On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
The Four Calling Birds ....
the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
four calling birds cost $599.96
they are not calling birds, but rather are colly birds, meaning "black as coal"
It's Colly Birds, Not "Calling Birds"
four calling birds, is actually a corruption of the English word colly or collie. So, we are referring to "four colly birds" or four collie birds (the words to the song were probably written before the creation of the dictionary, so the spelling of old words tends to be flexible).
What is a colly bird? It is a black bird. In England a coal mine is called a colliery and colly or collie is a derivation of this and means black like coal. For a long time in England, blackbirds have been referred to as both blackbirds (as in the nursery rhyme Sing a Song of Sixpence) and colly birds as in The Twelve Days of Christmas.
While the name blackbird migrated beyond England, the name collie bird remained behind in England where, even there, it tended to diminish in use over the centuries. Today, many published versions of the song in the U.S. and Australia give the birds' name as calling birds rather than collie birds.
As to why the person in the song would give his true love a gift of blackbirds, the answer is that this would have been another gift of food. Blackbirds were plentiful and were a common food.
What does this have to do with Matthew , Mark, Luke and John.
Gospel of Matthew
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews.
Gospel of Mark
Mark is a fast-paced gospel that portrays Jesus as the powerful, suffering servant of God.
Mark shows that Jesus taught with authority, as affirmed by the miracles He performed. Jesus' life
of service was completed when He sacrificed Himself on the cross.
Gospel of Luke
Luke presents Jesus to the Gentiles as the savior of all mankind. Luke contains numerous
references to the activity of the Holy Spirit. Women are given special attention in Luke.
Gospel of John
John is the gospel of belief, and was written to show the world that Jesus was the Christ, the "Son of God."
Jesus was sent by the Father to give eternal life to believers.
next=The five golden rings
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