How should I receive you
The song How shall I receive you by Paul Gerhardt (1607–1676) first appeared in 1653 in the fifth edition of the hymn book Praxis Pietatis Melica by Johann Crüger , who also created the melody for it.
layout
The song is divided into stanzas 1 to 5, marked by the framing verbs “receive” and “embrace”. As an individual address to the coming Christ, they unfold God's unconditional attention to people, as recognized by the Lutheran doctrine of justification . This is done with reference to the parable of the wise and foolish virgins ( Mt 25 : 1–15 LUT ) (the “torch” in verse 1) and the pericope of the 1st Sunday in Advent , Jesus' entry into Jerusalem ( Mt 21 : 1 -9 LUT ) (verse 2).
Stanzas 6 to 10 address the church as a pastoral encouragement, which is portrayed as being in grief, distress, horror and hostility. This takes place with special reference to the approaching Last Judgment shown in the Revelation of John (stanza 6: the coming one “stands at the door”, Revelation 3:20 LUT ), whereby in stanzas 7 to 10 the term Advent ( Latin : “ Arrival ”, Revelation 22:20 LUT ) is unfolded in four ways: He comes by grace, as Savior, as King and as Judge.
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1. How should I receive you
and how do I meet you,
O desire of all the world,
O ornament of my souls?
O Jesus, Jesus, put
the torch on me yourself,
so that whatever you enjoy may be
known and known to me.
2. Your Zion scatters palm trees
and green branches for you ,
and I will
encourage you in my mind with psalms .
My heart shall
serve you green
in constant praise and praise and
serve your name
as best it can and knows.
3. What did you omit
for my comfort and joy
when body and soul sat
in their greatest suffering?
When the kingdom was taken from me,
when peace and joy laughed,
there you, my salvation, came
and made me happy.
4. I was in heavy bonds,
you come and let me go;
I was in mockery and shame,
you come and make me great
and hold me up in honor
and give me great goods that
cannot be consumed,
as earthly wealth does.
5. Nothing, nothing has driven you
to me from the
heavens but
beloved love,
so that you might embrace the whole world
so tightly
in its thousand plagues
and great burden of woe,
which no mouth can express
.
6.
Write this in your heart, you troubled army,
in which grief and sorrow
accumulate more and more;
do not hesitate, you have
help at the door;
He who gives pleasure
and comfort to your hearts stands here.
7. You must not endeavor
nor worry day and night
as you will draw him
with the might of your poor.
He comes, he comes with will,
is full of love and lust,
to calm all fear and need
that he is aware of in you.
8. You must also not be frightened
of your sins' guilt;
no, Jesus wants to cover them
with his love and grace.
He comes, he comes
to consolation and true salvation for sinners ,
creates that
their inheritance and part remain with God's children .
9. What do you ask after the shouting of
the enemy and their malice?
The Lord will disperse them
in an instant.
He comes, he comes, a king to
whom all enemies
on earth are really far too little
to resist.
10. He comes to judgment of the world:
to the curse of him who curses him,
with grace and sweet light
to him who loves and seeks him.
Oh come, oh come, oh sun,
and bring us all the time
to the eternal light and bliss
in your joy room.
reception
The chorale, which can be found in the Evangelical Hymnal (EG 11), was partly set to music by Dietrich Buxtehude . His first stanza became world-famous as part of the Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach , who composed it to the melody O Head full of blood and wounds for chorale No. 5.
The chorale also found its way into the free church hymn book Fieren & Loben (FL 182), the Mennonite hymn book (MG 236/237) and the old Catholic hymn book Attuned (EGST 307).
Translations
Translated into Danish: “Hvorledes Skal jed møde og favne dig, min skat? Du skønne morgenrøde ... “in the Danish church hymn book Den Danske Salmebog , Copenhagen 1953, no. 73 (after Brorson 1733), taken over in: Den Danske Salmebog , Copenhagen 2002, no. 86 (translated by Hans Adolph Brorson [1694 - 1764; Bishop in Ribe], printed in the hymn book of 1733, taken over in the hymn book Pontoppidan, 1740, only then again in the appendix to the hymn book Roskilde, 1873, and in other hymn books); with melody in: Johannes Møllehave, Danske salmer (Danish hymns ), Copenhagen 2006, No. 86, p. 136 f.
literature
- Paul Gerhardt: poems and writings . Munich 1957, pp. 1–3 ( online at Zeno.org .).
- Johann Friedrich Bachmann: Paulus Gerhardts spiritual songs: historical-critical edition . Oehmigke, Berlin 1866, pp. 95–97 ( digitized in the Google book search).
- Christian Bunners: 11 - How should I receive you . In: Gerhard Hahn , Jürgen Henkys (Hrsg.): Liederkunde zum Evangelisches Gesangbuch . No. 2 . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2001, ISBN 3-525-50321-0 , p. 7–10 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
Web links
- How should I receive you in the song project of SWR2 and Carus-Verlag
- Calendar sheet "How should I receive you?" An Advent song from 1647 . SWR2, December 9, 2012
- How should i receive you in the Christian song database
Individual evidence
- ^ Johann Crüger: Practice Pietatis Melica. That is: Exercising godliness in Christian and comforting chants. Editio V. Runge, Berlin 1653, p. 779 ff. ( Digitized version of the Bavarian State Library).
- ↑ Cf. Otto Holzapfel : Lied index: The older German-language popular song tradition ( online version on the Volksmusikarchiv homepage of the Upper Bavaria district ; in PDF format; ongoing updates) with further information.