Scheffler gave the song that revolves around the biblical verse Be faithful to death, so I want to give you the crown of life ( Rev. 2,10 EU ) with the programmatic title: “She cheers you up to fight”. He calls for an apocalyptic struggle for the crown of life (Str. 1), heaven (Str. 6), and victory (Str. 12). Verse 2 unfolds the triple power of devil , world and flesh , which oppresses the Christian warrior , and after the memory of the creed in the image of the oath of the flag (St. 3.) and the warning of the sin of apostasy in the image of desertion and indolence (St. 4) in verse 5 the plan for overcoming it.
This victorious overcoming is now unfolded stanza by stanza on the basis of the seven letters of the Revelation of John. Verse 12 closes - unlike so many chorales - not with praise, but rather with an abuse reminiscent of a curse .
The song of Scheffler, who has converted to Catholicism (together with his songs I want to love you, my strength , love that you have made me in the image of your deity and after Me, speaks Christ, our hero ) temporarily found a wider reception in Protestant songs . The Evangelical Church Hymn book from 1950 contains a five-stanza version (stanzas 1–3, 10 and 12 of the original, No. 253). It was not included in the 1993 Evangelical Hymnal .
1. On, Christian man, on, on to the conflict,
on, on to overcome!
In this world, in this time
, there is no rest to be found.
Those who do not want to argue do not wear the crown
of eternal life away.
2. The devil comes with his cunning,
the world with its splendor,
the flesh with lust
to cut down and catch you wherever you are ;
if you don't quarrel like a brave hero,
you will be blown away .
3. Remember that
you swore by the flag of your general;
remember that you
are chosen as a man to fight;
remember that without strife and victory
no one never rose to triumph.
4. How shameful it is when a soldier
turns his back on the enemy!
How disgraceful when he
leaves his place and does not defend himself!
How mocking when he unafraid of indolence becomes a prey to
the enemy!
5. Tie up, the devil will soon be gone,
the world is easily chased away,
the meat must finally get out of
your mind, how much it plagues you.
O eternal shame when a hero
falls before these three boys.
6. Who overcomes, he will
eat from the tree of eternal life,
with his head he will
measure the space of the heavenly
crown ,
who overcomes, no suffering or death shall touch him in eternity.
[1. Writing] Write to the angel of the church in "Ephesus" ...
7 I will give to him who overcomes, to eat from the tree of life , which is in God's paradise.
[2. Writing] And write to the angel of the church in "Smyrna" ...
10 Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
7.
The Lord
will send hidden manna to those who conquer and complete their course
with honor ,
to give them a white stone
and a new name.
[3. Writing] And write to the angel of the church in "Pergamon" ...
17
I will give
to him who overcomes
the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone;
and a new name is written on the stone ...
8. Who overcomes gets power,
to rule like Christ,
gets power to soon
lead the nations in a cord,
who overcomes, gets
the morning star from the Lord to the field banner.
[4. Writing] And write to the angel of the church in “Thyatira” ...
26 And whoever overcomes
and keeps my works to the end,
I will give him power over the Gentiles,
28 as I also received power from my Father;
and I will give him the morning star .
9. He who overcomes should go there
in white clothes,
his good name should immediately appear
in the book of life;
yes, Christ will even
confess it before the angels crowd.
[5. Writing] And write to the angel of the church in "Sardis" ...
5 He who overcomes shall be
dressed in white clothes,
and I will not erase his name
from the book of life,
and I will
confess his name before my father and his Angels.
10. He who overcomes should not go
out of God's temple forever ,
should
stand inside like an English light and a golden pillar,
the name of God and the Lord
should shine from him far and away.
[6. Writing] And write to the angel of the church in “Philadelphia” ...
12 I will make whoever overcomes him a pillar
in the temple of my God, and he shall no longer go out,
and I will write the name of my God on him.
and I'll write my new name on it too.
11. He who overcomes should
sit on the throne with Christ Jesus,
should shine like a Son of God in
the high heaven,
should rule and rule forever
and always adorn heaven.
[7. Writing] And write to the angel of the church in “Laodicea” ...
21 I will give whoever overcomes
to sit with me on my throne ,
just as I have overcome
and sat
on his throne with my father.
12. So fight then, soul, fight boldly and boldly,
that you may overcome;
make every effort to make every sense
that you may find this good.
Anyone who does not want to argue about the crown
remains forever in ridicule and scorn.
literature
Johannes Kulp: The songs of our church. A handout for the Protestant church hymn book. In: Arno Büchner, Siegfried Fornaçon (Hrsg.): Handbuch zum Evangelischen Kirchengesangbuch. Special tape; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1958; Pp. 397-402.
