"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" -- A Hymn Love Story
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For lovers of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"
This is the Web page for you! Here we have the back stories (the Scripture, the setting), the side stories, YouTube videos, recordings, and associated ramblings about "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," complete with lyrics (in English and German, auf Englisch und auf Deutsch) and links to sheet music and guitar chords -- all FREE.
For those of you interested in learning more about the life of Martin Luther, we can direct you to Amazon's best listings.
My name is Deeann D. Mathews, and this is one of a large set of pages I'm doing about my favorite hymns (some of which you know, and others of which you don't -- but you will!). In one of my many other lives, I am the Creative Director of Praising Pilgrims Music, a little music publishing company that has brought the world The Free HIMbook, a directory of links to free sheet music (chords now being added) for more than 400 hymns. Here's the secret: I am a hymn NUT, and I'd like you to share my passion with me. So, here is my little offering, a little sacrifice of fellowship and doing good toward God and toward you all around the powerful hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Enjoy!
(the first image -- that "heavenly heart" -- was created by Paul B. Roman, and can be freely and legally accessed at commons.wikimedia.org -- search for Plismo!)
For those of you interested in learning more about the life of Martin Luther, we can direct you to Amazon's best listings.
Ehrenbreitstein Koblenz (German Fortress) from Dnote and Wikimedia Commons
My name is Deeann D. Mathews, and this is one of a large set of pages I'm doing about my favorite hymns (some of which you know, and others of which you don't -- but you will!). In one of my many other lives, I am the Creative Director of Praising Pilgrims Music, a little music publishing company that has brought the world The Free HIMbook, a directory of links to free sheet music (chords now being added) for more than 400 hymns. Here's the secret: I am a hymn NUT, and I'd like you to share my passion with me. So, here is my little offering, a little sacrifice of fellowship and doing good toward God and toward you all around the powerful hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." Enjoy!
(the first image -- that "heavenly heart" -- was created by Paul B. Roman, and can be freely and legally accessed at commons.wikimedia.org -- search for Plismo!)
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," YouTube
High school style!
Turn it on and listen while you read -- and check out those high notes at the end!
curated content from YouTube
"A Mighty Fortress," YouTube Too
A majestic organ version!
The organ reigned supreme in Luther's day . . . thus this is very fitting.
curated content from YouTube
Back Story and Ramblings
Excerpted from "The Singing Devotional," Vol. 1
All of us have been through those times when some protective shelter like this looks mighty good . .
. . . but what do you do when all the places like that are owned by people who would as soon wipe you out as look at you?
This was the problem facing a German monk by the name of Martin Luther in 1517 as he walked with his ninety-five theses up to the door of that Roman Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Today it is hard for us to understand what he was risking as he posted his arguments and demands for reformation of the church. Modern Christians in the Western world have a large choice of denominations to choose from if one denomination has become hateful -- and, when people change denominations, nobody in the government comes looking for them to punish them.
But in Luther's day, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful temporal force on earth; the pope gave orders to kings and armies and they moved -- and opposing the church usually meant the charge of heresy attached and horrible death imposed. To change churches was next to impossible; of course the Eastern Orthodox churches were over the eastern horizons, and further still over the horizons were the Coptic churches of Africa, and long-standing Christian faith in the Far East. But for Luther, those were not viable options. He wanted change in his church, in his country, NOW. The basis of the argument: was salvation gained by faith in Christ and what He achieved in His death, burial, and resurrection, or did good works and penances needed to be added (and, could "indulgences" be purchased to make up for absence of penance and good works)?
Luther pitted himself against the combined might of the church and state on the belief, drawn from a intense study of Scripture, that faith in Christ alone was sufficient for salvation, and that much of the ceremony and ritual that had been built up over a millennia in the Roman Catholic Church was inessential to the faith. Bear in mind also; Luther was a Catholic priest himself -- he was to be considered a traitor to his own church, a heretic, an outlaw, and a man marked for death. And of course, all the places like this --
-- were controlled by those who would become his deadliest enemies.
Of course we know how the story turns out; Luther sparked the Reformation, and lived to tell about it. But, there was a point in the terrible struggle that he underwent in which he despaired. Woodrow Kroll of Back to the Bible Radio told the story on March 31, 2010 of how Luther sank into a deep depression, and how his wife Katherine got him out of it. One day, Luther came home to find his wife dressed in black funeral clothes. When he asked who had died, she answered him, "The way you've been acting lately, God Himself must be dead!" That snapped Luther out of his depression, and perhaps was the spark that got his pen in gear. In 1529, Luther penned both words and music to "Ein' Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott," which of course we know as "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God":
Verse 1:
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.
Luther had made an intense study of the Bible; perhaps he was thinking of Psalm 18:1-3:
1. I will love Thee, O LORD, my strength.
2. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3. I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
Now Luther had no illusions; despite the way his former denomination had treated him, he also knew that his major enemy was not the people:
I Peter 5:8 -- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
But Luther was also confident . . .
I Corinithians 15:57 -- But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory thorugh our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 2
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.
So although Luther couldn't quite buy himself one of these . . .
. . . he trusted in his Saviour, and left us "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" to remind us that
Psalm 46:1 -- "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Ehrenbreitstein Felsentor (German Fortress) from Doris Antony
and Wikimedia Commons
. . . but what do you do when all the places like that are owned by people who would as soon wipe you out as look at you?
This was the problem facing a German monk by the name of Martin Luther in 1517 as he walked with his ninety-five theses up to the door of that Roman Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Today it is hard for us to understand what he was risking as he posted his arguments and demands for reformation of the church. Modern Christians in the Western world have a large choice of denominations to choose from if one denomination has become hateful -- and, when people change denominations, nobody in the government comes looking for them to punish them.
But in Luther's day, the Roman Catholic Church was the most powerful temporal force on earth; the pope gave orders to kings and armies and they moved -- and opposing the church usually meant the charge of heresy attached and horrible death imposed. To change churches was next to impossible; of course the Eastern Orthodox churches were over the eastern horizons, and further still over the horizons were the Coptic churches of Africa, and long-standing Christian faith in the Far East. But for Luther, those were not viable options. He wanted change in his church, in his country, NOW. The basis of the argument: was salvation gained by faith in Christ and what He achieved in His death, burial, and resurrection, or did good works and penances needed to be added (and, could "indulgences" be purchased to make up for absence of penance and good works)?
Luther pitted himself against the combined might of the church and state on the belief, drawn from a intense study of Scripture, that faith in Christ alone was sufficient for salvation, and that much of the ceremony and ritual that had been built up over a millennia in the Roman Catholic Church was inessential to the faith. Bear in mind also; Luther was a Catholic priest himself -- he was to be considered a traitor to his own church, a heretic, an outlaw, and a man marked for death. And of course, all the places like this --
Festung Koenigstein (German Fortress) from Norbert Kaiser
and Wikimedia Commons
_2006-03-25.jpg)
-- were controlled by those who would become his deadliest enemies.
Of course we know how the story turns out; Luther sparked the Reformation, and lived to tell about it. But, there was a point in the terrible struggle that he underwent in which he despaired. Woodrow Kroll of Back to the Bible Radio told the story on March 31, 2010 of how Luther sank into a deep depression, and how his wife Katherine got him out of it. One day, Luther came home to find his wife dressed in black funeral clothes. When he asked who had died, she answered him, "The way you've been acting lately, God Himself must be dead!" That snapped Luther out of his depression, and perhaps was the spark that got his pen in gear. In 1529, Luther penned both words and music to "Ein' Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott," which of course we know as "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God":
Verse 1:
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.
Luther had made an intense study of the Bible; perhaps he was thinking of Psalm 18:1-3:
1. I will love Thee, O LORD, my strength.
2. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3. I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
Now Luther had no illusions; despite the way his former denomination had treated him, he also knew that his major enemy was not the people:
I Peter 5:8 -- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
But Luther was also confident . . .
I Corinithians 15:57 -- But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory thorugh our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 2
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.
So although Luther couldn't quite buy himself one of these . . .
Schoessertum Stolpen (German Fortress) from Thomas Henkel (Hen.th)
and Wikimedia Commons
. . . he trusted in his Saviour, and left us "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" to remind us that
Psalm 46:1 -- "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."
Martin Luther -- what's the big deal?
So who was the fellow that started all the fuss, anyway?
So, why do you love this hymn?
Share your thoughts here!
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A Carillonist now reluctant to play, nay, pour from a university towers the ongoing hatred of wars of religion
May 21, 2012 @ 11:40 am | delete
- I don't, now that I understand the terrible price paid, then as now, even in the murder of Native Americans by Puritan fanatics upon our own soil, beginning in Mystic Connecticut. Alas, a beautiful melody lures us until we know by what means gave it rise...
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businessblossom
May 21, 2012 @ 9:04 pm | delete
- I understand your discomfort with the fulness of the Puritan heritage... but remember, this hymn predates the Puritans by about a century, when Protestants were being wiped out by Catholics for daring to believe differently. And Martin Luther was composing even before that; Native Americans, I'm sure, were not even the last thing on his mind. And even to be fair to the Puritans... European conquerors have been wiping out people for a long time, and Christianity is but one justification of many. It is the shame of the Puritans that their practice of Christianity was not strong enough to cause them to stand up and break the trend... but that is not the fault of Christianity. The philosophy to deplore there is white supremacy... and on the rare occasions that people of European descent HAVE historically stood up and made a break from that philosophy, strong Christian faith is usually a reason.
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Related Story: Hymn in Heavy Action
The Reformation was like some wars . . .
. . . commonly thought to be shorter than they really were.
Martin Luther died in 1546, but the battle went went on without him. The Reformation sparked the Counter-Reformation and Inquisition, wars that raged from country to country for more than a century, and religious upheaval that spread around the world -- and thus provided one of the sparks that produced the United States of America. It was a bloody business, country by country, town by town, and sometimes household by household . . . and in this long conflict, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" became a battle hymn for many seeking and suffering and sometimes dying for religious freedom.
Over at the Cyber Hymnal, the story is told that in Moravia, a revival broke out in 1721, a revival to which the Catholic Church was very much opposed. The combined forces of church and state did everything they could to stop the meetings; when officially prohibiting the meetings failed, violent force was applied -- Christians meeting from house to house (a la the Book of Acts) were hauled off to be imprisoned and tortured (also a la the Book of Acts). But one day the police came into a house with 150 Moravians in it. The Moravians greeted their persecutors with a song that drove their persecutors to rage!
"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."
That, of course, is part of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," the beginning of the third verse of Luther's hymn. The police went to work with a vengeance after that . . . twenty families were plunged into poverty as their breadwinners were hauled off to prison and relentlessly tortured. But still, the movement among the Moravians, and many other Protestant groups, went on.
Today, Christians both Protestant and Catholic contending for the faith in a variety of circumstances (most, but not all, less difficult than those Protestants of Luther's time and immediately following) still prize "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God": it is an excellent hymn for the times of "heavy action" we must face in our struggles with the world, the flesh, and the devil. In any case, victory comes the same way . . . and through the same Person:
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.
Goya's "Scene from an Inquisition" courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Martin Luther died in 1546, but the battle went went on without him. The Reformation sparked the Counter-Reformation and Inquisition, wars that raged from country to country for more than a century, and religious upheaval that spread around the world -- and thus provided one of the sparks that produced the United States of America. It was a bloody business, country by country, town by town, and sometimes household by household . . . and in this long conflict, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" became a battle hymn for many seeking and suffering and sometimes dying for religious freedom.
Over at the Cyber Hymnal, the story is told that in Moravia, a revival broke out in 1721, a revival to which the Catholic Church was very much opposed. The combined forces of church and state did everything they could to stop the meetings; when officially prohibiting the meetings failed, violent force was applied -- Christians meeting from house to house (a la the Book of Acts) were hauled off to be imprisoned and tortured (also a la the Book of Acts). But one day the police came into a house with 150 Moravians in it. The Moravians greeted their persecutors with a song that drove their persecutors to rage!
"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."
That, of course, is part of "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," the beginning of the third verse of Luther's hymn. The police went to work with a vengeance after that . . . twenty families were plunged into poverty as their breadwinners were hauled off to prison and relentlessly tortured. But still, the movement among the Moravians, and many other Protestant groups, went on.
Today, Christians both Protestant and Catholic contending for the faith in a variety of circumstances (most, but not all, less difficult than those Protestants of Luther's time and immediately following) still prize "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God": it is an excellent hymn for the times of "heavy action" we must face in our struggles with the world, the flesh, and the devil. In any case, victory comes the same way . . . and through the same Person:
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.
Victory V, from Sean Whitton and Wikimedia Commons
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," Recording
Enjoy the mighty sound of a mighty hymn!
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" in ENGLISH
The most popular translation right here!
Words & Music: Martin Luther, 1529, translated from German to English 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.
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.
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" in GERMAN
Auf Deutsch: "Ein' Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott" (the original)
Text & Musik: Martin Luther, 1529
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' Ruestung ist,
Auf Erd' ist nicht seingleichen.
Mit unsrer Macht is nichts getan,
Wir sind gar bald verloren;
Es steit't für uns der rechte Mann,
Den Gott hat selbst erkoren.
Fragst du, wer der ist?
Er heisst Jesu 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't,
Ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen.
Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn
Und kein'n 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'n Gewinn,
Das Reich muss uns doch bleiben.
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' Ruestung ist,
Auf Erd' ist nicht seingleichen.
Mit unsrer Macht is nichts getan,
Wir sind gar bald verloren;
Es steit't für uns der rechte Mann,
Den Gott hat selbst erkoren.
Fragst du, wer der ist?
Er heisst Jesu 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't,
Ein Wörtlein kann ihn fällen.
Das Wort sie sollen lassen stahn
Und kein'n 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'n Gewinn,
Das Reich muss uns doch bleiben.
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," sheet music
- The Free HIMbook, A section
- Scroll down until you find it -- and check out "A Safe Stronghold Is Our God Still," which is a slightly later take (different translation) of Luther's hymn!
"A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," CHORDS
For you guitarists out there . . .
- "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," CHORDS
- From the Praising Pilgrims Music Chordbook -- enjoy!
Talk to me, people!
Drop your comments here!
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faithfuljim Jan 20, 2011 @ 6:27 pm | delete
- another great job. liked, lensrolled and featured on Great Hynms Of The Faith
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PastorKay
Oct 13, 2010 @ 5:57 pm | delete
- I love Glad's version of this song.
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businessblossom
Oct 13, 2010 @ 11:02 pm | delete
- Thank you, Pastor Kay -- didn't know Glad had done a version. Good info.
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by businessblossom
Well, hello, my fellow lensmasters and good readers! My name is Deeann D. Mathews, and I'm the Creative Director of Praising Pilgrims Music, a small m... more »
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