My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files
Planning worship?
Check out our sister site, ZeteoSearch.org,
for 20+ additional resources related to your search.
- |
User Links
Search Results
Neues Gemeinschaftliches Gesangbuch, zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch der Lutherischen und Reformirten Gemeinden in Nord-Amerika; mit einem Anhange
Publication Date: 1849 Publisher: Wilhelm Radde Publication Place: New York Editors: Wilhelm Radde
Neues Gemeinschaftliches Gesangbuch, zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch der Lutherischen und Reformirten Gemeinden in Nord-Amerika; mit einem Anhange
Ach Gott, verlass mich nicht
Author: Salomon Franck Appears in 34 hymnals
Ach Gott, verlass mich nicht
Ach bleib' bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, Weil es nun
Author: Nicolaus Selnecker Appears in 98 hymnals
Ach bleib' bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, Weil es nun
Es ist das Heil uns etc.
Appears in 90 hymnals Incipit: 55557 65453 13456 Used With Text: Wenn ich, o Schöpfer! deine macht
Es ist das Heil uns etc.
Abermal ein Tag [Nacht] [Jahr] verflossen
Author: Joachim Neander Hymnal: DNGG1849 #d1 (1849) Languages: German
Abermal ein Tag [Nacht] [Jahr] verflossen
Wenn ich, o Schöpfer! deine macht
Author: C. F. Gellert Hymnal: DNGG1849 #1 (1849) Lyrics: 1. Wenn ich, o Schöpfer! deine macht,
Die weisheit deiner wege,
Die liebe, die für alle wacht,
Anbetend überlege:
So weiß ich, von bewumd’rung voll,
Nicht wie ich dich erheben soll,
Mein Gott, mein Herr und Vater!
2. Mein auge sieht, wohin es blickt,
Die wunder deiner werke.
Der himmel, prächtig ausgeschmückt,
Preis’t dich, du Gott der stärke!
Wer hat die sonn’ an ihm erhöht?
Wer kleidet sie mit majestät?
Wer ruft dem heer der sterne?
3. Wer mißt dem winde seinen lauf?
Wer heißt die himmel regnen?
Wer schließt den schoss der erde auf,
Mit vorrath uns zu segnen?
O Gott der macht und herrlichkeit!
Gott, deine güte reicht so weit,
So weit die wolken reichen.
4. Dich predigt sonnenschein und sturm!
Dich preis’t der sand am meere.
Bringt, ruft auch der geringste wurm,
Bringt meinem Schöpfer ehre!
Mich, ruft der baum in seiner pracht,
Mich, ruft die saat, hat Gott gemacht:
Bringt unserm Schöpfer ehre!
5. Der mensch, ein leid, den deine hand
So wunderbar bereitet;
Der mensch, ein geist, den sein verstand,
Dich zu erkennen, leitet:
Der mensch, der schöpfung ruhm und preis,
Ist sich ein täglicher beweis
Von deiner güt’ und größe.
6. Erheb’ ihn ewig, o mein geist,
Erhebe seinen namen!
Gott, unser Vater, sei gepreis’t,
Und alle welt sag’ Amen!
Und alle welt fürcht’ ihren Herrn,
Und hoff’ auf ihn und dien’ ihm gern!
Wer wollte Gott nicht dienen! Languages: German Tune Title: Es ist das Heil uns etc.
Wenn ich, o Schöpfer! deine macht
Ach bleib' bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, Weil es nun
Author: Nicolaus Selnecker Hymnal: DNGG1849 #d2 (1849) Languages: German
Ach bleib' bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, Weil es nun
Georg Neumark
1621 - 1681 Person Name: Georg C. Neumark Hymnal Number: d558 Author of "Wer nur den lieben Gott l'sst walten" in Neues Gemeinschaftliches Gesangbuch, zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch der Lutherischen und Reformirten Gemeinden in Nord-Amerika; mit einem Anhange Georg Neumark (b. Langensalza, Thuringia, Germany, 1621; d. Weimar, Germany, 1681) lived during the time of the Thirty Years' War, when social and economic conditions were deplorable. He had personal trials as well. On his way to Königsberg to study at the university, traveling in the comparative safety of a group of merchants, he was robbed of nearly all his possessions. During the next two years he spent much of his time looking for employment. He finally secured a tutoring position in Kiel. When he had saved enough money, he returned to the University of Königsberg and studied there for five years. In Königsberg he again lost all his belongings, this time in a fire. Despite his personal suffering Neumark wrote many hymns in which he expressed his absolute trust in God. In 1651 he settled in Weimar, Thuringia, where he became court poet and archivist to Duke Johann Ernst and librarian and registrar of the city. Neumark wrote thirty-four hymns, of which "If You But Trust in God to Guide You" has become a classic.
Bert Polman
==============
Neumark, Georg, son of Michael Neumark, clothier at Langensalza, in Thuringia (after 1623 at Miihlhausen in Thuringia), was born at Langensalza, March 16, 1621; and educated at the Gymnasium at Schleueingen, and at the Gymnasium at Gotha. He received his certificate of dimission from the latter in Sept. 1641 (not 1640). He left Gotha in the autumn of 1641 along with a number of merchants who were going to the Michaelmas Fair at Leipzig. He then joined a similar party who were going from Leipzig to Lübeck; his intention being to proceed to Königsberg and matriculate at the University there. After passing through Magdeburg they were plundered by a band of highwaymen on the Gardelegen Heath, who robbed Neumark of all he had with him, save his prayer-book and a little money sewed up in the clothes he was wearing. He returned to Magdeburg, but could obtain no employment there, nor in Lüneburg, nor in Winsen, nor in Hamburg, to which in succession the friends he made passed him on. In the beginning of December he went to Kiel, where he found a friend in the person of Nicolaus Becker, a native of Thuringia, and then chief pastor at Kiel. Day after day passed by without an opening, till about the end of the month the tutor in the family of the Judge Stephan Henning fell into disgrace and took sudden flight from Kiel. By Becker's recommendation Neumark received the vacant position, and this sudden end of his anxieties was the occasion of the writing of his hymn as noted below. In Henning's house the time passed happily till he had saved enough to proceed to Königsberg, where he matriculated June 21, 1643, as a student of law. He remained five years, studying also poetry under Dach, and maintaining himself as a family tutor. During this time (in 1046) he again lost all his property, and this time by fire. In 1648 he left Königsberg, was for a short time at Warsaw, and spent 1649-50 at Thorn. He was then in Danzig, and in Sept. 1651 we find him in Hamburg. In the end of 1651 he returned to Thuringia, and bronght himself under the notice of Duke Wilhelm II. of Sachse-Weimar, the chief or president of the Fruit-bearing Society, the principal German literary union of the 17th century. The Duke, apparently in 1652, appointed him court poet, librarian and registrar of the administration at Weimar; and finally secretary of the Ducal Archives. In Sept. 1653 he was admitted as a member of the Fruit-bearing Society, of which he became secretary in 1656, and of which he wrote a history (Der Neu-Sprossende Teutsche Palmbaum, Nürnberg and Weimar, 1668); and, in 1679, became also a member of the Pegnitz Order. In 1681 he became blind, but was permitted to retain his emoluments till his death, at Weimar, July 18, 1681. [K. Goedeke's Grundriss, vol. iii., 1887, p. 74; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie. xxiii. 539; Weimarisches Jahrbuch, vol. iii., 1855, p. 176, &c. The dates given by the different authorities vary exceedingly, and are quite irreconcilable. In the registers at Schleusingen Neumark is last mentioned in 1636, and then as in the Third Form. Dr. von Bamberg, director of the Gymnasium at Gotha, informs me that Neumark's name appears in the matriculation book there under January 31, 1641; and as one of the "newly entered" scholars.]
A long list of Neumark's poetical works is given by Goedeke. A large proportion of his secular poems are pastorals, or else occasional poems written to order at Weimar; and in all there is little freshness, or happiness in expression, or glow of feeling. As a musician, and as a hymn-writer, he is of more importance. His hymns appeared in his (1) Poetisch-und Musikalisches Lustwäldchen, Hamburg, 1652; the enlarged edition, entitled (2) Fortgepfiantzter Musikalizch-Poetischer Lustwald, Jena, 1657; and (3) Unterschiedliche, so wol gottseliger Andacht; als auch zu christlichen Tugenden aufmuntemde Lieder, Weimar, 1675. Of the 34 hymns in these three works a few are found in the German hymn-books of the 17th century, and three or four still survive. The best of Neumark's hymns are those of Trust in God, and patient waiting for His help under trial and suffering; and one of these may be fairly called classical and imperishable.
It is:—
Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten. Trust in God. First published in his Fortgepflantzter musikalisch-poetischer Lustwald, Jena, 1657, p. 26, in 7 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled “A hymn of consolation. That God will care for and preserve His own in His own time. After the saying 'Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee'“(Ps. lv. 22). This, his finest hymn, was written in 1641, at Kiel, when after unsuccessful attempts to procure employment he became a tutor in the family of the judge Stephan Henning. Of this appointment Neumark, in his Thrünendes Haus-Kreuiz, Weimar, 1681, speaks thus:-—
"Which good fortune coming suddenly, and as if fallen from heaven, greatly rejoiced me, and on that very day I composed to the honour of my beloved Lord the here and there well-known hymn 'Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten'; and had certainly cause enough to thank the Divine compassion for such unlooked for grace shown to me," &c.
As the date of its composition is thus December, 1641, or at latest Jan. 1642, it is certainly strange that it was not published in his Lustwäldchen, Hamburg, 1652. In that volume he does give, at p. 32, a piece entitled, "a hymn of consolation, when, in 1646, through a dreadful fire I came to my last farthing." The apocryphal story, according to which the hymn was written at Hamburg, about 1653 (see Miller's Singers and Songs, 1869, p. 91), has not been traced earlier than 1744. The hymn speedily became popular, and passed into hymn-books all over Germany (Leipzig Vorrath, 1673, No. 1169), and still holds its place as in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 73.
Lauxmann, in Koch, viii. 386-390, relates that it was the favourite hymn of Magdalena Sibylla (d. 1687), wife of the Elector Johann Georg II. of Saxony; was sung, by his command, at the funeral, in 1740, of King Friedrich Wilhelm I. of Prussia; was sung, or rather played, by the first band of missionaries from Herrmannsburg as they set sail from Brunshausen on the Elbe (near Stade) on Oct. 28, 1853, &c.
The beautiful melody by Neumark was probably composed in 1641 along with the hymn, and was published with it in 1657. On it J. S. Bach composed a cantata. It is well known in England through its use by Mendelssohn in his St. Paul ("To Thee, 0 Lord, I yield my spirit"), and from its introduction into Hymns Ancient & Modern (as Bremen), and many other collections.
Translations in common use:--
1. Who leaves th' Almighty God to reign. A full but free translation by Sir John Bowring in his Hymns, 1825, No. 58. His translations of stanzas ii., iv.-vi. beginning "How vain are sighs! how vain regret," are included in Curtis's Union Collection, 1827.
2. Who all his will to God resigneth. A good and full translation by A. T. Kussell, as No. 236 in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851. His translations of st. v.-vii. beginning "Say not, I am of God forsaken," are in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864.
3. Leave God to order all thy ways. A full and good translation by Miss Winkworth, in her Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser. 1855, p. 152. This is given in full in M. W. Stryker's Christian Chorals, 1885, and, omitting st. vi., in W. F. Stevenson's Hymns for Church and Home, 1873, and the Baptist Hymnal, 1879. Further abridged forms are in the Baptist Psalms & Hymns, 1858; Harrow School Hymn Book, l866; Holy Song, 1869, and others. In the Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book, 1868; and the American Presbyterian Hymnal, 1874, st. v., vi. are omitted, and the rest altered to 6 stanzas, beginning "My God, I leave to Thee my ways."
4. Him who the blessed God trusts ever. A good and full translation by Dr.John Ker in the Juvenile Missionary Magazine, of the United Presbyterian Church, 1857. It was revised, and st. iii., v., vi. omitted, for the Ibrox Hymnal, 1871, where it begins: "He who,” &c.
5. If thou but suffer God to guide thee. A full and good translation by Miss Winkworth (based on her Lyra Germanica version and set to the original melody), as No. 134 in her Chorale Book for England, 1863. Repeated in full in the Baptist Psalmist, 1878, and in America in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. It is found, in various abridged forms, in J. Robinson's Collection, 1869; Horder's Congregational Hymns , 1884; the Evangelical Hymnal, N. Y., 1880, and others.
6. He, who the living God hath chosen. A translation of st. i., ii., vii. by Miss Borthwick, as No. 237 in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864.
7. He who doth glad submission render. A good translation omitting st. vi., by J. M. Sloan, as No. 284 in J. H. Wilson's Service of Praise, 1865, repeated, omitting the translations of st. ii., vii., in Flett's Collection, Paisley, 1871.
Other translations are:—
(1) "He that confides in his Creator." By J. C. Jacobi, 1720, p. 13 (1722, p. 36; 1732, p. 61). Repeated in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754, and later eds. (1886, No. 183). (2) "0 Christian! let the Lord direct." By Miss Knight in her Trs. from the German in Prose and Verse, 1812, p. 85. (3) "To let God rule who's but contented." By H. W. Dulcken in his Book of German Song, 1856, p. 274. (4) "He who the rule to God hath yielded." By J. D. Burns in the Family Treasury, 1859, p. 309, and his Memoir & Remains, 1869, p. 240. (5) "Who trusts in God's all-wise direction." By R. Massie, in the British Herald, Aug. 1865, p. 120, and Reid's Praise Book, 1872. (6) "Who yields his will to God's good pleasure. In the British Herald, April, 1866, p. 244, and in Reid's Praise Book, 1872. (7) "He who commits his way to God." In the Family Treasury, 1878, p. 49. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
See also in:
Hymn Writers of the Church
Georg Neumark
Nicolaus Selneccer
1530 - 1592 Person Name: Nicolaus Selnecker Hymnal Number: d2 Author of "Ach bleib' bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ, Weil es nun" in Neues Gemeinschaftliches Gesangbuch, zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch der Lutherischen und Reformirten Gemeinden in Nord-Amerika; mit einem Anhange Selnecker, Nicolaus, D.D., son of Georg Selnecker (Selneccer, Schellenecker, who was protonotarius to the Nürnberg magistracy, but lived at Hersbruck near Nürnberg) was born at Hersbruck Dec. 5, 1532. In 1536 he was removed to Nürnberg, and became during his school time, when only twelve years old, organist at the chapel in the Kaiserburg there. He went to the university of Wittenberg in 1550 (where he became a favourite pupil of Melanchthon), graduated M.A. on July 31, 1554, and subsequently lectured as a privat-docent, sometimes to 200 students. In the end of 1557 he was appointed second court preacher at Dresden, and tutor to the heir apparent Prince Alexander, having also to supervise the education of the choirboys of the royal chapel. He was ordained at Wittenberg Jan. 6, 1558. The principal theologians at the Saxon court at that time were inclined to follow Melanchthon's lead and to approximate to Calvin's teachings regarding Consubstantiation. When therefore Selnecker thought it his duty openly to declare his adhesion to strict Lutheranism, he found his position almost untenable. When Martin Hoffmann of the Neustadt church in Dresden preached against the Elector August's passion for game preserving, Selnecker took Hoffmann's part. His enemies took advantage of this, and managed so that after Hoffmann had been expelled from Dresden, in August, 1564, Selnecker was requested to seek work elsewhere. He preached his farewell sermon at Dresden on March 15, 1565, and on the 26th he entered on his new office of Professor of Theology at Jena.
After the siege of Gotha, Duke Johann Wilhelm of Saxony recalled Wigand and other professors of Theology who had been expelled from Jena, in 1561, as adherents of Flaeius; and Selnecker, not being so extreme a Lutheran as they, had to leave Jena. Thereupon the Elector August again received him into favour, appointed him professor of Theology at Leipzig, and also pastor of St. Thomas's church and Superintendent of Leipzig. He entered on his duties at Leipzig in August 1568, and for some time worked quietly and successfully. In July 1570 the Elector acceded to the request of Duke Julius of Brunswick for Selnecker's services, and gave Selnecker leave of absence to go to Wolfenbüttel as court preacher and general superintendent. Here he succeeded in inducing the clergy to receive the so-called Saxon Confession, and persevered in zealous visitations of churches, schools, &c. After 1572 he resided at Gandersheim, took an interest in the Gymnasium there, &c. In 1573 he also visited, and drew up a book of Church Order and Discipline for the district of Oldenburg-Jever. But in Brunswick, what with Martin Chemnitz the Superintendent of Brunswick, who was a High Lutheran, the Duke who wished for peace, and the other General Superintendent at Wolfenbüttel, Selnecker found it a difficult matter to work comfortably, and was himself accused of Crypto-Calvinism. He therefore gladly accepted the Elector August's recall to Leipzig, and began to lecture there again in Feb. 1574. In 1576 he was once more appointed pastor of St. Thomas's Church, and Superintendent. At Leipzig the sacramental controversy broke out afresh, and Selnecker became deeply involved therein, lie was then engaged in drawing up the Formula of Concord (meant to unite the Lutherans, but to exclude the Romanists on one hand, and the Calvinists on the other), which was finally revised on May 29, and published on July 22, 1577. The Formula of Concord was so far a success that it was very largely subscribed, but at the same time its authors, and specially Selnecker, were subjected to the most violent abuse both from the High Lutherans and from the Galvinists, so much so that he called 1579 his "year of patience and silence." For a few years immediately thereafter his life was a more peaceful one, and he found time to devote to poetry and music. At this time he assisted greatly in the building up of the famous Motett Choir of St. Thomas's Church, which J. S. Bach afterwards conducted. But on the death of the Elector August in 1586 the real direction of affairs passed into the hands of Dr. Nicolaus Crell, Chancellor to the Elector Christian I., and under his rule the Lutheran clergy were gradually displaced by Melanchthonians and Crypto-Calvinists. When the new court preacher Salmuth began to issue a German Bible with notes in which he clearly taught Calvinism and impugned the Formula of Concord, Selnecker published a pamphlet in opposition, and was in consequence deprived of his offices on May 17, 1589. For a time he stayed on in his own house in Leipzig, and used his pen in controversy. But after haying received, on Oct. 22, notice to cease writing, he thought it prudent to leave Leipzig, He found many sympathisers, and after a short time spent in Halle and then in Magdeburg, he accepted the appointment of Superintendent at Hildesheim. Here he had many anxious and weighty matters to settle, and was finally called on, in 1591, to arbitrate in matters of dispute at Augsburg. Returning from Augsburg in stormy December weather, and being worn out and seriously ill, he reached Hildesheim half dead, and was confined to his room till April. Meantime the Elector Christian I. had suddenly died, and his widow, after deposing the Chancellor Crell, proceeded to recall those whom Crell had banished. Selnecker, spite of his weakness, welcomed the idea of returning to Leipzig, left Hildesheim on May 9, and reached Leipzig on May 19; but only to die. He died at Leipzig, May 24, 1592.
Seluecker, as we have seen, was a prominent figure in the ecclesiastical history of Germany in the latter half of the sixteenth century, and a good illustration of the extremes to which theological controversies were then carried. He was the author of some 175 theological and controversial works, in German and Latin, perhaps the most important being his Institutio Religionis Christianae, Frankfurt, 1572-73. He also ranks, with Helmbold and Ringwaldt, among the most important hymnwriters of the period. Amid the manifold changes and chances of his life he found inspiration and consolation in the study of and recourse to the Psalter, and in his love of music. In Latin verse he published a Scriptural play on the Fall of our First Parents, entitled Theophiania, &c, Wittenberg, 1560 [Brit. Mus.], and a version of the Psalms as Paraphrasis Psalterii, Heinrichstadt, 1573…His German hymns partake for the most part of the objective churchly character of the hymns of the Reformation period, and indeed contain many reminiscences of them. Of the rest, many only too faithfully mirror the misfortunes and changes and conflicts of his life, and are full of personal matter and careless in style. Still there remain not a few worthy of note, in which a genuine piety, a deep and fervent love to the Saviour, and a zeal for the best interests of His Church on earth, are expressed in clear, flowing and musical style.
The hymns by Selnecker which have passed into English are:—
i. Ach bleib bei uns, Herr Jesu Christ. Peace and Orthodoxy. It has sometimes been said of this hymn that st. i., ii. are by Selnecker, and that the rest are a later addition. The opposite however is the case. The full form appeared in theGeistliche Psalmen, &c, Nürnberg, 1611, p. 597, in 9 stanzas, viz.:—
1. Ach bleib bey uns, Herr Jesu Christ.
2. In diser schweren betrübten Zeit.
3. Herr Jesu, hilff, dein Kirch erhalt.
4. Erhalt unns nun bey deinem Wort.
5. Ach Gott es geht gar libel zu.
6. Den stoltzen Geistern wehre doch.
7. Die Sach und Ehr, Herr Jesu Christ.
8. Dein Wort ist unsers Hertzens Trutz.
9. Gib dass wir leben in deim Wort.
The text of 1611 is in H. Thiele's ed. of Selnecker's Geistliche Lieder, 1855, p. 31, and in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 408.
The translations in common use from this text:—
1. Lord Jesus with Thy children stay. This is a tr. of st. 1, 2, 8, 6, 9, 3 by J. Swertner in the Moravian Hymn Book 1789, No. 6 (1886, No. 6).
2. Ah Jesu Christ, with us abide. This is a good tr. of st. 1-5, 9, by Dr. Kennedy as No. 41 in his Hymnologia Christiana 1863, repeated in Holy Song, 1869.
3. Lord Jesu Christ, with us abide, For round us fall, &c. By Miss Winkworth, of st. 1, 2, in her Chorale Book for England.
4. Forsake us not, 0 Lord be near. Other trs. are-—(1) Abide with us, O Jesu dear," as No. 336, in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. (2) "Lord Jesu Christ, with us abide, 'Tis now." By H. J. Buckoll, 1842, p. 69. (3) "With us, Lord Jesus Christ, abide." By Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 61.
ii. Christus der wahre Gottes Sohn. Holy Baptism. Translated as:—
Now Christ, the very Son of God.
iii. Hilf, Herr, mein Gott, in dieser Noth.
Cross and Consolatio. In hisChristliche Psalmen, 1587, in 15 lines entitled "Anno 1565. God knows why." It was probably written during his last months at Dresden. It has indeed been said to have been written to comfort Martin Hoffmann, diaconus of the Holy Cross Church at Dresden, on his expulsion after preaching about the Elector August's passion for hunting and game preserving; but the hymn is dated 1565, and Hoffmann left Dresden in August, 1564. The form translated into English is:—
Hilf, Helffer, hilf in Angst und Noth. The translations are:—
1. My Helper, aid: Thy mercy show. By A. T. Russell, in full, as No. 223 in his Psalms and Hymns. 1851.
2. Help, Saviour! help, in fear and need By E. Cronenwett, in full, as No. 410 in the OhioLutheran Hymnal 1880.
3. Help, Jesus, help! in woe, in need. By Miss Manington in her Footprints of the Holy Dead, &c, 1863, p. 8.
iv. Lass mich dein sein und bleiben. Close of Service. This is a beautiful stanza of 8 lines which is very frequently used in Germany at the close of Divine service. It was written as his daily prayer . The translations are:—
1. Let me be Thine for ever, My gracious. This is a tr. of st. i.-iii. by Dr. M. Loy as No. 230 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880.
2. Make me Thine own and keep me Thine. By Miss Winkworth in her Christian Singers of Germany, 1869, p. 152.
v. 0 Herre Gott, in meiner Noth. For the Dying. Founded on Ps. cxvi. 9. Translated as:—- 0 Lord my God, I cry to Thee. This is a good and full tr. by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica 2nd Ser. 1858, p. 212, and her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 192.
vi. Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu Christ, Dass du gen Himmel gefahren bist. Ascension. The translation in common use is:—
We thank Thee, Jesus! dearest Friend, that Thou didst.
Other trs. are—- (1) “Lord Jesus Christ! we thank Thee now." This is No. 334, in pt. i., of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. (2) "To Thee, our Lord, all praise be given."
vii. Wir danken dir, o treuer Gott. Absolution. Translated as:—
O Faithful God, thanks be to Thee. By C. H. L. Schnette, in full, as No. 246 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal 1880. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Nicolaus Selneccer
J. J. Rambach
1693 - 1735 Person Name: Johann J. Rambach Hymnal Number: d96 Author of "Du hast uns, Herr, die Pflicht" in Neues Gemeinschaftliches Gesangbuch, zum gottesdienstlichen Gebrauch der Lutherischen und Reformirten Gemeinden in Nord-Amerika; mit einem Anhange Rambach, Johann Jakob, D.D., son of Hans Jakob Rambach, cabinet maker at Halle on the Saale, was born at Halle, Feb. 24, 1693. In 1706 he left school and entered his father's workshop, but, in the autumn of 1707, he dislocated his ankle. During his illness he turned again to his schoolbooks; the desire for learning reawoke; and on his recovery, early in 1708, he entered the Latin school of the Orphanage at Halle (Glaucha). On Oct. 27, 1712, he matriculated at the University of Halle as a student of medicine, but soon turned his attention to theology. He became specially interested in the study of the Old Testament under J. H. Michaelis. In May 1715 he became one of Michaelis's assistants in preparing his edition of the Hebrew Bible, for which he wrote the commentary on Ruth, Esther, Nehemiah, &c. His health began to suffer in the spring of 1719, and he gladly accepted the invitation of Count von Heukel to stay at Polzig, near Ronneburg, where he spent several months. By August he had quite recovered, and went to pay a visit to Jena, where a number of the students asked him to lecture to them. For this purpose he settled at Jena in Oct., 1719, and lived in the house of Professor Buddeus (J. F. Budde). He graduated M.A. in March 1720.
In 1723 he was appointed adjunct of the Theological Faculty at Halle, as also inspector of the Orphanage; in 1726 extraordinary professor of theology; and in 1727, after A. H. Francke's death, ordinary professor as well as preacher at the Schulkirche. Here he was very popular, both as preacher and professor, but the jealousy of his colleagues induced him to accept an offer from the Landgrave Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, who, in 1731, invited him to Giessen as superintendent and first professor of theology (before leaving Halle he graduated D.D., June 28, 1731), and in Aug., 1732, appointed him also director of the Paedagogium at Giessen. In 1734 he was, for various reasons, greatly inclined to accept the offer of the first professorship of theology in the newly-founded University of Göttingen, but eventually, at the earnest request of the Landgrave, remained in Giessen, where he died of fever, April 19, 1735 (Die Familie Rambach. By Dr. T. Hansen, Gotha, 1875: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xxvii. 196; Blätter fur Hymnologie, 1883, pp. 113, 129, 145, 163, 186; 1884, p. 20; 1885, p. 13, &c.)
Rambach was a voluminous author in various departments of practical theology, e.g. his Institutiones hermeneuticae sacrae, Jena, 1724, which passed through four editions in his lifetime; hisErbauliches Handbüchlein fur Kinder, 1734 (see below), which reached an eighth edition in 1736, and a 14th in 1766; his various volumes of sermons, &c. He justly earned his popularity by the thoroughness of his researches, and the clear and concise way in which he set forth the results of his investigations. It is however as a hymnwriter that his name is likely to be best known. While not entitled to rank with the best hymn-writers of the 16th and 17th centuries, he yet takes a high place among his contemporaries, and deserves to be remembered as much as almost any of the 18th cent, hymnwriters. His style is good and dignified; his thought is profound yet clearly expressed. While his hymns are often sufficiently didactic, they are generally scriptural and churchly in tone, and are characterised by lyric force, lively imagination, and earnest, sober piety. Of hymns, in the strict sense, he wrote over 180, a large number of which passed into the German hymn-books of the 18th cent. (e.g. the Hannover Gesang-Buch, 1740, and Lüneburg Gesang-Buch, 1767, contains 52 by him), and a good many are still found in modern hymn-books. Of these Dr. J. L. Pasig gives 165 in his edition of Rambach's Geistliche Lieder, Leipzig, 1844, and the rest are printed by Hansen as above, while the first lines of the whole are given in the Blätter as above. Four are recasts (practically originals), made for the 11th edition, 1719, of Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, to replace similar hymns in the ed. of 1705. The rest principally appeared in the following works by Rambach, viz.: (1) Geistliche Poesien, Halle. 1720 [British Museum] The first part contains 72 cantatas on the Gospels for Sundays and festivals; the second part includes 20 hymns, mostly written at Polzig in 1719. (2) Poetische Fest-Gedancken. Jena and Leipzig, 1723 [Royal Library, Berlin]. Included are 15 pieces which may be called hymns. The second edition of 1727 [Brit. Mus.] has 28 new hymns; and the 3rd ed., 1729 [Gottingen Library], has 22 more. (3) Erbauliches Handbuchlein für Kinder, Giessen, 1734 [Hamburg Library]. The 3rd part contains 8 new hymns. (4) Geistreiches Haus-Gesang-Buch, Frankfurt and Leipzig, 1735 [Hamburg Library], with a preface dated April 10, 1735. This contains 112 hymns by Rambach, of which 58 are practically new, 11 of these, however, being recasts of his own earlier hymns. (5) Wander der bis zum Tode des Kreutzes erniedrigten Liebe, Giessen, 1750 [Berlin Library]. This includes 27 new hymns.
Rambach's hymns …which have passed into English are:—
i. Auf! Seele, schicke dich. Holy Communion. Written, by request for the eleventh edition, 1719, of Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, 1704, as No. 229, in 16 stanzas of 6 lines in order to replace the hymn "Auf, Seele, sey gerüst."
This hymn, by George Heine, was included in the Geistreiches Gesang-Buch, Halle, 1697, p. 433. In the second ed., 1771, of the complete book formed by the fusion of pt. i., 1704, and its supplement of 1705 with pt. ii., 1714, of Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, both hymns are given, Heine's as No. 524, and Rambach's as No. 522, both marked as being No. 229 in pt. i., 1704.
Rambach's hymn is in his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 369; the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 471, &c. In Pasig's edition of his Geistliche Lieder, 1844, p. 112, entitled "Before the reception of Holy Communion." It has been translated as:—
My soul prepare to meet. Omitting st. i., 11. 4-6 ; ii., 11. 4-6; vii., xiv., as No. 570 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1849, No. 966). In the edition of 1886, No. 979 begins with st. iv., "How should I, slaughtered Lamb"; and No. 1012 with st. xi., "Lord, of Thy wondrous love."
ii. Mein Jesu, der du vor dem Scheiden. Holy Communion. Appeared in Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, 11th ed., 1719, as No. 238, in 9 st. of 6 1. It was written to replace the hymn "Mein Jesn, hier sind deine Brüder" (Geistreiches Gesang-Buch, Halle, 1697, p. 363), in the first edition of Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch. It is in his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 365; the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 1601; and in Pasig, 1844, p. 110, entitled, "On the treasures of Grace in Holy Communion." The translations are:—
1. Lord Jesus, Who before Thy passion. Omitting st. ix., this is No. 1181 in the Supplement of 1808 to the Moravian Hymn Book, 1801 (1886, No. 963).
2. 0 Lord, Who on that last sad eve. A good translation omitting st. ix., by Miss Cox, contributed to Lyra Eucharistica, 1863, p. 15, and repeated in her Hymns from the German, 1864, p. 75. Included, omitting st. iii., in G. S. Jellicoe's Collection, 1867.
iii. 0 Lehrer, dem kein Andrer gleich. Christ our Prophet. In his Haus Gesang-Buch1735, No. 107, in 8 st. of 6 1., entitled, "On the prophetical office of Jesus Christ." Repeated in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 118, and in Pasig, 1844, p. 51. Translated as:—
Surely none like Thee can teach. By Miss Fry, in 102 lines, in her Hymns of the Reformation,1845, p. 126. A recast in 3 st. of 8 1., beginning, "Saviour, none like Thee can teach," was included in J. Whittemore's Supplement to all Hymn Books, 1860, No. 263, and repeated in the Methodist New Congregational Hymn Book, 1863, No. 62.
iv. Wie herrlich ists ein Schäflein Christi werden. Joy in Believing. In his Poetiche Fest-Gedancken, 2nd ed. 1727, p. 131, in 6 st. of 6 l., entitled, "The Blessedness of the Sheep of Christ. John x. 28, ‘I give my sheep eternal life.'" In his Haus Gesang-Buch 1735, No. 325; the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 645; and Pasig, 1844, p. 139. Translated as:—
How great the bliss to be a sheep of Jesus. A translation of st. i., ii., v., by C. J. Latrobe, as No. 293, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1886, No. 385).
Hymns not in English common use:—
v. Allwissender, vollkommner Geist. The Omniscient One. In his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 12, in 6 stanzas; the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863; and in Pasig, p. 8. Translated as, "Thou Spirit, perfect and allwise." By Dr. H. Mills, 1856, p. 11.
vi. Frommes Lamm, von was für Hunden. Passiontide. In his Poetische Fest-Gedancken, 2nd ed., 1727, p. 49, in 8 st. In his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 151, it begins, "Frommes Lamm, durch dessen Wunden." Also in Pasig, p. 67. Translated as, "Great Thy sorrows, injur'd Jesus." By Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 297).
vii. Gesetz und Evangelium, Law and Gospel. In his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 356, in 10 st.; the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863; and Pasig, p. 105. Translated as, "The holy law and gospel, both." By Dr. II. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 27.)
viii. Herr, du hast nach dem Fall. Before Work. In his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 565, in 4 st.; and Pasig, p. 150. In the Berlin Gesang-Buch, 1765, No. 206, it is altered (probably by J. S. Diterich), and begins "Du hast uns, Heir die Pflicht." This is translated as, “Lord, Thou hast bid us labour, bid us toil." By Miss Warner, 1858, p. 230.
ix. Hier bin ich Herr, du rufest mir. Christian Work. In his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 269, in 6 st.; the Württemberg Gesang-Buch, 1842, No. 306; and Pasig, p. 119. The translations are (1) "Here am I, Lord, Thou callest me, Thou drawest me." By Miss Warner, 1858, p. 209. (2) "Here am I, Lord, Thou callest me, Thou drawest and." By Mrs. Findlater, in Hymns from the Land of Luther, 4th series, 1862.
x. Höchste Vollkommenheit, reineste Sonne. God's Majesty . Written for the 11th ed., 1719, of Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, No. 170 (in 20 st.), to replace an anonymous hymn in the first edition, 1704, which began "Höchste Vollkommenheit, alles in Einem." In his Haus Gesang-Buch 1735, No. 8, Rambach reduced it to 12 st., and rewrote it to an easier metre, so as to begin "Höchstes Wesen, reinste Sonne." Both forms are in Pasig, pp. 3-6. Translated as "If Heav'ns and Earths there were innumerable," a tr. of st. iii., viii., xi., xv., xvii., xix., xx., as No. 672, in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754.
xi. O grosser Geist, dess Wesen Alles füllet. The Omnipresent One. In his Geistliche Poesien, 1720, p. 330, in 9 st.; his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 13; the Württemberg Gesang-Buch, 1842, No. 44 ; and Pasig, p. 7. Translated as, “Eternal God, Thy dwelling-place." By Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 73.
xii. 0 grosser Geist! O Ursprung aller Dinge. God's Holiness. In his Geistliche Poesien, 1729, p. 327, in 9 st.; his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 19; and Pasig, p. 15. Translated as, "O mighty Spirit! Source whence all things sprung." By Miss Winkworth, 1858, p. 153.
xiii. Verklärte Majestät, anbetungs-würdigst Wesen. God's Majesty. Founded on 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. In his Geistliche Poesien, 1720, p. 303, in 11 st.; his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 7; and Pasig, p. 2. The form translation is "Anbetungswürdger Gott," a recast (probablv by J. S. Diterich), which is No. l in the Berlin Gesang-Buch 1765, and No. 5 in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863. Translated as, "Dread Majesty above." By Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 8).
xiv. Wirf, blöder Sinn, den Kummer hin. Christmas. In his Haus Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 129, in 6 st. (founded on Rom. viii. 31, 32). In Pasig, p. 6, and the Unverfälschter Liedersegen 1851, No. 60. Translated as, "Throw, soul, I say, thy fears away." By Miss Manington, 1864, p. 28. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907
J. J. Rambach
