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Continuing
Lehre und Wehre (Vol. LXXVI)
Magazin fuer Ev.-Luth. Homiletik (Vol. LIV)
Theol. Quarterly (1897-1920)-Theol. Monthly (Vol. X)
Vol. II April, 1931 No.4
CONTENTS
Page
ENGELDER, TH.: 1st der Papst der Antichrist? ........ 241
KRETZMANN, P. E.: "Hielt er's nicht fuer einen Raub,"
Phil. 2, 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 244
ENGELDER, TH.: Zurueck ZLl Luther I. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 258
KRETZMANN, P. E.: Luther's Use of Medieval Hymns.. 260
WENGER, F.: Studie ueber die Eisenacher Epistel des
Sonntags Misericordias Domini... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 273
Dispositionen ueber die von der Synodalkonferenz ange-
nommene Serie alttestamentlicher Texte............... 283
Theological Observer. - Kirchlich-Zeitgeschichtliches. . . . .. 294
Book Review. - Literatur ................................. 312
Ein Prediger muss nicht allein weiden,
alBa daBs er die Schafe unterweiBe, wie
sie rechte Christen Bollen seill, sondern
auch daneben den Woelien wehren, dass
Bie die Schafe nich t angreifen und mit
falscher Lehre veduehren und Irrtum ein·
tuehren. - Luther.
Es ist kein Ding, das die Leute mehr
bei der Kirche behaelt denn die gute
rredigt. - dpologieJ Art. 2.9.
If the trumpet give an uncertain Bound,
who shall prepare himself to the battle?
1 Cor. 4,8.
Published for the
Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States
CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.
ARCHIVES
260 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
®lJnobe, ber f eHge ~lJnefen, aum erf±en IDeale ~ifitaiion in meiner
®emeinbe. \Bei foldjer ®eIegenljei± lJfIegie er audj bie \Bi6Hoiljef beil
6etreffenben ljSaftoril in Wugenfdjein au neljmen. IDeit ber SDurdjmufte"
rung ber meinigen roar er 6alb fertig, benn fie 6eftanb roegen ber SDiirf"
tigfeit meiner ~erlji±ltniffe auil nur roenigen \Bi±nben. SDann roanbte
er fidj mit ernfiem ®efidjie au mir unb fragie midj in 6arfdjem ~on:
,Sja6en ®ie benn gar feine ljSrebigt6iidjer?' SDurdj bie Wrt unb ~eif e,
roie biefe {Yrage an midj geridjte± rourbe, faft erfdjrecH, aniroorte±e idj
Ueinlaui: ,;;sdj lja6e roeiter feine ljSrebigien, ag bie in Euiljeril ~erfen
eniljaIien finb.' ljSIOi2fidj ljeiierte fidj fein ®efidjt aUf; rooljlroolIenb
fIo\Jfie er mit aUf bie ®djuIter unb fagie: ,Eie6er SjolJlJe, bail freu± midj
gana ungemein. SDie ftubieren unb lJrebigen ®ie nur redj± fleif3ig. SDa£l
ift bail \Befte, roail @:lie tun fOnnen fiir fidj unb fib: ;;sljre ®emeinbe.'
SDiefeil ~ori lja6e idj mir gemerf± unb audj 6efoIgt."
~ lj. @j n g eI b e r.
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
Luther possessed a versatile genius of surprising fertility. His
university training had been almost entirely in the field of the
humanities and in philosophy, and he had taken up theology only
while acting as instructor at the universities of Wittenberg and of
Erfurt; and yet he became one of the most profound theologians of
the entire Ohristian era. He was no philologian, and yet he was able,
chiefly on the basis of the most intensive form of home training, to
present some of the most thorough linguistic discussions, in Greek
and Hebrew as well as in Latin and German, which the period of the
Reformation produced. He was no dugmatician in the present sense
of the term; yet some of the clearest doctrinal expositions that have
ever been printed issued from his pen. He was no political economist,
and yet his statements pertaining to problems of this kind have not
been excelled to this day. He was no trained educator, and yet his
educational classics have given him a place in the front ranks of the
foremost educators of all times.
But one of the most amazing features of Luther's versatility is his
work in the field of liturgics, and in particular in the subsidiary fields
of Ohristian hymnology and music. No sooner had he realized that
for the sake of his objectives he would require a church service in the
vernacular than he set out to make a thorough study of the field.
He had not been in sympathy with the precocious and abortive at-
tempts of Oarlstadt to eradicate the ancient form of worship, nor was
he iconoclastically inclined when he felt that the time had come to
make the change. With characteristic conservatism he retained the
general form and order of service to which the congregations had been
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns. 261
accustomed for centuries, making only such changes as were demanded
by the principles of the Reformation. His method of procedure is
ably set forth in his writings Von Ordnung Gottesdiensts in der Ge-
meine and Das Taufbuechlein verdeutscht, of the end of April, 1523;
in his Ordnung eines gemeinen Kastens der Gemeine zu Leisnigk, of
the beginning of July, 1523; in his Formula Missae et Communionis,
of December 4, 1523; and in his Deutsche Messe und Ordnung des
Gottesdienstes, of 1526. (Op. St. Louis Ed., X, 220.2136.954.226.)
Luther soon found that he needed German hymns for the ser-
vices which he intended to have conducted chiefly in the vernacular.
Fortunately he had an extensive knowledge of the entire Latin field,
the classical as well as the medieval; and he was, of course, thoroughly
familiar with the Roman order of service, as contained in the various
missals, breviaries, and other service books, which he had used for
more than fifteen years. He was somewhat diffident at first about
attempting any work in this field himself, and he tried to get some
of his friends interested in the field. A letter dating from the end of
1523 or the beginning of 1524 (St. Louis Ed., XXla, No. 696;
Aurifaber, II, 238b; De Wette, II, 590) and addressed to his friend
Georg Spalatin contains the following request: "1 have the intention,
according to the example of the prophets and of the old Fathers of
the Ohurch, to prepare German psalms for the people in order that the
Word of God may remain in the midst of the people also by means
of singing. We are therefore making a search for poets everywhere;
and since you have received the gift that you are thoroughly familiar
with the German language and know how to express yourself in
a pleasing way and since by manifold use you have developed this
gift, therefore 1 pray you to cooperate with us in this matter and to
undertake to put some psalms into verse, as you have my example
therefor. But 1 should not like to have new words used and such
as are employed only at court, so that, in agreement with the capacity
of the people, the very simplest and most common words be sung,
which still would be chaste and fitting, then also that the meaning be
clear and that it express the sense of the psalms as nearly as pos-
sible. A certain amount of freedom must be employed: the sense
must be retained, although the words may have to be dismissed or
other, similar words be substituted. 1 do not possess the gift to
prepare something on this order, much as 1 should like to. For that
reason 1 want to try it out, whether you are a Heman, an Asaph, or
a J eduthun. The same request 1 should like to address to Johann
Dolzig, who also has a rich and pleasing treasure of words, yet with
this understanding, that you do this when you have leisure, which,
as 1 surmise, is not often the case."
The results of this appeal were not very encouraging as far as
Spalatin and Dolzig were concerned; but the seed had been sown, and
262 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
the fruit matured in a surprisingly short time. Even in 1523 two
sheets in quarto form appeared, one with a hymn by Luther, Nun
freut euch, liebe Ohristen g'mein (Dear Ohristians, One and All,
Rejoice), and one by Paul Speratus, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her
(Salvation unto Us has Oome). But the year 1524 witnessed the
beginning of modern German hymnology, since in that year was pub-
lished the so-called AchtZiederbuch, bearing the title: Enchiridion,
heisset a·uch: eUich christlicher Lieder, Lobgesang und Psalm en, dem
reinen Wort Gottes gemaess, aus der H eiligen S chrift durch man-
cherlei Hochgelehrter gemacht, in der Kirche zu singen, wie es denn
zum Teil bereits in Wittenberg in Uebung ist, Wittenberg 1524, con-
cerning which Wackernagel and others insist that it was printed in
Nuernberg. This was followed, within the next twenty odd years, by
the following original hymn-books of the period: Enchiridion oder
eyn H andbuechlein eynem yetzlichen Ohristen fast nuetzlich bey
sich zu haben, zttr steten Ybung und trachtung geistlicher Ge-
sange und Psalmen. Rechtschaffen und hmstl-ich vertheutschet.
MOOOOOXXIIII. Gedruckt Ztt Erffordt zum schwarzen Horne bey
del' Kremer Brucken. MDiiij. (Oontains twenty-five hymns, eighteen
from the pen of Luther.) - GeisUiche Gesangbuechlein. Tenor.
Wittemberg. MDiiij. (rul0wn as the Walther Hymnal; contains
thirty-two hymns, including seven additional hymns by Luther.)-
Geistliche Lieder auffs new gebessert zu Wittenberg. Dr. Martin
Luther. MDXXIX. gedruckt zu Wittenberg durch Joseph Klug 1529.
(This hymnal, like the others, passed through several editions.)-
Geystliche Lieder. Mit einer newen vorrhede, Dr. Martin Luther.
Warn·ung D.ll.L. Viel falscher Meister jetzt Lieder dichten, Siehe
dich fuer und lern sie recht richten " W 0 Gott hin bawd sein Reich
'und sein Wort, Da vil der Teufel seyn mit Trug und Mord. Leipzig.
Gedruckt durch Valentin Babst in der Ritterstrassen. 1545.*
Luther's greatest activity in the field of hymn-writing was during
the year 1524. No fewer than sixteen hymns are placed in this one
year, of a total number of thirty-seven hymns and songs ascribed to
him. And of these eight of a possible total of thirteen hymns were
derived from the Latin hymnody of the l1:iddle Ages, possibly nine.
The remaining four or five hymns from this source followed when the
material for the later hymnals was being prepared.
Now, it is an interesting fact that many of Luther's versions of
hymns are so close to certain earlier translations that the similarity
presents a challenge. That Luther was thoroughly familiar with the
medieval field in the Latin cannot be doubted; but was he as familiar
with earlier efforts at translating many of the medieval classics? Are
* This list according to Wackernagel; also Koch, Gschdchte des
Kirahenlieds und Kirchengesangs, I, 84 if.
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns. 263
his translations merely adaptations, in certain instances, of earlier
versions, bearing the stamp of his genius, indeed, but frankly taken
over, without recourse to plagiarism?
One of the clearest investigations in the field, chiefly on the basis
of studies and texts offered by Orusius, Pasig, and Wackernagel, is
that of Koch (Zoc. cit.). He divides Luther's hymns into two groups,
the first one containing Da pacem (V e1·leih uns Frieden gnaediglich-
In These Our Days So Perilous) and Iesus Ohristus, N ostra Salus
(J esU8 Ohristus, unser Heiland - Jesus Ohrist, Our Blessed Savior),
as being hynms not translated before, and the second group, con-
sisting of the remaining hynms originally found in Latin, all of
which, however, were extant in a German version before 1524 and
some of which may have been known to Luther and used by him in
preparing hymns for the various hynmals issued under his direction.
The following hynms are found in this group: -
Victimae pascali (Christ lag in Todesbanden - In Death's Strong
Bands the Savior Lay) ;
Veni, Redemptor gentium (Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland-Savior
of the Heathen, Come);
A solis ortus cardine (Christum wir sollen loben schon - Now
Praise We Christ, the Holy One);
Grates nunc omnes reddamus (Gelobet seist du, Jesus Christ-
All Praise, Lord Jesus Christ, to Thee) ;
Veni, Creator Spiritus (Komm, Gott Schoepfer, Heiliger Geist-
Come, God Creator, Holy Ghost);
Veni, Sanote Spiritus, reple (Komm, heiliger Geist, Herre Gott-
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord);
Media vita in morte sumus ( Mitten wir im Leben sind - Though
in Midst of Life We Be) ;
Patrem oredimus (Wir glauben all an einen Gott - We All Be-
lieve in One True God) ;
Te, Deum, laudamus (Herr Gott, dioh loben wir-Lord God, Thy
Praise We Sing);
Hostis He1'Odes impie (Was fueroht'st du, Feind Hero des, sehr-
Why, Herod, Unrelenting Foe) ;
o lux beata Trinitas (Der du bist drei in Einigkeit - Thou who
Art Three in Unity).
In order to have a comprehensive view of the problem stated
above, all the hymns of Luther which are derived from the Latin,
whether directly or through a possible intermediary agency or stage,
are here offered in the original Latin, in a parallel colunm with early
versions, if their use was probable or if the version is interesting,
also with Luther's version and an English translation. In each case
explanatory notes are added in order to facilitate the final conclusion.
The arrangement is chronological, in the order in which Luther made
use of the medieval Latin hymns.
264 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
1. resus Christus, Nostra Salus. (Huss.)
Iesus Christus, nostra salus,
Quod reclamat omnis manus,
Nobis in sui memoriam
Dedit hanc panis hostiam.
o quam sanctus panis iste!
Tu solus es, Iesu Christe!
Caro, cibus sacramentum,
Quo non maius est inventum.
Hoc domum suavitatis
Charitasque deitatis,
Virtutis eucharistia,
Communionis gratia.
Ave deitatis forma,
Dei unionis norma:
In te quisque delectatur,
Qui te fide speculatur.
Non est panis, sed est Deus,
Homo, liberator meus,
Qui in cruce pependisti
Et in carne defecisti.
Esca digna angelorum,
Pietatis lux sanctorum,
Lex moderna approbavit,
Quod antiqua figuravit.
Salutare medicamen,
Peccatorum relevamen,
Pasce nos, a malis leva,
Due nos, ubi lux est hm.
(This is the Carmen de caena
sacra of Johann Huss, but Julian
says that his authorshin is at
least doubtful.) -
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland,
Der von uns den Gottes Zorn wandt',
Durch das bittre Leiden sein
Half er uns aus der Hoelle Pein.
Dass wir nimmer des verges sen,
Gab er uns sein'n Leib zu essen,
Verborgen im Brot so klein,
Und zu trinken sein Blut im "Vein.
Wer sich will zu dem Tisch machen,
Der hab' wohl acht auf sein' Sachen;
Wer unwuerdig hinzugeht,
Fuer das Leben den Tod empfaeht.
Du sollst Gott den Vater preis en,
Dass er dich so wohl wollt' speisen
Und fuer deine Missetat
In den Tod sein'n Sohn geben hat.
Du sollst glauben lmd nicht wanken,
Dass ein' Speise sei den Kranken,
Den'n ihr Herz von Suenden schwer
Und vor Angst ist betruebet sehr.
Soleh' gross' Gnad' und Barmherzigkeit
Sueht ein Herz in grosser Arbeit:
1st dir wohl, so bleib davon,
Dass du nicht kriegest boesen Lohn.
Er spricht seIber: Kommt, ihr Armen,
Lasst mich ueber euch erbarmen!
Kein Arzt ist dem Starken not,
Sein' Kunst wird an ihm gar cin Spott.
Haett'st du dir was konnt erwerben,
,'Vas duerft' ich dann fuer dieh sterben?
Dieser Tisch auch dir nicht gilt,
So du seIber dir helfen willt.
Glaubst du das von Herzensgrunde
Und bekennest mit dem Munde,
So bist du recht wohl geschickt,
Und die Speise dein' SeeI' erquiekt.
Die Frucht solI auch nieht ausbleiben;
Deinen Naeehsten sollst du lieben,
Dass er dein genies sen kann,
Wie dein Gott an dir hat getan.
(The heading of Luther states: "Das
Lied S. Jahannis Huss gebessert," but it
seems more like a total recasting.)
(The remark of Lambert, Luther's Hymns, 104, is undoubtedly well
taken: "Excepting the first two stanzas, there is scarcely a thought in
Luther's hymn whose similarity to the Latin may be traced. . .. While
the hymn of the Bohemian reformer contained a dogmatic explanation
of the elements of the Lord's Supper, Luther's hymn offers knowledge
concerning its significance and use and therefore affords the individual an
important preparation for a worthy reception.")
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns. 265
2. Victimae Pasch ali. (Saec. 11).
Victimae paschali
Laudes immolent Christiani.
Agnus redemit oves,
Christus innocens Patri
reconciliavit peccatores.
Mors et vita duello
Confiixere mirando;
Dux vitae mortuus
Regnat vivus.
Dic nobis, Maria,
Quid vidisti in via?
"Sepulcrum Christi viventis
Et gloriam vidi resurgentis,
Angelicos testes,
Sudarium et vestes.
Surrexit Christus, spes mea,
Praecedet vos in Galilaeam."
Credendum est magis solae Mariae
veraci
Quam ludaeorum turbae fallaci.
Scimus Christum surrexisse ex
mortuis vere:
Tu nobis, victor Rex, miserere.
(Kehrein, Sequentiae Latinae, 81,
remarks: Auotor est Wipo, which
would place the sequence into the first
half of the eleventh century. This
claim, according to Julian, cannot be
said to have been definitely establisbed.)
(According to Wackernagel, Das
deutsohe Kirohenlied, I, 130, this se-
quence was the source of, and was
used together with, various versions of
Ghrist ist erstanden, of which the fol-
lowing is a characteristic sample.)
Erstanden ist der heylig Christ,
der aller Welt ein Troester ist.
Vnd wer er nit erstanden,
so wer die welt zugangen.
Vnd seydt das er erstanden ist,
so loben wir den Herrn J esum Christ.
Drey frawen kamen zu dem Grab,
sie wolten den Herrn gesalbet han.
Sie funden do zwen Engel stan,
Die troesten die frawen lobesan.
Erschrecket nicht, seyt aIle fro,
dann der jr sucht, der ist nit do.
Er ist erstanden aus dem grab
W 01 an dem heylgen Ostertag.
Nun tret herzu und secht die stat
Da man jn hingeleget hat.
Secht an das tuch, darinn er lag
gewickelt biss an dritten tag.
Geet in das Galileysch land,
da finst jr jn, sagt er zu hand.
Gehet hin und sagts sant Peter an
vnd seinen juengern lobes an.
Nun singet all zu diser frist
'erstanden ist der heylig Christ.'
Des solI wir aIle froehlich seyn
vnd er solI unser troester sein.
(All of the twenty-eight versions of OMist ist erstanden offered by
Wackernagel show some influence of, or dependence upon, the Latin se-
quence, and this phenomenon may well be due to the fact that the
sequence was, at least in a measure, the basis of some of the first Resurrec-
tion plays on the Continent and in England and that in the German Easter
plays at least one stanza of the hymn Oh1'ist ist erstanden was sung in con-
nection with the sequence in church and with the expanded Resurrection
play after it moved out of the church.)
Christ lag in Todesbanden,
Fuer unsre Suend' gegeben,
Der ist wieder erstanden
Und hat uns bracht das Leben.
Des wir sollen froehlich sein,
Gott loben und dankbar sein
Und singen Halleluja!
Halleluja!
In death's strong grasp the Savior
lay
For our offenses given;
But now the· Lord is risen to-day
And brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us all rejoice
~>\nd praise our God with cheerful
voice
And sing loud hallelujahs.
Hallelujah!
(In the case of this hymn also we cannot say that Luther translated
or that he used earlier versions; he took the thoughts of the sequence
of the eleventh century and cast them into an entirely new form. The
Paschal Lamb is there, and the redemption through the work of Christ
is brought out, as is the true Easter joy; but beyond that the influence
of the Latin sequence clearly did not go. Luther felt free to express
his Easter message in agreement with the points which he knew to be
essential. )
266 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
3. Veni, Redemptor Gentium. (Ambrosius.)
Veni, Redemptor gentium,
Ostende partum virginis,
Miretur omne saeculum;
Talis partus decet Deum.
Non ex virili semine,
Sed mystico spiramine
Verbum Dei factum est caro,
Fructusque ventris floruit.
Alvus tumescit virginis,
Claustra pudoris permanent,
Vexilla virtutum micant,
Versatur in templo Deus.
Procedens thalamo suo,
Pudoris aula regia,
Geminae gigas substantiae
Alacris ut currat viam.
Egressus eius a patre,
Regressus eius ad patrem:
Excursus usque ad inferos,
Recursus ad sedem Dei.
Aequalis aeterno patri
Carnis tropaeo accingere,
Infirma nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti.
Praesepe iam fulget tuum
Lumenque nox spirat novum,
Quod nulla nox interpolet
Fideque iugi luceat.
(Gloria tibi, Domine,
Qui na tus es de virgine
Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu
In sempiterna saecula.)
Kum hal', er10ser volkes schar,
erzoig die gburd der megde clar,
Dz wundert aIle welt gemein,
wann solich gburt zimt got allein.
Niit von mannlichen samen ist,
denn vs des helgen geistes frist
Gotz wort die menscheit an sich nam,
die fruht des libs hat blyet schon.
Der megde lib gewahsen hat,
in kiischer lib beslossen stat,
Die von der tugend schynend hal',
got in sim temple nemment war.
Vs gat er von dem gaden sin
und vs der megde kiinglich schrin
Del' zweyget ris in sinr substancz,
dz er den weg louf frolich gancz.
Sin vsgang von dem vatter wz,
sin widergang in vatters schas,
Sin vfl{)uf vuez in hellen pful,
sin widerlouf zu gottes stuI.
Glieh bistu vatters ewikeit,
nun giIrt dieh bald in libes cleit,
Die krangkeit vnsers libes ser
mit tugend sterk vns yemermer.
Din kriplin nun vns allen schynt,
ein nuwes lieht die naht enziint,
Das ouch kein naht er10schen kan,
dz lieht sond wir im glouben han.
Got vater sy nun lob geseit
vnd sinem sun in ewikeit
IvIit dem geist, del' vns tl'osten wil
nun vnd allzit in endes ziI.
(Scholars unanimously ascribe this
hym·u to Ambrose. Cf. Koch, I, 80;
'Vackernagel, I, 16. 17; Mone, Hyrnni
Latini, 42-45, who also explains the
introductory stanza found in a Bt'cvi·
ariUl1t Oisterciense:-
(The translation offered here is by
I-Ieinrich v. Loufenberg of Freiburg,
shortly after 1445, the text being that
printed by Wackernagel, II, 580. There
is another translation of the fifteenth
century: Kom, erloser aller letfte, dated
1460. Wackernagel, II, 696. Both
translations are fairly close to the
original, but show no special poetical
ability. Koch, I, 80, refers to another
translation: Der Heiden Heiland
komme her, of the end of the fifteenth
century.)
Intende, qui regis Israel,
super cherubim qui sedes;
Appare Ephrem coram, excita
poteniam tuam et veni,
as being formed from an antiphon and
a collect for the first Sunday in Ad·
vent.)
Nun komm, del' Heiden Heiland,
Del' Jungfrauen Kind erkannt!
Dass sich wundre aIle Welt,
Gott solch' Geburt ihm bestellt.
Savior of the heathen, come,
Virgin's Son, here make Thy home!
vVonder at it, heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.
(A careful comparison of the IvIiddle High German versions with the
translation of Luther seems to indicate quite clearly that he did not make
use of the earlier work of Loufenberg or {)f those of other poets of the
fifteenth century. Though there is an occasional similarity in expres·
sion, there is no parallelism, and the instances of similarity may well be
explained on the basis of the common original. It is interesting to note
how close Luther remained to the hymn of Ambrose while he cast the
Latin verses into the rugged form which is characteristic of all his earlier
work. He may have known the earlier efforts; but if so, he chose not to
use them as the basis of his own work.)
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns. 267
4. A Solis Ortus Cardine. (Sedulius. )
A solis ortus car dine
Ad usque terrae limitem
Christum canamus principem,
Natum Maria virgine.
Beatus auctor saeculi
Servile corpus induit,
Ut carne carnem liberans
Non perderet, quos condidit.
Castae parentis viscera
Coelestis intrat gratia:
Venter pueIlae baiulat
Secreta, quae non novel' at.
Domus pudici pectoris
Templum repente fit Dei:
Intacta nesciens virum
Concepit alvo filium.
Enixa est puerpera,
Quem Gabriel praedixerat,
Quem matris alvo gestiens
Clausum Baptista censerat.
Foeno iacere pertulit,
Praesepe non abhorruit,
Pal'Voque lacte pastus est,
Per quem nec ales esurit.
Gaudet chorus coelestium
Et angeli canunt Deo,
Palamque fit pastoribus
rastor, creator omnium.
(0 qui parentis ubere
Heic dona vitae postulas,
Da Patl'is in convivio
Vitae pel'ennis fiumina.)
Von anegeng del' sunne klar
Bis an ein ende del' werIlde gar
Wir loben den sliessen Jhesum chirst,
Del' von del' maid geporen ist.
Ain merer aller werIlde prait
Del' legt an sich des knechttes klait,
Er nam an sich menschleiche wat,
Das icht verdurb sein handgetat.
Ain flos del' kawsche herczen schrein,
Dar kam des heiligen geistes schein,
Das sy enphieng ain kindelein,
Das trueg verholn die maget rain.
Ain hawss erschain ires leibes fein,
Das solt ein tempel gotes sein,
Das nie vmbruert kains mannes art,
Von ainem wortt sy swanger wart.
Darnach gepar sy in viI schier,
Sant Gabriel das klindet iI',
Vnd Johannes das kindelein
Erkannt ja in del' mueter sein.
Do auf ein hew wart er gelait
In ain kripp, die was nicht prait,
Daz schewet nicht daz kindelein,
Mit kleiner milch speist in dy mueter sein.
Sich frliwent die kor von hymmelreich
Vnd singent die engel aIle geleich,
Den hyrtten es geklindet wart,
Del' hyrtten schepher von hoher art.
Dem hochsten got sey lob gesait,
Darczw dem kind und auch del' maid
Vnd auch des heiligen geistes nar
Von werlt czu werlt an ende gar.
(There seems to be no doubt that
this hymn is one by Caelius Sedulius
and therefore belongs to the fifth cen-
tury. It is given in Wackernagel, I, 45,
as hymnu8 acrostichis, totam vitam
Christi continens. The seven stanzas
are those of the letters .A to G, since
these contain the story of the nativity.)
(The version here given is that by
Johannes von Salzburg, who was ac-
tive as translator and hymn-writer at
the end of the fourteenth century. He
added a doxology which is evidently an
Original effort, since it is not found in
any of the transmitted forms of the
hymn.)
Christum wir solI en loben schon,
Del' reinen Magd Marien Sohn,
So weit die liebe Sonne leucht't
Und an aIler Welt Ende l'eicht.
Now praise we Christ, the Holy One,
The spotless Virgin Mary's Son,
Far as the blessed sun doth shine,
E'en to the world's remote confine.
(Here again it is clear that Luther worked independently of any
previous translation of which we have any knowledge. The fact that there
is a similarity in a few phrases simply indicates the use of the common
original. On the. other hand, the version of Luther breathes a different
spirit, one of greater freedom and power, in almost every line. His hymn
is clearly an original translation.)
268 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
5. Grates Nunc Omnes Reddamus. (Notker Balbulus.)
Grates nunc omnes reddamus
Domino Deo,
Qui sua nativitate
Nos liberavit de diabolica potestate.
Huic oportet, ut canamus
Cum angelis semper:
Gloria in excelsis.
(This is a sequence by Notker Bal-
bulus, ninth century, with the heading
De nativitate Domini, in galli cantu
vel media nocte ad prim am mi8sam.
The printing in verse form, as given by
Wackernagel, is merely for the sake of
making a division, since there is
neither rime nor rhythm in the se-
quence.)
Gelobet sei'st dU, J esu Christ,
Dass du Mensch geboren bist
Von einer J ungfrau, das ist wahl';
Des freuet sich del' Engel Schar.
Kyrieleis!
GElobet seistu, Jesu Christ,
daz du mensch geboren bist,
Von einer jungfroun, daz ist war,
des freuet sich aller engel schar.
Kyrieleison.
(There is only one direct conference
to the use of this stanza in the ver-
nacular before Luther, in an Oraina-
rium Inclitae Ecclesiae Swerinensi8,
1519, in the officium for Christmas
Day. It sets forth the chief thought
of the sequence as did some of the
short Easter hymns or stanzas in the
vernacular. )
All praise to Jesus' hallowed name,
Who of virgin pure became
True man for us! The angels sing
As the glad news to earth they bring:
Hallelujah!
(Here is an instance in which Luther took over the stanza which was in
general use in many parts of the Church of Germany. But his poetical
genius was stimulated thereby, so that he added six stanzas which develop
the medieval stanza and present the entire Christmas-message. It is in-
teresting to note that the KY1'ieleison of the Middle Ages had clearly lost
its original significance and was used as a refrain even for a doxology.)
6. Veni, Creator Spiritus. (Gregorius Magnus.)
Veni, Creator Spiritus,
~1entes tuorum visita;
Imple sup ern a gratia
Quae tu creasti pectora!
Qui diceris paraclitus,
Altissimi donum Dei,
Fons vivus, ignis, caritas
Et spiritalis unctio.
Tu septiformis munere,
Digitus paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.
Accende lumen sensibus,
Infunde amorem cordi bus,
Infirma nostri corporis
Virtute firmans perpeti(m).
Hostem repellas longius
Pacemque dones protinus,
Ductore sic te praevio
Vitemus omne noxium.
Per te sciamus, da, Patrem
N oscamus atque Filium,
Et utriusque Spiritum
Credamus 0l11ni tempore.
Kvm schopffer gott, heiliger geist,
GemUt del' dynen heymbelcist,
Mit gnad yom hymel Uberlast
Die brUst so du geschaffen hast.
Du, del' eyn troster bist genannt,
Die gab, yom hochsten goot gesant,
Del' lebend brunn, liebe, das fhUr,
Die geistlich salbung ser gehUr.
Du bist die sibenformig gnad,
Del' rechten hand gotz fynger trad,
Des vatters glUbt von hymelrich,
Die kelen machest reden rich.
Z Und vns das liech t del' synnen an,
IngUss liebe den hertzen wan,
V nsers libs sweren bloidikeit
Mit tugenden sterck zu ewikeit.
Den fyndt vert rib von vns ferr
Vnd gib vns dynen fryden, herr,
Das wir durk vorbeleitung din
AIls schad ens mogend anig syn.
Durch dich gib vns den vatter kunt,
Den sun bekennen aIle stund
Vnd dich, ir beider waren geist,
Dz wir dir gloubend allermeyst.
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns. 269
(Sit laus Patri cum Filio,
Sancto simul, Paraclito,
Nobisque mittat Filius
Charisma Sancti Spiritus.)
(Alt, Ohristlicher Kultu8, I, 432,
doubts the traditional authorship of
Ambrose, and Mone, I, 242, says:
"'Obiger Hymnu8 stimmt am meisten
mit den Liedern Gregoris des Grossen
ueberein, und ich halte ihn tuer den
Vertasser.")
Lob sy dem vatter mit dem sun,
Dern heiligen troster im cummun,
Dz vns del' sun gotz schick die gab
Des heiligen geists von hymel abo
This version is ascribed to Ludwig
Moser by Wackernagel, II, 872, being
taken from Der guldin Sviegel des
Sunders. Basel 1497.)
Komm, Gott Schoepfer, Heiliger Come, God, Creator, Holy Ghost,
Geist, And visit Thou the souls of men;
Besuch das Herz del' Menschen dein, Fill them with graces, as Thou
.Mit Gnaden sie fuell, wie du wei sst, dost,
Dass dein' Geschoepf' vorhin sein! Thy creatures make pure again.
(Also in this case it is not difficult to come to a decision with regard
to the possible influence of the earlier German version on Luther. His
:hymn is a truly independent and original effort. Like Moser, he adheres
very closely to the Latin version, a fact which would account for certain
similar expressions; but he has cast the thoughts of Gregory in his own
mold. His usual ruggedness is clearly apparent; but it is truly his own
and not that of a previous hymnist.)
7. Veni, Sancte Spiritus, Reple. (Robert von Frankreich?)
Veni, Sancte Spiritus,
Eeple tuorum corda fielelium,
Et tui amoris in eis ignem accende,
Quiel per diversitatem linguarum
cunctarum
Gentes in unitatem fidei congregasti.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
(This is an antiphon of the eleventh
century, the only source that can come
into consideration in connection with
this hymn. The hymn which is usually
mentioned in this connection, Veni-,
Sancte Spiritus, Et entitte coelitus, as
given in Wackernagel, I, 105, and in
Kehrein, lOS, whose author is Robert
of France, may also have been based
upon the sequence, but is clearly not
the basis of the Middle German
hymn.)
Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott,
Erfuell mit deiner Gnaden Gut
Deiner Glaeubigen Herz, JliIut und
Sinn,
Dein' bruenstig' Lieb' entzuend in
ihn'n!
o Herr, durch deines Lichtes Glast
Zu elem Glauben versammelt hast
Das Volk aus aller Welt Zungen;
Das sei elir, Herr, zu Lob gesungen!
Halleluja!
Kom, heiliger gaist, herre got,
erfull mit deiner genaden pot
Der deiner glaubigen hercz vnde syn,
elein prunstig lieb entczunt in yn.
Del' elu elurch elein leichtes glast
in einen gelauben gesammet hast
daz volk aus aller welele zungen,
des sey dir lob vnel er gesungen.
Alleluia, alleluia.
(This is one form of the version of
the German hymn of one stanza as
found in various forms during the late
fifteenth century. Wackernagel, II,
74S. There are slight variations in
the copies of the hymn from the fif-
teenth and from the early sixteenth
century.)
Come, Holy Ghost, Goel anel Lord!
Be all Thy graces now outpoureel
On each believer's mind and
heart·
Thy ferv~nt love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Thy
light
Thou in the faith dost men unite
Of ev'ry tongue anel ev'ry nation,
We therefore sing with exultation:
Hallelujah!
(The remark of Julian concerning this hymn is well taken: "Martin
Luther adopted this old German stanza with alterations and added two
original stanzas, publishing the whole Eyn Enohiridion, Erfurt, 1524." It
is evident from a comparison of stanzas 2 and 3 that these are not taken
from the hymn of Robert of France, referred to above, nor even suggested
by its thoughts, but that these two are original with Luther, being simply
an expansion of the first stanza.)
270 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
8. Media Vita in Morte Sumus. (Notker.)
Media vita
In morte Bumus.
Quem quaerimus adiutorem
Nisi te, Domine,
Qui pro peccatis nostris
I uste irasceris.
Sancte Deus,
Sancte fortis,
Sancte et misericors Salvator,
Amarae morti ne tradas nos.
(This antiphon is ascribed to
Notker of St. Gall, d. 912. It is found
in an eleventh-century manuscript and
became a great favorite at a very early
date as a "hymn of triumph over the
grave, death, and hell.")
Mitten wir im Leben sind
Mit dem Tod umfangen.
Wen such en wir, del' Hilfe tu',
Dass wir Gnad' erlangen?
Das bist du, Herr, alleine.
Uns reuet unsre Missetat,
Die dich, Herr, erzuernet hat.
Heiliger Herre Gott,
Heiliger, starker Gott,
Heiliger, barmherziger Heiland,
Du ewiger Gott,
Lass uns nicht versinken
In des bittern Todes Not.
Kyrieleison!
1m Mittel vnsers Lebens zeit
Sein wir mit dem Tod vmfangen:
Wen suchen wir del' vns hilffe thu,
Dar durch wir Gnad erIangen,
Dann dich, HERR, alleine?
Del' du vmb vnser Missethat
Billich gezirnet hast.
Heiliger HERRE Gott,
Heiliger starcker Gott,
Heiliger barmhertziger Heiland,
du ewiger Gott,
Lass vns nit versuchen
des bittern Todtes noth.
Lass vns dein Huld erwerben,
hilff VES auss aIler Not.
(The German rime version of the
Latin antiphon seems to have origi-
nated about the middle or the third
quarter of the fifteenth century.
Wackernagel, II, 749 fr., gives ten ver-
Sions, most of which are dated after
the Reformation, although they all
clearly are based upon the Middle Ger-
man translation.)
Though in midst of life we be,
Snares of death surround us;
'Where shall we for succor flee
Lest our foes confound us?
To Thee alone, our Savior.
We mourn our grievous sin
which hath
Stirr'd the fire of thy fierce wrath.
Holy and gracious God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Thou eternal God!
Save us, Lord, from sinking
Tn the deep and bitter flood.
Lord, have mercy.
(We are here likewise dealing with the use of the Middle High German
stanza, slightly altered by Luther in order to bring all the thoughts of the
litany in the expanded form of the second and third stanzas. Julian
writes: "Luther ... and added in two stanzas the Gospel delineation of
life through Christ to the medieval picture of death.")
9. Patrem Credimus. (Author unknown.)
(Till now no rimed version of the
Nicene Creed in the Latin language
has been discovered, and there seems
to be every reason for believing that
none existed.)
WIr glawben in einen got,
Schopper hymmels vnd der erden,
Mit worten her lis werden
Alle ding gar in zeynem gebot.
Von del' czarten wart her geboren,
Marian del' reynin aus irkorn,
Vns czu trost vnd aller cristenheit
Vor vns her wolde leyden,
Ob wir mochten vormeyden
Swere peyn den tot del' ewykeyt.
(This version dates from about
1417, being found on a manuscript
which had the Apostolic Creed in
prose form. Wackernagel, II, 509;
Koch, I, 80.)
Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns. 271
Wir glauben all' an einen Gott,
Schoepfer Himmels und der Erden,
Der sich zum Vater geben hat,
Dass wir seine Kinder werden.
Er will uns all zeit ernaehren,
Leib und SeeI' auch wohl bewahren,
Allem Unfall will er wehren,
Rein Leid solI uns widerfahren;
Er sorget fuer uns, huet't und
wacht,
Es steht alles in seiner Macht.
We all believe in one true God,
Maker of the earth and heaven,
The Father, who to us in love
Hath the claim of children given.
He in soul and body feeds us,
All we want His hand provides us,
Through all snares and perils
leads us,
Watching that no harm betides us;
He cares for us by day and night,
All things are governed by His might.
(The comparison offered in the Middle German stanza and the hymn
by Luther in 1524 [or 1525] shows that the conclusion of Lambert,
Luther's Hymns, 83, is undoubtedly correct: "This is the Nicene Creed
designed for liturgical use. It is an amplification of an ancient poem to
which Hoffmann von Fallersleben refers. It is not a versification of the
Credos of the Mass and is supposed by Klippgen to antedate 1524.")
10. Da Pacem, Domine.
Da pacem, Domine,
In diebus nostris,
Quia non est ali us, qui pugnet
pro nobis,
Nisi tu, Deus noster.
Gib Frieden, 0 Herr, in unsern Zeiten.
Halleluja!
Denn es ist kein andrer, der fuer uns
streite,
Als du allein, unser Gott.
Halleluja!
(This is an antiphon of the sixth or seventh century, in use at every
Mass, before the Agnus Dei, and familiar in a version as given above,
although the German may not have' been in general use.)
Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich,
Herr Gott, zu unsern Zeiten!
Es ist ja kein andrer nicht,
Der fuer uns koennte streiten
Denn du, unser Gott, alleine.
(G-ott, gib Fried' in "deinenl Lande,
Glueck und Heil zu all em Stande.)
In these days so perilous,
Lord, peace in mercy send us,
No God but Thee can fight for us,
No God but Thee defend us,
Thou, our only God and Savior.
(The version above is that of Luther, of the year 1529, with the two
additional lines as they appeared in the Geistliohe Lieder at~ffs new ge-
bessert zu Wittenberg, 1531. It is evident that Luther did not make use
of the earlier German version, although there is a similarity due to close
adherence to the original. When the forces of the Turks threatened to
invade Germany, Luther made the translation, to be followed by the
oollecta P1'O paoe, as it is in use to this day.)
11. Te Deum Laudamus. (Ambrosius?)
Te Deum laudamus,
Te Dominum confitemur,
Te aeternum Patrem
Omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes angeli, tibi coeli
Et universae potestates,
Tibi cherubim et seraphim
Incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctns, sanctus, sanctus
Dominus Deus Sabaoth!
Pleni sunt coeli et terra
Maiestate gloriae tuae.
Etc.
(With regard to early German ver-
sions, Koch, I, 80, refers to a transla-
tion of the eighth century, Thi got
lopeme8, and to one of the fifteenth
century, Dich, Gott, loben wir, which
are not accessible. The La tin text
shows a number of variations, since
each succeeding editor felt free to
make changes and additions. Ambrose
is now no longer regarded as the
author, although Koch still says of
the hymn: "AU8 der ambro8ianischen
Zeit." Alt ascribes it to Nicetus of
Treves, ca. 535, while Julian associates
it with John Cassianus 01' his school,
in the first half of the fifth century.)
272 Luther's Use of Medieval Latin Hymns.
(Luther's translation exhibits all the characteristics of originality
and of his hymnological genius. A reference in a letter of Luther to
Crodelius leads to the supposition that Luther made this translation in
1528, and that quite independently of previous German versions. It ap-
peared in Walther's hymn-book of 1529 and in the Klug edition of 1529
and 1535. See Lambert, Luther's Hymns, 118.)
12. Rostis Rerodes Impie. (Sedulius.)
Hostis Herodes impie,
Christum venire quid times?
Non eripit mortalia
Qui regna dat coelestia.
Ibant magi quam viderant
Stellam sequentes praeviam;
Lumen requirunt lumine,
Deum fatentur munere.
(Caterva matrum personat,
Collisa deflens pignora,
Quorum tyrannus millia
Christo sacravit victimam.)
(This hymn is unanimously ascribed
to SeduUus, fifth century: In epiphania
Domini, ait vesperas. There are only
four stanzas in the original, as given
by Wackernagel, I, 46, and in the
Breviarium Romanum, Z. c., 345.) (Three earlier translations are
mentioned in connection with this
hymn, namely, Heroites, itu gottZoser
lI'einit, by Sixtus Dietrich; Heroites,
Lavacra puri gurgitis
Coelestis agnus attigit;
Peccata quae non detulit
Nos abluendo sustilit.
(Miraculis dedit fidem
Habere se Deum Patrern,
Infirma sanans corpora,
Resuscitans cadavera.)
Novum genus potentiae:
Aquae rubescunt hydriae,
Vinurnque iussa fundere
Mutavit unda originem.
o au Boesewicht, by Thos. Muenzer,
whose hymn-book may have antedated
1523; and Heroites, hoechster Gottes-
jeinit, by Cyriakus Spangenberg. But
all three are ruled out as sources of
Luther's translation, partly by the fact
that they were contemporary produc-
tions, partly by the fact that Luther's
version is totally unlike their transla-
tions. Cpo Wackernagel, Vol. IlL)
Was fuercht'st du, Feind Herodes, Why, Herod, unrelenting foe,
sehr, Doth the Lord's coming move
Dass uns gebor'n kommt Christ, del' thee so?
Herr? He doth no earthly kingdom seek
Ersuch kein sterblich Koenigreich, Who brings His kingdom to the
Del' zu uns bringt sein Himmelreich. meek.
(The doxology added to this hymn is characteristic of the times, and
Luther followed this custom with great success, as other hymns from
his pen show. The entire translation is typical of his genius.)
13. 0 Lux, Beata Trinitas. (Ambrosius.)
o lux, beata Trinitas 0 Licht, siilige Dryualtigkhayt
Et principalis unitas, Vnnd fiirtrefflicht Aynigkhayt,
Dye feiiren Sunn netz von vns lam sol recedit igneus; weycht,
Infunde lumen cordibus. Gib vnns dein liecht das vnns
Te mane laudum carmine,
Te deprecamur vesperi,
Te nostra supplex gloria
Per cuncta laudet saecula.
(This is undoubtedly a hymn by
Ambrose, although it has sometimes
been ascribed to Sedulius. It has the
snperscription: Dom. II. P08t octavam
epiphaniae, but was generally used as
a morning hymn.)
erleycht.
Zw morgens soIl wyer loben dich,
Am abent auch preysen frolich,
Vnser andacht dich loben soIl,
Dw pist ewiger zyere voll.
Glori vnnd eel' dem Vattern sey,
Dem Sun auch ewigs lob darbey,
Dem heyling Geyst auch des geleich,
Das geschech imer vnnd ewigkhleych.
(This translation is taken from the
Hymnariu8 SigmunitsZust, 1524, as
given in Wackernagel, II, 1125. Most
of the hymns in this collection are to
be placed at the beginning of the six-
teen th century. )
I5tubie liber Die crifenadJet cr~iftel flit rrJeiieticorbias :Iiomini. 273
Del' du bist drei in Einigkeit,
Ein wahrer Gatt von Ewigkeit,
Die Sonn' mit dem Tag von uns
weicht,
Lass leuchten uns dein goettlich
Licht.
Thou who art Three in Unity,
True God from all eternity,
The sun is fading from our
sight,
Shine Thou on us with heavenly
light.
(Luther may have known of earlier translations, but his version bears
the stamp of originality.)
The following summary is offered as the result of our investi-
gation-
A. Translations original with Luther: -
1524. -1. Jesus Oh1'istus, nostra salus - Jesus Ohristus, unser
Heiland (merely a few thoughts of the original Latin employed, otherwise
a new hymn).
1524. - 2. Victimae paschali - Ohrist lag in Todesbanden (sugges-
tion from the Latin and an early German stanza, otherwise original).
1524. - 3. Veni, Redemptor gentium - Nun komm, der Heiden
Heiland.
1524. - 4. A solis ortus cardine - Ohristum wir sollen loben schon.
1524. - 6. Veni, 01'eator Spiritus - Komm, Gott Schoepfer, Heilige1'
Geist.
1529. - 10. Da pacem, Domine - Verleih uns Frieden gnaediglich.
1529. -II. Te Deum laudamus -Hen' Gott, dich loben wir.
1541. -12. Hostis Herodes impie - Was fuel'oht'st du, Feind He-
rodes, sehr?
1543. - 13. 0 lux, beata Trinitas - Der du bist drei in Einigkeit,
B. Previous versions used in part: -
1524. - 5. Grates nunc omnes reddamus - Gelobet seist du, Jesus
Ohrist (first stanza taken over, six original stanzas added).
1524.-7. Veni, Sanota Spiritus, reple~Komm, Heiliger Geist, Hene
Gott (first stanza used with alterations, two OTiginal stanzas added).
1524. - 8. Media vita in morte sumUB - Mi·tten Wil' im Leben sind
(first stanza recast, second and third added).
1524. - 9. Patrem oredimus - WiT glauben all' an einen Gott (only
certain lines and the verse form taken over, the hymn really original in
all its parts). p, E. KRETZMANN.
4 ••
@5tuhie fiber hie ~ifeuadjer ~,pifteI he~ Eluuutag~
WliferiCl.lrhia~ c:l)umiui. @p'lj. 2, 4-10.
:But griinbIid)en ~oroereifllng aUf bie ~re.bigt iiver biefen 5te!;t
Tefe man bie bortreffIid)e ®dliirung bon ®j:J~. 2, 1-10 in D.