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Hymn Information |
LBW 230 (Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort) Hymn Writer: MARTIN LUTHERTranslation: CATHERINE WINKWORTH Tune: ERHALT UNS, HERR (L M) |
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| Perhaps the most widely used hymn by Martin Luther after "A Mighty Fortress," this short hymn quickly became fundamental to the Lutheran service, sung either at the end of the sermon, or the service. The earliest source where it can be found is in Klug's Wittenberg hymnal of 1543. Other older versions of it have been lost, or, perhaps, never existed. Luther is thought to have written it between the end of 1541 and the spring of 1542. When it was written, the Turks had just defeated Ferdinand of Austria in Budapest in August of 1541. Two months later a storm defeated the Emperor's fleet near Algiers, and Luther responded to the Elector's request that all pastors offer special prayers for divine help and protection with an "Admonition to Pray Against the Turk" ("Vermanunge zum gebet Wider den Türcken"). This hymn, was a part of that effort. Originally titled "A Song for Children against the pope and the Turk, the two arch-enemies of Christ and his Church," it achieved popularity very quickly. It was easily remembered and simple easy for children to sing. Today the original words of the second line are all by forgotten, but they should be marked. Luther and his movement were in dire trouble at the time from not only the Turks, but also the European princes loyal to the Pope. Battle raged throughout Europe. Francis I of France even made common cause with the Sultan against the Empire, so Luther's prayers for protection do not seem unreasonable. Many in Christian Europe (who were united against the Turk), however, took great offense at the juxtaposition of "Turk" and "Pope" in the second line of the first stanza. In Catholic principalities the hymn was strictly forbidden and after the Interim of 1548 even Lutherans tried to revise the line. During the Thirty Years War, its singing aroused special passions on both side. When some children marched into the marketplace singing this hymn in Magdeburg, after the defeat of the Protestant forces, they were massacred by the Catholic forces. The pietists changed it to a petition for protection against the enemies of the Word. Even the German Christians, who supported Hitler, used it to pray against the enemies of National Socialism.
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Listen to "LORD, KEEP US STEADFAST IN YOUR WORD" |
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