The God of Jacob is our refuge.
James Moffatt names this the “greatest hymn of the greatest man in the greatest period of German history.” More than any other, this hymn has transcended all national boundaries and denominational lines, and has become a truly ecumenical church song. It has been translated into nearly two hundred languages. “Ein feste Burg” was sung over Luther’s grave at Wittenberg in the Schloss-Kirche, on the door of which some 30 years before, he had nailed his 95 theses against Roman Indulgences. The hymn has been used at many historic occasions and conventions. In 1925, at the meeting of Christians from all parts of the world in Stockholm, the opening hymn was “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott.” Each delegate sang in his own tongue, but it was the same tune, the same hymn and the same spirit; and the great conference, assembled to consider the life and mission of the church, adopted the hymn as an ecumenical symbol. It was adopted as the Conference hymn for the fourth Mennonite World Conference held at Goshen, Ind., and North Newton, Kan., August 3-10, 1948.
The hymn arose out of the writer’s conflict with the evil forces of the world and the corrupt hierarchy of a corrupt church. When Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms, he was warned by his friends not to go. He ignored their advice, and, standing before that assemblage of emperors and principalities and powers, he spoke these memorable words:
It is neither safe nor prudent to do aught against conscience. Till such time as either by proof from holy Scripture or by fair reason or argument I have been confuted and convicted, I cannot and will not recant. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God be my help. Amen.
It is against this background of opposition and trouble that the great hymn was penned.
There are more than sixty versions of the hymn in the English language. The translation used here is by Frederick H. Hedge, then Professor of Ecclesiastical History, and later of German Literature, at Harvard. It is the commonly accepted version in America. In England, the translation by Thomas Carlysle is the most widely used.
For ordinary occasions the use of the first two stanzas is sufficient.
MUSIC. EIN’ FESTE BURG IST UNSER GOTT, also by Luther, is one of the great chorales destined to be sung to the end of time. It is perfectly adapted to the words and especially effective with large congregations. The musical merits of the tune have been recognized by the great masters. Mendelssohn used the tune in the last movement of his Reformation Symphony and Bach used it in several of his cantatas.
Albert Schweitzer writes of this melody:
“Ein feste Burg” is woven out of Gregorian reminiscences. The recognition of this fact deprives the melody of none of its beauty and Luther of none of the credit for it. It really takes considerable talent to create an organic unity out of fragments.