"Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" (original
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: "Großer Gott, wir loben dich") is a Christian
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
, a paraphrase of the
Te Deum
The ( or , ; from its incipit, ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to a date before AD 500, but perhaps with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin ...
.
The German
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
priest
Ignaz Franz wrote the original German lyrics in 1771 as a paraphrase of the Te Deum, a Christian hymn in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
from the 4th century. It became an inherent part of major Christian ceremonial occasions, mainly as a conclusion song. Due to its memorable melody and theme, it is one of the most popular hymns and prevalent in German-speaking communities. It may be used as a concluding hymn during the
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, also called Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament or the Rite of Eucharistic Exposition and Benediction, is a devotional ceremony, celebrated especially in the Roman Catholic Church, but also in some other C ...
in the Catholic Church following the singing of the Tantum Ergo and the recitation of the
Divine Praises.
As a result of German emigration in the 19th century, the song became known in the United States. It was translated into English by
Clarence A. Walworth in 1858 (except verse 7, translated by Hugh T. Henry), which accounted for its wide spread around the country.
History
The first printing of the hymn was in Vienna in 1776, where it became part of the Catholic
hymnal
A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). They are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Christia ...
() upon the order of
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...
of
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. Since then, different variations of the German lyrics sprung up, of which two are still in use: one in
Johann Gottfried Schicht's (1819) and that
Heinrich Bone's ''Cantate'' (Mainz 1852)
Its original version from 1771, which was later amended by Ignaz Franz, consisted of 12 verses; however, the edit proved unpopular and the first version persisted, albeit with verses 5 and 6 combined. The melody first appeared in the (Vienna, c. 1774). A typical setting of the hymn is as follows:
\header
\layout
global =
sopVoice = \new Voice = "sopvoice" \relative c'
altVoice = \new Voice \relative c'
verse = \new Lyrics = "firstVerse" \lyricsto "sopvoice"
tenVoice = \new Voice \relative c'
basVoice = \new Voice \relative c
\score
\score
On the initiative of Johann Gottfried Schicht, the hymn also entered
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
hymnals, but was widely neglected for a long time due to its perceived status as a "spiritual folksong" in the
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a Europe, European Intellect, intellectual and Philosophy, philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained th ...
. Only in the 20th century was it fully accepted by Protestants, though shorter and altered versions are often sung (occasionally, two verses were completely replaced by the
New Apostolic Church
The New Apostolic Church (NAC) is a Christian denomination, Christian church of the Catholic Apostolic Church, Irvingian tradition. Its origins are in 1863, in the split from the Catholic Apostolic Church during a schism in Hamburg, Ger ...
).
The hymn became also part of military hymnbooks where it was considered as a song of thanksgiving. The military hymnal of the Evangelical Church of 1939 added a final verse which praised the ''
Führer
( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Hitler officially cal ...
'',
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. The hymnal of the so-called "
German Christians" (1941) was named after the song and contained a version which was "purified of Jewish elements" and altered to fit
Nazi
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
ideology.
"Großer Gott wir loben dich"
(PDF; 2.5 MB) by Michael Fischer, February 2006 / July 2007 (in German); detailed comments about the history of the hymn (February 2006 / July 2007), pp. 13–17: Te deum and its German version under Nazi and militaristic influence
The content of the song can be divided into three parts: a hymnic part praising God the Father (verses 1–4 in the English version, 1–5 in the German), a similar one about God the Son (verses 5–7 in English, 6–8 in German), and a series of petitions (verse 8 in English, 9–11 in German).
In the region of Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, this hymn is loosely translated as "''Ciebie, Boże wielbimy''", replacing "''Ciebie Boga wysławiamy''" by Franciszek Wesołowski, which is the officially sanctioned Polish version of the Te Deum (also called the "Millenial Te Deum") by the Polish Episcopal Conference, and widespread in other regions of the country. It is usually performed in 4/4 metre instead of the traditional 3/4 ''tempus perfectum''.
Text
Original German text
1. Großer Gott, wir loben dich,
Herr, wir preisen deine Stärke.
Vor dir neigt die Erde sich
und bewundert deine Werke.
Wie du warst vor aller Zeit,
so bleibst du in Ewigkeit.
2. Alles, was dich preisen kann,
Cherubim und Seraphinen
stimmen dir ein Loblied an,
alle Engel, die dir dienen,
rufen dir stets ohne Ruh':
Heilig, heilig, heilig! zu.
4. Der Apostel heil'ger Chor,
der Propheten hehre Menge,
schickt zu deinem Thron empor
neue Lob- und Dankgesänge;
der Blutzeugen lichte Schar
lobt und preist dich immerdar.
5. Dich Gott Vater auf dem Thron,
loben Große, loben Kleine.
Deinem eingeborenen Sohn
singt die heilige Gemeinde,
und sie ehrt den Heil'gen Geist,
der uns seinen Trost erweist.
6. Du, des Vaters ew'ger Sohn,
hast die Menschheit angenommen,
bist vom hohen Himmelsthron
zu uns auf die Welt gekommen,
hast uns Gottes Gnad' gebracht,
von der Sünd' uns frei gemacht.
7. Durch dich steht das Himmelstor
allen, welche glauben offen.
Du stellst uns dem Vater vor,
wenn wir kindlich auf dich hoffen;
du wirst kommen zum Gericht,
wenn der letzte Tag anbricht.
8. Herr steh' deinen Dienern bei,
welche dich in Demut bitten.
Kauftest durch dein Blut uns frei,
hast den Tod für uns gelitten;
nimm uns nach vollbrachtem Lauf
zu dir in den Himmel auf.
11. Herr, erbarm, erbarme dich.
Lass uns deine Güte schauen;
deine Treue zeige sich,
wie wir fest auf dich vertrauen.
Auf dich hoffen wir allein;
lass uns nicht verloren sein.
English translation
1. Holy God, we praise Thy Name;
Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on earth Thy sceptre claim,
All in Heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
Everlasting is Thy reign.
2. Hark! the loud celestial hymn
Angel choirs above are raising,
Cherub
A cherub (; : cherubim; ''kərūḇ'', pl. ''kərūḇīm'') is one type of supernatural being in the Abrahamic religions. The numerous depictions of cherubim assign to them many different roles, such as protecting the entrance of the Garden of ...
im and seraph
A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fif ...
im,
In unceasing chorus praising;
Fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord.
3. Lo! the Apostolic train
Join the Sacred Name to hallow;
Prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...
s swell the loud refrain,
And the white robed martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
s follow;
And from morn to set of sun,
Through the Church the song goes on.
4. Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee;
While in essence only One,
Undivided God we claim Thee;
And adoring bend the knee,
While we own the mystery.
5. Thou art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God
Historically, many rulers have assumed titles such as the son of God, the son of a god or the son of heaven.
The term "Son of God" is used in the Hebrew Bible as another way to refer to humans who have a special relationship with God. In Exo ...
, yet born of Mary;
For us sinners sacrificed,
And to death a Tributary:
First to break the bars of death,
Thou hast opened Heaven to faith.
6. From Thy high celestial home,
Judge of all, again returning,
We believe that Thou shalt come
In the dreaded doomsday morning;
When Thy voice shall shake the earth,
And the startled dead come forth.
7. Therefore do we pray Thee, Lord:
Help Thy servants whom, redeeming
By Thy Precious Blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
's scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
In the glory of the blest.
8. Spare Thy people, Lord, we pray,
By a thousand snares surrounded:
Keep us without sin today,
Never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee;
Never, Lord, abandon me.
In Switzerland, there also exists a pacifistic version which was composed after World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
by Karl von Greyerz and is destined for the Federal Day of Thanksgiving, Repentance and Prayer, an interdenominational church holiday in Switzerland.
References
External links
*
*
All verses; short facts about the history
cyberhymnal.org
Detailed description about the history of the song and different versions
lyrik-und-lied.de (in German)
{{Authority control
Catholic hymns in German
18th-century hymns in German