Sun of Righteousness

Representative Text

1 Sun of righteousness, arise;
dawn upon our clouded skies;
shine within your church today
that the world may see and say,
"Have mercy, Lord."

2 Wake your sleeping church to live,
not afraid our all to give.
Let the mighty acts of God
spread through all the world abroad:
have mercy, Lord.

3 Heal division; love renew;
help us all to turn to you.
Mighty Shepherd, gather near
all your sheep oppressed by fear:
have mercy, Lord.

4 Open gates for souls to find
your true way with heart and mind.
Come with all your gentle might,
bringing light to darkest night:
have mercy, Lord.

5 Glory, praise, and royal might
to our God of endless light,
who is perfect, three in one,
and unites us in the Son:
have mercy, Lord.

Source: Moravian Book of Worship #521

Author (st. 1): Christian David

David, Christian, b. Dec. 31, 1690, at Senftleben, near Fulnek, Moravia. 1722 built the first house in Herrnhut. d. Feb. 3, 1751, at Herrnhut. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)  Go to person page >

Author (st. 2, 4): Christian G. Barth

Barth, Christian Gottlob, son of C. F. Barth, house painter in Stuttgart, was born at Stuttgart, July 31,1799. He studied at Tubingen, where he was the principal founder of the Missionary Society, and was only restrained by his mother's entreaties from offering himself as a missionary. He became, in 1821, assistant at Neckarweihingen and Dornham, and, in 1822, curate in charge of Effringen and Schönbrunn, near Nagold. In 1824 he was appointed pastor of Möttlingen, near Calw, but resigned his charge in 1838, and settled in Calw, receiving in the same year the degree of D.D. from the University.of Greifswald. He died at Calw of apoplexy, Nov. 12, 1862. At Calw he devoted himself as a writer and preacher to children, as a preacher and writer… Go to person page >

Author (st. 3, 5): Johann C. Nehring

Nehring, Johann Christian, son of J. C. Nehring, lawyer in Gotha, was born at Gotha, Dec. 29, 1671. He studied at first medicine and afterwards theology at the University of Halle. In 1700 he became rector of the school at Essen, and, in 1703, inspector of the foundation scholars in the Orphanage at Halle. He was then, in 1706, appointed pastor of Neuendorf (or Naundorf) on the Petersberg, near Halle, and in the end of 1715 pastor at Morl, near Halle, on the Bernburg road. He died at Morl, April 29, 1736 (Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xxiii. 394, &c.) Five hymns by Nehring are in Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, 1704. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)  Go to person page >

Translator: C. Daniel Crews

(no biographical information available about C. Daniel Crews.) Go to person page >

Translator: Roy Ledbetter

(no biographical information available about Roy Ledbetter.) Go to person page >

Alterer: C. Daniel Crews

(no biographical information available about C. Daniel Crews.) Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Sun of righteousness, arise; Dawn upon our clouded skies
Title: Sun of Righteousness
German Title: Sonne der Gerechtigkeit
Author (st. 1): Christian David
Author (st. 2, 4): Christian G. Barth
Author (st. 3, 5): Johann C. Nehring
Alterer: C. Daniel Crews (1994)
Translator: Roy Ledbetter (1977)
Meter: 7.7.7.7.4
Language: English
Publication Date: 1995
Copyright: This text may still be under copyright because it was published in 1995.

Tune

SONNE DER GERECHTIGKEIT (11517)

SONNE DER GERECHTIGKEIT was originally the tune to a fifteenth-century folk song, "Der reich Mann war geritten aus," and it was adopted by the Bohemian Brethren for 1566 hymnal, Kirchengeseng. The tune is thus a contrafactum, changed from the folk/court use to church use. The title is the German inc…

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Instances

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Text

Moravian Book of Worship #521

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