A mighty Fortress is our God - wikipedia A mighty Fortress is our God `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' Hymn by Martin Luther `` Ein feste Burg '' with Luther 's signature Written c. 1529 ( 1529 ) Text by Martin Luther Language German Based on Psalm 46 Melody `` Ein feste Burg '' by Martin Luther Published c. 1531 ( 1531 ) ( extant ) Audio ( help info ) `` A Mighty Fortress Is Our God '' Written 1853 ( 1853 ) Text by Frederick H. Hedge ( translator ) `` A Mighty Fortress Is Our God '' ( German : `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' ) is one of the best known hymns by the reformer Martin Luther, a prolific hymnodist. Luther wrote the words and composed the melody sometime between 1527 and 1529. It has been translated into English at least seventy times and also into many other languages. The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 46. Contents 1 History 2 Lyrics 3 Tune 4 Reception 4.1 English translations 4.2 Compositions based on the hymn 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External links 8.1 Other versions History Rare early print `` A Mighty Fortress '' is one of the best loved hymns of the Lutheran tradition and among Protestants more generally. It has been called the `` Battle Hymn of the Reformation '' for the effect it had in increasing the support for the Reformers ' cause. John Julian records four theories of its origin : Heinrich Heine : `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' was sung by Luther and his companions as they entered Worms on 16 April 1521 for the Diet ; K.F.T. Schneider : it was a tribute to Luther 's friend Leonhard Kaiser, who was executed on 16 August 1527 ; Jean - Henri Merle d'Aubigné : it was sung by the German Lutheran princes as they entered Augsburg for the Diet in 1530 at which the Augsburg Confession was presented ; and the view that it was composed in connection with the 1529 Diet of Speyer at which the German Lutheran princes lodged their protest to Holy Roman Emperor Emperor Charles V, who wanted to enforce his 1521 Edict of Worms. Alternatively, John M. Merriman writes that the hymn `` began as a martial song to inspire soldiers against the Ottoman forces '' during the Ottoman wars in Europe. The earliest extant hymnal in which it appears is that of Andrew Rauscher ( 1531 ), but it is supposed to have been in Joseph Klug 's Wittenberg hymnal of 1529, of which no copy exists. Its title was Der xxxxvi. Psalm. Deus noster refugium et virtus. Before that it is supposed to have appeared in the Hans Weiss Wittenberg hymnal of 1528, also lost. This evidence would support its being written in 1527 -- 1529, since Luther 's hymns were printed shortly after they were written. The song was used like an anthem by Sweden during the Thirty Years ' War. Lyrics `` Ein feste Burg '' in the hymnal by Johann Spangenberg ( de ), Magdeburg, 1545 German lyrics with Hedge translation : Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, ein gute Wehr und Waffen. Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, die uns jetzt hat betroffen. Der alt böse Feind mit Ernst er 's jetzt meint, groß Macht und viel List sein grausam Rüstung ist, auf Erd ist nicht seins gleichen. Mit unsrer Macht ist nichts getan, wir sind gar bald verloren ; es streit ' für uns der rechte Mann, den Gott hat selbst erkoren. Fragst du, wer der ist ? Er heißt Jesus Christ, der Herr Zebaoth, und ist kein andrer Gott, das Feld muss er behalten. Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär und wollt uns gar verschlingen, so fürchten wir uns nicht so sehr, es soll uns doch gelingen. Der Fürst dieser Welt, wie sau'r er sich stellt, tut er uns doch nicht ; das macht, er ist gericht ' : ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen. Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn und kein ' Dank dazu haben ; er ist bei uns wohl auf dem Plan mit seinem Geist und Gaben. Nehmen sie den Leib, Gut, Ehr, Kind und Weib : lass fahren dahin, sie haben 's kein ' Gewinn, das Reich muss uns doch bleiben. 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 his 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 is 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 for ever. Tune `` A Mighty Fortress '', rhythmic tune `` A Mighty Fortress '', isometric tune Luther composed the melody, named `` Ein feste Burg '' from the text 's first line, in meter 87.87. 55.56. 7. This is sometimes denoted `` rhythmic tune '' to distinguish it from the later isometric variant, in 87.87. 66.66. 7 - meter, which is more widely known and used in Christendom. In 1906 Edouard Rœhrich wrote, `` The authentic form of this melody differs very much from that which one sings in most Protestant churches and figures in ( Giacomo Meyerbeer 's ) The Huguenots... The original melody is extremely rhythmic, by the way it bends to all the nuances of the text... '' While 19th - century musicologists disputed Luther 's authorship of the music to the hymn, that opinion has been modified by more recent research ; it is now the consensus view of musical scholars that Luther did indeed compose the famous tune to go with the words. Reception Tradition states that the sixth Lutheran King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, had it played as his forces went to battle in the Thirty Years ' War. The hymn had been translated into Swedish already in 1536, presumably by Olaus Petri, with the incipit, `` Vår Gud är oss en väldig borg ''. In the late 19th century the song also became an anthem of the early Swedish socialist movement. The hymn 's enduring popularity in Western Christendom has breached boundaries set in the Reformation as it is now a suggested hymn for Catholic Masses. It currently appears in the second edition of the Catholic Book of Worship, published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, though its adoption is not without controversy. In Germany, `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' was historically also used as a patriotic paean, which is why it was regularly sung at nationalistic events such as the Wartburg Festival in 1817. This patriotic undertone of the hymn emanates from its importance for the Reformation in general, which was regarded by the Protestants not only as a religious but as a national movement delivering Germany from Roman oppression. Furthermore, the last line of the fourth stanza of the German text reads : `` Das Reich muss uns doch bleiben '', which is generally translated into English as `` The Kingdom must remain ours '' whilst it may also be interpreted as meaning : the Holy Roman Empire must remain with the Germans. English translations The first English translation is by Myles Coverdale in 1539 with the title, `` Oure God is a defence and towre ''. The first English translation in `` common usage '' was `` God is our Refuge in Distress, Our strong Defence '' in J.C. Jacobi 's Psal. Ger., 1722, p. 83. An English version less literal in translation but more popular among Protestant denominations outside Lutheranism is `` A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing '', translated by Frederick H. Hedge in 1853 ; this version is the one included in the United Methodist Hymnal. Another popular English translation is by Thomas Carlyle and begins `` A safe stronghold our God is still ''. Most North American Lutheran churches have not historically used either the Hedge or Carlyle translations. Traditionally, the most commonly used translation in Lutheran congregations is a composite translation from the 1868 Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book ( `` A mighty fortress is our God, a trusty shield and weapon '' ). In more recent years a new translation completed for the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship ( `` A mighty fortress is our God, a sword and shield victorious '' ) has also gained significant popularity. Compositions based on the hymn `` A Mighty Fortress '' sung in English `` A Mighty Fortress is Our God '' -- F.H. Hedge ( English ) translation `` Ein feste Burg '' sung in German The German text of `` Ein feste Burg '' sung to the isometric, more widely known arrangement of its traditional melody. Problems playing these files ? See media help. The hymn has been used by numerous composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach as the source for his chorale cantata Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80. Bach set the tune twice in his Choralgesänge ( Choral Hymns ), BWV 302 and BWV 303 ( for four voices ). He used strains of the tune in his Christmas Oratorio. There is a version for organ, Chorale Prelude BWV 720, written by Bach for the organ at Divi Blasii, Muhlhausen. Two orchestrations of Bach 's settings were made by conductors Leopold Stokowski and Walter Damrosch. Dieterich Buxtehude also wrote an organ chorale setting ( BuxWV 184 ), as did Johann Pachelbel. George Frideric Handel used the melody in his Solomon, which is probably wrong attribution. And Georg Philipp Telemann also made a choral arrangement of this hymn. Felix Mendelssohn used it as the theme for the fourth and final movement of his Symphony No. 5, Op. 107 ( 1830 ), which he named Reformation in honor of the Reformation started by Luther. Joachim Raff wrote an Overture ( for orchestra ), Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, Op. 127. Giacomo Meyerbeer quoted it in his five - act grand opera Les Huguenots ( 1836 ), and Richard Wagner used it as a `` motive '' in his `` Kaisermarsch '' ( `` Emperor 's March '' ), which was composed to commemorate the return of Kaiser Wilhelm I from the Franco - Prussian War in 1871. Two organ settings were written by Max Reger ; his chorale fantasia Ein ' feste Burg ist unser Gott, Op. 27, and a much shorter chorale prelude as No. 6 of his 52 Chorale Preludes, Op. 67, in 1902. Claude Debussy quoted the theme in his suite for piano duet, En blanc et noir. Alexander Glazunov quoted the melody in his Finnish Fantasy, Op. 88, along with several Finnish folk tunes. Ralph Vaughan Williams used the tune in his score for the film 49th Parallel, used most obviously when the German U-boat surfaces in Hudson Bay shortly after the beginning of the film. Flor Peeters wrote an organ chorale setting `` Ein feste Burg '' as part of his Ten Chorale Preludes, Op. 69, published in 1949. More recently it has been used by band composers to great effect in pieces such as Psalm 46 by John Zdechlik and The Holy War by Ray Steadman - Allen. The hymn also features in Luther, an opera by Kari Tikka that premiered in 2000. See also List of hymns by Martin Luther References ^ Jump up to : Julian, John, ed., A Dictionary of Hymnology : Setting forth the Origin and History of Christian Hymns of all Ages and Nations, Second revised edition, 2 vols., n.p., 1907, reprint, New York : Dover Publications, Inc., 1957, 1 : 322 -- 25 Jump up ^ W.G. Polack, The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal, Third and Revised Edition ( St. Louis : Concordia Publishing House, 1958 ), 193, No. 262. ^ Jump up to : Marilyn Kay Stulken, Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship ( Philadelphia : Fortress Press, 1981 ), 307 -- 08, nos. 228 -- 229. Jump up ^ Merriman, John ( 2010 ). A History of Modern Europe : From the Renaissance to the Age of Napoleon. 1 ( 3 ed. ). New York : W.W. Norton & Company. p. 101. ISBN 978 - 0 - 393 - 93384 - 0. Jump up ^ Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut Lehmann, eds., Luther 's Works, 55 vols. ( St. Louis : Concordia Publishing House ; Minneapolis : Fortress Press, 1957 -- 1986 ), 53 : 283. Jump up ^ Charles Seymour Robinson ( editor ). Psalms & Hymns, & Spiritual Songs : A Manual of Worship for The Church of Christ. A. S. Barnes, 1876, p. 165 Jump up ^ Cf. The Commission on Worship of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod, Lutheran Worship, ( St. Louis : CPH, 1982 ), 992, 997. Jump up ^ E. Rœhrich, Les Origines du Choral Luthérien. ( Paris : Librairie Fischbacher, 1906 ), 23 ( italics original ) : `` La forme authentique de cette mélodie diffère beaucoup de celle qu'on chante dans la plupart des Églises protestantes et qui figure dans les Huguenots ''... La mélodie originelle est puissamment rythmée, de manière à se plier à toutes les nuances du texte... '' Jump up ^ Psalmer och sånger ( Örebro : Libris ; Stockholm : Verbum, 1987 ), Item 237, which uses Johan Olof Wallin 's 1816 revision of the translation attributed to Petri. The first line is `` Vår Gud är oss en väldig borg. '' Jump up ^ Cantica Nova Jump up ^ `` Lutherchoral ' Ein feste Burg ' -- Religion, Nation, Krieg '' ( in German ). Luther2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Jump up ^ James R. Payton Jr., Getting the Reformation Wrong. Correcting Some Misunderstandings, page 82. Jump up ^ Not in Handels Solomon ( 1749 ) : J.E. Gardiner, in his liner notes to his 1984 recording of the oratorio, stated the usage of the melody in No. 56, the double chorus `` Praise the Lord ''. It is however another melody by Martin Luther : a passage from the Sanctus of the German Mass ( Deutsche Messe ) `` Holy is God, the Lord Zebaoth '' ( `` Heilig ist Gott, der Herre Zabaoth '' ) See also `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013. Jump up ^ Luther : An opera about a man between God and the Devil -- Composed by Kari Tikka Jump up ^ Volker Tarnow. `` Luther lebt : Deutsche Momente '' in Die Welt, 5 October 2004 Bibliography Commission on Worship of the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod. Lutheran Worship. St. Louis : Concordia Publishing House, 1982. ISBN Julian, John, ed. A Dictionary of Hymnology : Setting forth the Origin and History of Christian Hymns of all Ages and Nations. Second revised edition. 2 vols. n.p., 1907. Reprint, New York : Dover Publications, Inc., 1957. Pelikan, Jaroslav and Lehmann, Helmut, eds. Luther 's Works. Vol. 53, Liturgy and Hymns. St. Louis, Concordia Publishing House, 1965. ISBN 0 - 8006 - 0353 - 2. Polack, W.G. The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis : Concordia Publishing House, 1942. Rœhrich, E. Les Origines du Choral Luthérien. Paris : Librairie Fischbacher, 1906. Stulken, Marilyn Kay. Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship. Philadelphia : Fortress Press, 1981. External links German Wikisource has original text related to this article : Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott Wikisource has original text related to this article : F.H. Hedge translation Wikisource has original text related to this article : 1868 Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' ( Martin Luther ) : Scores at the International Music Score Library Project ( IMSLP ) Lyrics, Music, and MIDI file at Cyber Hymnal Version by Thomas Carlyle Psalm 46 in the King James version Psalms 46 -- 50 in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer translation ( Coverdale ) `` Ein feste Burg '' sung by Austria 's Daniela Stieb ( in German ) A Mighty Fortress is Our God public domain audiobook at LibriVox Other versions Catherine Winkworth Contemporary version / adaptation based on Juan Bautista Cabrera 's classic Spanish translation Martin Luther Works ( hymns ) Ninety - five Theses ( 1517 ) Sermon on Indulgences and Grace ( 1518 ) To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation ( 1520 ) On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church ( 1520 ) On the Freedom of a Christian ( 1520 ) Against Henry, King of the English ( 1522 ) Luther Bible ( 1522, 1534 ) The Adoration of the Sacrament ( 1523 ) Formula missae ( 1523 ) Hymns First Lutheran hymnal ( 1524 ) Erfurt Enchiridion ( 1524 ) Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn ( 1524 ) Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants ( 1525 ) On the Bondage of the Will ( 1525 ) The Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ -- Against the Fanatics ( 1526 ) Deutsche Messe ( 1526 ) Confession Concerning Christ 's Supper ( 1528 ) On War Against the Turk ( 1529 ) Small Catechism ( 1529 ) Large Catechism ( 1529 ) `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' ( 1529 ) Smalcald Articles ( 1537 ) On the Councils and the Church ( 1539 ) `` Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam '' ( 1543 ) On the Jews and Their Lies ( 1543 ) Vom Schem Hamphoras ( 1543 ) List of hymns by Martin Luther Luther 's Table Talk ( 1566 ) Weimar edition of Luther 's works Topics and events Reformation Lutheranism Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 Leipzig Debate, 1519 Exsurge Domine, 1520 Diet of Worms, 1521 Decet Romanum Pontificem, 1521 Marburg Colloquy, 1529 Augsburg Confession, 1530 Luther 's canon Theology of Martin Luther Theology of the Cross Universal priesthood Sola scriptura Two kingdoms Law and Gospel Marian theology Eucharist in Lutheranism Sacramental union Words of Institution Antisemitism Propaganda during the Reformation Die Lügend von S. Johanne Chrysostomo ( 1537 edition ) People Hans and Margarethe Luther ( parents ) Katharina von Bora ( wife ) Magdalena Luther ( daughter ) Paul Luther ( son ) Albert of Brandenburg Bartholomaeus Arnoldi Erasmus Georg Rörer Johann Cochlaeus Johann von Staupitz Justus Jonas Karl von Miltitz Andreas Karlstadt Philip Melanchthon Pope Leo X Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the Wise Luther sites All Saints ' Church, Wittenberg Lutherhaus Lutherstädte Martin Luther 's Birth House Martin Luther 's Death House Melanchthonhaus ( Wittenberg ) St. Augustine 's Monastery Veste Coburg ( Fortress ) Wartburg Castle Film and theatre Martin Luther ( 1923 film ) Luther ( 1928 film ) Luther ( 1964 film ) Martin Luther ( 1953 film ) Luther ( 1973 film ) Martin Luther, Heretic ( 1983 film ) Luther ( 2003 film ) Luther ( 1961 play ) Related Martin Luther bibliography Book : Martin Luther Luther rose Theologia Germanica Lutheran hymns `` Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein '' `` Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid '' `` Ach lieben Christen seid getrost '' `` Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr '' `` Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir '' `` Befiehl du deine Wege '' `` Christ lag in Todesbanden '' `` Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam '' `` Christe, du Lamm Gottes '' `` Christum wir sollen loben schon '' `` Die beste Zeit im Jahr ist mein '' `` Die güldne Sonne voll Freud und Wonne '' `` Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot '' `` Du meine Seele singe '' `` Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott '' `` Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld '' `` Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort '' `` Es ist das Heil uns kommen her '' `` Es ist genug '' `` Es spricht der Unweisen Mund wohl '' `` Es woll uns Gott genädig sein '' `` Geh aus, mein Herz, und suche Freud '' `` Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ '' `` God 's Word Is Our Great Heritage '' `` Gott sei gelobet und gebenedeiet '' `` Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn '' `` Herr Gott, dich loben wir '' `` Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend '' `` Herr Jesu Christ, wahr Mensch und Gott '' `` Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr '' `` Herzlich tut mich verlangen '' `` Herzliebster Jesu '' `` Ich hab in Gottes Herz und Sinn '' `` Ich singe dir mit Herz und Mund '' `` Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier '' `` Jerusalem, du hochgebaute Stadt '' `` Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod... '' `` Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns... '' `` Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist '' `` Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott '' `` Macht hoch die Tür '' `` Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht '' `` Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin '' `` Mitten wir im Leben sind '' `` Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist '' `` Nun danket alle Gott '' `` Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein '' `` Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland '' `` Nun lasst uns den Leib begraben '' `` Nun laßt uns Gott dem Herren '' `` Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren '' `` O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden '' `` O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig '' `` O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß '' `` O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben '' `` Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele '' `` Sie ist mir lieb, die werte Magd '' `` Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn '' `` Such, wer da will, ein ander Ziel '' `` Valet will ich dir geben '' `` Vater unser im Himmelreich '' `` Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her '' `` Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme '' `` Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit '' `` Warum betrübst du dich, mein Herz '' `` Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen '' `` Was willst du dich betrüben '' `` Wer nur den lieben Gott läßt walten '' `` Wer weiß, wie nahe mir mein Ende '' `` Werde munter, mein Gemüte '' `` Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern '' `` Wie soll ich dich empfangen '' `` Wir glauben all an einen Gott '' `` Wo Gott der Herr nicht bei uns hält '' Lutheran chorale List of hymns by Martin Luther Passion Hymns Hymn of the day Christian music portal Lutheranism portal GND : 4327122 - 4 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Mighty_Fortress_Is_Our_God&oldid=817571959 '' Categories : 16th century in music German Christian hymns Lutheran hymns Hymn tunes Works by Martin Luther German patriotic songs Hidden categories : CS1 German - language sources ( de ) Use dmy dates from April 2015 Articles with hAudio microformats Interlanguage link template link number All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from June 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017 Works with IMSLP links Articles with International Music Score Library Project links Articles with LibriVox links Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Čeština Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Français Frysk Italiano Magyar 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 29 December 2017, at 06 : 47. 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Question: who composed a mighty fortress is our god
Answer: Martin Luther