Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit

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Come, O come, Thou quickening Spirit, God before the dawn of time

Author: Heinrich Held; Translator: Edward T. Horn (alt.)
Tune: KOMM, O KOMM, DU GEIST DES LEBENS (Bach)
Published in 7 hymnals

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Representative Text

1 Come, O come, thou quickening Spirit,
God before the dawn of time!
Fire our hearts with holy ardor,
Blessed Comforter sublime!
Let thy radiance fill our night,
Turning darkness into light.

2 Only that which thou desirest
Be our object; with thy hand
Lead our every thought and action
That they be but thy command.
All our sinfulness erase
With the increase of thy grace. A-men.

3 Blessèd Spirit, who renewest
All that dwell upon the earth,
When the evil one assails us
Help us prove our heavenly birth;
Arm us with thy mighty sword
In the legions of the Lord.

4 Help us keep the faith forever;
Let not Satan, death or shame
Draw us from thee, or deprive us
Of the honor of thy Name.
When the foe would lure us hence,
Be thou, God, our sure defence.

Amen.

Source: Service Book and Hymnal of the Lutheran Church in America #126

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Author: Heinrich Held

Held, Heinrich, was son of Valentin Held of Guhrau, Silesia. He studied at the Universities of Königsberg (c. 1637-40), Frankfurt a. Oder (1643), and Leyden. He was also in residence at Rostock in 1647. He became a licentiate of law, and settled as a lawyer in his native place, where he died about 1659, or at least before Michaelmas, 1661 (Koch, iii. 55-56; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie., xi. 680; Bode, p. 87, &c). One of the best Silesian hymnwriters, he was taught in the school of affliction, having many trials to suffer in those times of war. His only extant poetical work is his Deutscher Gedichte Vortrab, Frankfurt a. Oder, 1643. Only one hymn from that volume came into German use. Much more important are his other hymns, which are k… Go to person page >

Translator: Edward T. Horn

(no biographical information available about Edward T. Horn.) Go to person page >

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First Line:	Come, O come, Thou quickening Spirit, God before the dawn of time
Title:	Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit
German Title:	Komm, o komm, du Geist des Lebens
Translator:	Edward T. Horn (alt.)
Author:	Heinrich Held
Meter:	8.7.8.7.7.7
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1978
Copyright:	This text may still be under copyright because it was published in 1978.