Sunday, March 16, 2025

"Wir gläuben all an einen Gott, Vater" (#184)

German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Wir gläuben all an einen Gott,
Vater, Sohn, Heiliger Geist,
der uns hilft in aller Noth,
den die Schar der Engel preist,
der durch seien große Kraft
alles wirket, thut und schafft.

2 Wir gläuben auch an Jesum Christ,
Gottes und Marien Sohn,
der vom Himmel kommen ist
und uns führt ins Himmels Thron
und uns durch sein Blut und Tod
hat erlöst aus aller Noth.

3 Wir gläuben auch an Heilgen Geist,
der von beiden gehet aus,
der uns Trost und Beistand leist
wider alle Furcht und Graus.
Heilige Dreifaltigkeit,
sei gepreist zu aller Zeit!

M. Tobias Claußnitzer, +1684.
My prose translation:
1 We all believe in one God,
Father, Son, Holy Ghost,
Who helps us in all distress,
Whom the company of angels praises,
Who by His great strength
Works, does, and creates everything.

2 We also believe in Jesus Christ,
Son of God and of Mary,
Who is come from heaven
And leads us to the throne of Heaven
And by His blood and death
Has redeemed us out of all distress.

3 We also believe in the Holy Ghost,
Who proceeds from Both,
Who gives us comfort and help
Against all fear and dread.
Holy Trinity,
Be praised for all time!

M. Tobias Claußnitzer, +1684.
This hymn appears as "We All Believe in One True God" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#252) and The Lutheran Service Book (#953) and as "We All Believe in One True God, Father" in Lutheran Worship (#212).  In all of these, and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own tune."  Here's the TLH arrangement (transposed from Eb major to F major):


And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch: