THE BIBLE IN THE ENGLISH CORONATION CEREMONY

In England they call the coronation ceremony a Christian service. In fact, it may be more of a Hebrew Old Testament service than a Christian one. Many of the traditions, garments, hardware, and service can all be found in the Old Testament.

Anointing of the King

In 1 Samuel 10.1 Samuel anoints Saul with oil to signify that Saul is going to be King over Israel.

1 Samuel 10.24-25 - And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord.

In the British Coronation they anoint the King or Queen with the anointing oil. The oil is kept in an oil flask called the Ampulla which is in the form of an Eagle.

The oil is poured into the Coronation Spoon and the monarch is anointed on the hands, breast, and head. This spoon dates back to the 12^th century. It was listed in an inventory at Westminster Abby in 1359 as being” of ancient form.”

In the Old Testament the King is anointed with oil.

Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. 1 Samuel 15.1

Trumpets

Trumpets are traditional instruments for fanfares and signals, punctuate the entire coronation service. In England the trumpets used for coronations are called The State Trumpets. There are 11 silver trumpets used in the coronation ceremony. In the Bible the Israelites were instructed to make silver trumpets to use in ceremony and to remind the Lord when they were in need.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camp And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers 10.1-3

A fanfare played by the State Trumpets herald key moments of the coronation ceremony just as the silver trumpets in the Old Testament heralded announcements of importance in Biblical times.

Garments

All royal ceremonies have the participants clothed in royal garments. In the English coronation ceremony the monarch wears white linen undergarments beneath the royal clothing shown on the left.

In the Old Testament the priests wore linen undergarments as a sign of holiness. The Coronation is considered a holy event as the monarch swears to abide by and defend the Christain faith. White linen signifies holiness in the Bible and the righteousness of the saints.

Linen breeches were for modesty. Priests’ garments were for glory and beauty. And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. Exodus 28.2; Ex 28.40-42

White linen also represents the righteousness of God’s people. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Revelation 19.18

Music

The Coronation ceremony also has a tradition of music. The music used in the service was written by George Fredrick Handel and has been used in English coronations since 1727. Prior to that time other various types of holy music were used.

Handel’s rousing anthem Zadok the Priest has been played at every coronation service since 1727. The words are:

Zadok the Priest, and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon King.

And all the people rejoiced, and said:

God save the King! Long live the King!

May the King live forever,

Amen, Alleluia.

Zadok the priest was loyal to David throughout all his troubles and was anointed as High Priest for his loyalty. We are to be loyal to the Lord as Zakok was to his king.

 

These words are based on 1 Kings 1.38-40:

 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”  And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

Music has always played an important part in coronation ceremonies throughout history. In the time of the Israelite kings it was the same. Notice how the English ceremony is based on the Old Testament. This is why I would call it a Hebrew ceremony, rather than a Christian one.

In 1 Chronicles 25 David sets up the musical order of the tabernacle. This was prior to King Solomon being anointed king after David’s death. We can assume this was the music of the Temple until its destruction in 586 BC.

St. Edwards Crown

St. Edward’s Crown is only used for the Coronation Ceremony. This solid gold crown was made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661. It was a replacement for the medival crown which was melted down in 1646 during the English Civil War.

In the Old Testament the High Priest wore a crown of gold:

He also placed the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its front, he placed the golden plate, the holy crown, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Leviticus 9.9

History tells us Israelite kings were crowned with a band of gold.

St. Edward’s crown may bear witness to the Israelitish heritage of the British people and to the Davidic origin of our Royal House and Throne. It is wholly Israelitish, being a perfect symbol of the kingdom of God as it was in Israel of old and as it will again be under the rule of our returning Lord. This is to be seen, first of all, in the row of special jewels which encircle its base. Twelve in number, they correspond exactly both in number and name with those on the breastplate of Israel’s High Priest as recorded in Exodus 28.

When a monarch present themselve before God in the Coronation service, there to dedicate themselves and us to God’s service, they wear a crown whose golden base is set with TWELVE jewels which are identical with those which represented the twelve Israel tribes on the High Priest’s breastplate.

This becomes doubly significant when we remember that the Israel people are the physical foundation of the kingdom of God. As organized in Israel of old, this kingdom consisted of the Twelve Tribes in four divisions, encamped around the Tabernacle in and over which hovered the Shekinah, a visible manifestation of God’s presence among, and his sovereignty over, His people.

Of this kingdom, the Crown of St. Edward is a perfect symbol. Just as the twelve tribes of Israel are the basis of the kingdom of God, so the twelve jewels, emblematic of these twelve tribes, form the basis of the Crown. Just as the twelve tribes around the Tabernacle were divided into four groups, so the twelve jewels around the base of the crown are divided into four groups by four golden bands extending upward from the base.

When Israel of old was encamped around the Tabernacle (Num. 2) each tribe encamped under its own banner or ensign. Then, ahead and above these, were the flags or standards of the four divisions into which the twelve tribes were divided. This too appears in the symbolism of the crown for around it are four special jewels set above those encircling its base.

Finally, above the actual crown we see a golden ball or orb surmounted by a cross, and from this cross two bands extend downward to encircle the orb. This completes a perfect picture, for this cross, above and encircling the globe, is the recognized emblem of Jesus, the Christ, in his coming role as Ruler of the whole earth as “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16)

In this crown, therefore, we have a perfect symbol of the Kingdom of God over which our returning Lord is to reign from the Throne of David, and as such a symbol would be meaningless to anyone else, it follows that our use of it clearly identifies us as the people of the kingdom.

The Throne and the Stone of Destiny

The Coronation Chair, commissioned in 1297, is the oldest piece of furniture in Britian still used for its original purpose—the coronation of the soveriegn!

Every crowned soveriegn (King or Queen) since Henry IV has been crowed and anointed in this chair except for Roman Catholic Queen Mary, who had a separate chair made so she could avoid being crowned in the chair her Protestant half-brother had used.

Beneath the throne is the “Stone of Destiny” which legend states was brought to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah when he left Egypt with the daughters of imprisoned King Zedekiah (2 Kings 25.7).

The legend also says this stone was the pillow under Jacob’s head when he fell asleep and the angel of God told him his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth (Genesis 28.10-22). Whether or not this legend is true it is interesting that there is a mound of earth known as the tomb of Jeremiah in Ireland and the Stone of Destiny in Scotland.

  

            The Stone of Destiny               

Summary

We see many Biblical traditions in the English Coronation Ceremony that are Hebraic in nature and taken directly out of the Old Testament. I believe England is part of the lost tribes of Israel as documented in the books of the kings in the Bible when the King of Assyria relocated them and the people lost their identity among the Gentiles (Hosea 1.10-11; 3.4-5; 7.8-9; 9.3-4).

When Yahweh restores the Kingdom Jew and Gentile will be reunited as written in Ezekiel 37.15-28. Also review the blessings/prophecies by Jacob to Joseph’s sons in Genesis 48.10-20. The United States and Britain are represented by Manasseh and Britain.

Finally here are some of the words to rule Britannia:

Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

When Britain first, at heaven's command,
Arose from out the azure main,
This was the charter of the land,
And Guardian Angels sang this strain:

(Chorus)
The nations not so blest as thee
Must, in their turn, to tyrants fall,
While thou shalt flourish great and free:
The dread and envy of them all.

The Christian nations were established by God to preach the Gospel to the nations. Many nations in the British Commonwealth have national anthems praising the Sovereign God of the Universe. Check it out on the internet for yourself!

God is moving in human history to accomplish his will and eternal Kingdom on the earth.