Jesus should be the watchword

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Jesus is to be the watchword is a New Year's song that Benjamin Schmolck (1672–1737) published in 1725 under the title JEsus Nahme zum neue Jahr .

content

The song addresses the liturgical date of the circumcision of Jesus with the event of his naming . It was created as an occasional song of blessing and homage to all classes. After omitting the stanzas [5–8], only the reference to "all peoples, our country and our place" has survived in the current version.

His militant style reflects the confessional conflicts of the 17th century in spiritualizing metaphors. The slogan - the term forms the frame of the song - is understood as the acoustic sign of the military slogan , the " field shout ", with which the soldier demonstrated his affiliation to the respective troop. Here the name of Jesus appears as the slogan that runs like a red thread from verse to verse through the entire song. This corresponds, clearly in the original version, with the visually perceptible standard , the war flag (Str. 1, line 4).

The construction of Protestant church buildings in Silesia was subject to drastic restrictions after the Thirty Years' War, the few approved so-called peace churches (including those in Schmolck's hometown Schweidnitz ) were more likely to be understood as spiritual refuges, as stanza 2 suggests. They were sometimes difficult to reach (as "pilgrims") by the scattered orthodox, for whom the star of Bethlehem served as a "guiding star" (Str. 3) here and beyond .

Verse 4 takes up the hymn Jesu dulcis memoria by Bernard von Clairvaux , which transfigured the believers' experiences of suffering into sweetness , as Johann Franck already put it in Jesu, mein Freude (1655) (" Those who love God must also be filled with sugar his ").

After four stanzas in detail put the emperor, governor, the greats and the magistrate under the name of Jesus, in the final stanza 5th [9th] "Peoples, country and place" close the circle.

melody

The song is sung to the melody My Jesus I won't let by Johann Ulich (1634–1712).

text

1. Jesus is to be the watchword,
since a new year has appeared,
Jesus name is only
to serve as a sign today for those
who are in his covenant
and walk on his ways.

2. Jesus 'name, Jesus' word
shall resound with us in Zion;
and as often as we come to the place that is
named after Him, let the
glory of His name make
our hearts a sanctuary.

3. We want to go our way
now in Jesus name.
If this guiding star goes for us,
then everything will well exist
and through its grace
everything will be full of blessings.

4.
The name should sweeten all worries, all sorrows ;
so all bitterness
will have to become joy for us.
The name of Jesus is the sun and shield that
stills all sorrow.

[5.] Our
king 's majesty is crowned by Jesus' dear name,
that no throne stands on happiness
and that the great Charles seed
still flourishes through his dew
over all time.

[6.] Jesus took Jesus
strengthens our governor's strength so
that the same juice of life
never notice a loss,
yes, this lot makes
his sex one more so great.

[7.] Jesus' name is the light
in the houses of all great people, so
that their feet do not
hit the stones of misfortune,
but
stand in the most beautiful pile when they are very happy.

[8.] Jesus took, counsel and deed to
the noble magistrate
that one always has to praise
how his counsel turned out and that
her office with such a burden
always gains new strength.

5. [9.] Jesus, the salvation of all peoples,
our land a sign of grace,
our place the best part, to
which no gem can be compared,
Jesus, our protection and refuge,
be the watchword go on and on.

The song can be found in the Evangelical Hymnal (EG 62).

literature

  • Johannes Kulp (edited by Arno Büchner and Siegfried Fornaçon): The songs of our church. A handout for the Protestant church hymn book ; Handbook for the Evangelical Church Hymnal. Special tape; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1958; P. 78 ff.
  • Matthias Werner: 62 - Jesus should be the watchword . In: Gerhard Hahn , Jürgen Henkys (Hrsg.): Liederkunde zum Evangelisches Gesangbuch . No. 2 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, ISBN 3-525-50321-0 , p. 44–47 ( limited preview in Google Book Search).

Remarks

  1. ↑ Orig .: for breading
  2. ↑ Orig .: "Sugar"
  3. ↑ Orig .: "Jesus our protection and consolation / so it is well solved."