The Burning Babe

A Jesuit priest, Southwell adhered to Catholicism, one of the sects of Christianity. In Catholic tradition, Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God and is also one component of the Holy Trinity, was born in human form to die and save humanity from eternal damnation. In the Bible’s New Testament, the Gospel of Luke describes Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12).

The poem expands on this dogma, conjuring a vision of a “pretty Babe all burning bright” (Line 4), the physical manifestation of the divine in the form of a baby. Just as in the Christian tradition Jesus suffers and is crucified for the salvation of all, so the infant in Southwell’s poem suffers the “excessive heat” (Line 5) and “flames” (Line 6) in order to save “men’s defiled souls” (Line 12) and “work them to their good” (Line 13).

In Catholicism, all people are born with original sin. However, their sins can be forgiven by God and all have the opportunity to gain eternal life.