Lyrics: Ignacz Franz. Translated from German to English by Clarence A. Walworth, 1858. Verse 7 by Hugh T. Henry.
Music: GROSSER GOTT.
Theme:
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
that we may glory in your praise.”
I Chronicles 16:35
Holy God, we praise thy name;
Lord of all, we bow before thee;
all on earth thy scepter claim;
all in heaven above adore thee.
Infinite thy vast domain;
everlasting is thy reign.
Hark the glad celestial hymn
angel choirs above are raising;
cherubim and seraphim,
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heavens with sweet accord:
Holy, holy, holy Lord.
Lo! the apostolic train
joins thy sacred name to hallow;
prophets swell the glad refrain,
and the white-robed martyrs follow.
And from morn to set of sun,
through the church the song goes on.
Holy Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit: three we name thee,
though in essence only one;
undivided God we claim thee,
and adoring bend the knee
while we own the mystery.
Thou art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
For us sinners sacrificed,
And to death a tributary:
First to break the bars of death,
Thou has opened Heaven to faith.
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.
Therefore do we pray Thee, Lord:
Help Thy servants whom, redeeming
By Thy precious blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan’s scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
In the glory of the blest.
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.
I’ve never heard this hymn, know nothing about it. I’m thinking it’s a Roman Catholic hymn, but I don’t know that its use is limited to that church. Ah, yes, here it says, “It is usually sung during the Benediction ceremony of the Catholic Church, when the Eucharist is placed back in the tabernacle after Eucharistic Adoration.You can listen to a beautiful instrumental (with dulcimer) version of the melody here.
In the 1937 movie Heidi with Shirley Temple, Heidi and her grandfather sing this hymnwith the congregation when Grandfather returns to church and to society as a result of the influence of his adorable granddaughter.
I rather like the hymn itself, and I don’t see anything that would disturb a good Protestant in the lyrics.
Isn’t this also called Te Deum, or something like that? I think Anglicans and Lutherans also sing it.
I agree with you that there’s nothing in the words that a Protestant couldn’t agree with, although we’d probably mean something different by some of the words. I suppose that it has been identified with a specific Roman Catholic ceremony is the reason that some protestants don’t sing it.
Yes, I remember singing this hymn during my childhood growing up in the Roman Catholic Church. I believe that the Benection of the Eucharist occurs both within the celebration of the Roman Catholic mass and as a separate ceremony.
I’ve never sung it during my adult years as a Protestant believer but I’ve never attended an Anglican church at all and only one Lutheran church on rare occasions.
Yes, it’s a translation of the (very) ancient hymn Te Deum. It isn’t sung only during Benediction, but also on Sundays and major Feast Days during the Office of Readings of the Liturgy of the Hours. (This office was once called Vigils.)
The tune is a bit more recent though; and while it is a beautiful tune, I prefer any of the ancient chants myself.
Yes, this hymn has a Roman Catholic connection. But anyone who has studied hymns at all will realize that our hymns come from a wide spectrum of sources, representing diverse theological positions. And that may influence the content in negative ways, but it may not.
It is wise not to reject a hymn simply because we disagree with something the author believed or taught. What does the hymn itself say? Is it biblical? (And this one is.) And I say that as a thorough-going Protestant. Great hymn. I have no problem using it.
You’ve never sung in in “your adult years as a protestant”.. Shouldn’t that alone tell you something? Come back home!
This Hymn is sung, following the Mass Procession, at the conclusion of Mass services on Palm Sunday during Roman Catholic services. It is a very emotional tune both praising Jesus for this sacrifice and his victory over all evil. There isn’t a dry eye in the congregation when this Hymn is sung. It sets the tone for the start of Holy Week prior to Easter.