A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Psalm 46:1-3 - God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won’t be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas; though its waters roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. (WEB)
Martin Luther (1483 - 1546), a German professor of theology, composer, priest, and former monk, came to reject several teachings and practices of the Late Medieval Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the power and usefulness of indulgences in his Ninety-Five Theses of 1517, which he posted on the door of Wittenberg's Castle. This act began years of trial and persecution for Luther. His refusal to retract all of his writings, at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521, resulted in Luther's excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor. Luther continually faced threats against his life and his freedom. And Luther knew that other reformers had been persecuted and burned at the stake. But Luther put his trust in God and in Scripture passages such as Psalm 46.
In 1529, Luther wrote his hymn based upon Psalm 46, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"). It has been called the one hymn that most symbolizes the Protestant Reformation. In the hymn, Luther proclaims his confidence in God and rallies all Christians to war against evil. It is said that those persecuted and martyred for their convictions during the Reformation sang these words.
The hymn has been translated from German into nearly every language, and there are said to be over eighty English translations alone. The version most used in the United States is the translation published in 1853 by Frederic Henry Hedge (1805 - 1890). The first line of this hymn is inscribed on Luther's tomb at Wittenberg.
A Might Fortress Is Our God
German text by Martin Luther, 1529.
English translation by Frederic H. Hedge, 1853.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever
Learn more:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/i/mightyfo.htm
https://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/a-mighty-fortress-is-our-god
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Martin Luther (1483 - 1546), a German professor of theology, composer, priest, and former monk, came to reject several teachings and practices of the Late Medieval Catholic Church. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. Luther proposed an academic discussion of the power and usefulness of indulgences in his Ninety-Five Theses of 1517, which he posted on the door of Wittenberg's Castle. This act began years of trial and persecution for Luther. His refusal to retract all of his writings, at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521, resulted in Luther's excommunication by the Pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the Emperor. Luther continually faced threats against his life and his freedom. And Luther knew that other reformers had been persecuted and burned at the stake. But Luther put his trust in God and in Scripture passages such as Psalm 46.
In 1529, Luther wrote his hymn based upon Psalm 46, "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott" ("A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"). It has been called the one hymn that most symbolizes the Protestant Reformation. In the hymn, Luther proclaims his confidence in God and rallies all Christians to war against evil. It is said that those persecuted and martyred for their convictions during the Reformation sang these words.
The hymn has been translated from German into nearly every language, and there are said to be over eighty English translations alone. The version most used in the United States is the translation published in 1853 by Frederic Henry Hedge (1805 - 1890). The first line of this hymn is inscribed on Luther's tomb at Wittenberg.
A Might Fortress Is Our God
German text by Martin Luther, 1529.
English translation by Frederic H. Hedge, 1853.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever
Learn more:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/i/mightyfo.htm
https://songsandhymns.org/hymns/detail/a-mighty-fortress-is-our-god
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