570–1615) in his The Way to the True Church (1608) recorded among many "superstitions" of the inhabitants of Lancashire, a "White Paternoster":
Sinclair in 1685 contrasted the "Black Paternoster" to be used at night, with a "White Paternoster" to be used in the day, which pioneering and controversial anthropologist Margaret Murray
suggested explained the names of the two companion verses and interpreted as "a confused version of a Christian prayer or hymn":
(1807–82) as a mockery of the mass by Lucifer
, described as the "Black Paternoster" in his narrative poem The Golden Legend (1851). It was also the title of a short story by Theodore Francis Powys (1875–1953) published in 1930. A four-part choir setting of the Black Paternoster text was produced by Gustav Holst
in early 20th-Century Britain, while contemporary countryman Henry Walford Davies
composed an equivalent setting of the White Paternoster.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and nursery rhyme
Nursery rhyme
The term nursery rhyme is used for "traditional" poems for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the 19th century and in North America the older ‘Mother Goose Rhymes’ is still often used.-Lullabies:...
traditionally said by children as they go to bed. It has a Roud Folk Song Index
Roud Folk Song Index
The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of 300,000 references to over 21,600 songs that have been collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world...
number of 1704. It is related to another prayer the "White Paternoster", with which it is often confused.
Lyrics
The most common modern version of the verse is:Origins
The rhyme may be one of few to have ancient origins. The Babylonian prayer "ShamashShamash
Shamash was a native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian pantheons. Shamash was the god of justice in Babylonia and Assyria, corresponding to Sumerian Utu...
before me, behind me Sin
Sin (mythology)
Sin or Nanna was the god of the moon in Mesopotamian mythology. Nanna is a Sumerian deity, the son of Enlil and Ninlil, and became identified with Semitic Sin. The two chief seats of Nanna's/Sin's worship were Ur in the south of Mesopotamia and Harran in the north.- Name :The original meaning of...
, Nergal
Nergal
The name Nergal, Nirgal, or Nirgali refers to a deity in Babylon with the main seat of his cult at Cuthah represented by the mound of Tell-Ibrahim. Nergal is mentioned in the Hebrew bible as the deity of the city of Cuth : "And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal"...
at my right, Ninib at my left", is echoed by the medieval Jewish prayer: "In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel
Gabriel
In Abrahamic religions, Gabriel is an Archangel who typically serves as a messenger to humans from God.He first appears in the Book of Daniel, delivering explanations of Daniel's visions. In the Gospel of Luke Gabriel foretells the births of both John the Baptist and of Jesus...
at my left; Uriel
Uriel
Uriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
before me; Raphael
Raphael (archangel)
Raphael is an archangel of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, who in the Judeo-Christian tradition performs all manners of healing....
behind me and the Shekhinah
Shekhinah
Shekinah is the English spelling of a grammatically feminine Hebrew word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling divine presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem.-Etymology:Shekinah is derived...
of God be above my head" which is used as a prayer before sleep. A Christian version has been found for Germany at the end of the medieval period. However, the first record of the lyrics in English is from Thomas Ady
Thomas Ady
Thomas Ady was an English physician and humanist who was the author of three sceptical books on witchcraft and witch-hunting, using the Bible as the source. His first and best known work,...
's witchcraft treatise A Candle in the Dark, or, a treatise concerning the nature of witches and witchcraft (1656), which tells of a woman in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
who claimed to have lived in the reign of Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
(r. 1553-8) and who was alive in his time and blessed herself every night with the "popish charm":
George Sinclair, writing of Scotland in his Satan's Invisible World Discovered in 1685, repeated Ady's story and told of a witch who used a "Black Paternoster", at night, which seems very similar to Ady's rhyme:
A year later it was quoted again by John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...
, but in the form:
A version similar to that quoted at the beginning of this article, was first recorded by Sabine Baring-Gould
Sabine Baring-Gould
The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould was an English hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1240 publications, though this list continues to grow. His family home, Lew Trenchard Manor near Okehampton, Devon, has been preserved as he had it...
in 1891 and it survived as a popular children's prayer in England into the twentieth century.
"White Paternoster"
Robert GrossetesteRobert Grosseteste
Robert Grosseteste or Grossetete was an English statesman, scholastic philosopher, theologian and Bishop of Lincoln. He was born of humble parents at Stradbroke in Suffolk. A.C...
(c. 1175–1253), Bishop of Lincoln
Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral...
, condemned the use of a "Green Paternoster" by old women in a treatise on blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
, which contained reference to "Green Pater Noster, Peter's dear sister". In Chaucer's "Miller's Tale" (c. 1387) he refers to a prayer known as the "White Paternoster", elements of which, particularly the blessing of four parts of a house, can be seen in the later "Black Paternoster":
It has been suggested that the differing colours associated with these verses may have been determined by the colour of prayer beads
Prayer beads
Prayer beads are used by members of various religious traditions such as Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Anglicanism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Bahá'í Faith to count the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions, such as the rosary of Virgin Mary in Christianity and dhikr ...
, with different coloured beads used to prompt the recitation of ave
Ave Maria
Ave Maria may refer to:*Ave Maria , the "Hail Mary", a traditional Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox prayer calling for the intercession of Mary, the mother of Jesus-Music:...
s and paternosters.
After the Reformation this "White Paternoster" was among a number of prayers and devotions that were converted into magical rhymes, becoming widely known charms. Lancashire minister John White (1570–1615) in his The Way to the True Church (1608) recorded among many "superstitions" of the inhabitants of Lancashire, a "White Paternoster":
Sinclair in 1685 contrasted the "Black Paternoster" to be used at night, with a "White Paternoster" to be used in the day, which pioneering and controversial anthropologist Margaret Murray
Margaret Murray
Margaret Alice Murray was a prominent British Egyptologist and anthropologist. Primarily known for her work in Egyptology, which was "the core of her academic career," she is also known for her propagation of the Witch-cult hypothesis, the theory that the witch trials in the Early Modern period of...
suggested explained the names of the two companion verses and interpreted as "a confused version of a Christian prayer or hymn":
Literary references
The "White Paternoster" was used by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowHenry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline...
(1807–82) as a mockery of the mass by Lucifer
Lucifer
Traditionally, Lucifer is a name that in English generally refers to the devil or Satan before being cast from Heaven, although this is not the original meaning of the term. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer"...
, described as the "Black Paternoster" in his narrative poem The Golden Legend (1851). It was also the title of a short story by Theodore Francis Powys (1875–1953) published in 1930. A four-part choir setting of the Black Paternoster text was produced by Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
in early 20th-Century Britain, while contemporary countryman Henry Walford Davies
Henry Walford Davies
Sir Henry Walford Davies KCVO OBE was a British composer, who held the title Master of the King's Musick from 1934 until 1941.-Early life and education:...
composed an equivalent setting of the White Paternoster.