Today is Reformation Sunday! Thank You Dr. Martin Luther! Michael Streich

 

 

The use of congregational singing is an often overlooked aspect of the Reformation period during the 16^th Century. Roland Bainton, is his classic biography of Martin Luther, [1] writes of “singing practices” for entire congregations as well as in Lutheran homes. Singing united people in a common cause and the lyrics served to educate. Bainton quotes a Jesuit who stated that, “the hymns of Luther killed more souls than his sermons.” The greatest of these hymns, the “battle cry” of the Reformation, is A Mighty Fortress is our God.

 

Symbols and Messages

 

Luther wrote the words to the hymn after a reflection on Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength.” Twice in the brief Psalm God is compared to a “stronghold.” God fights His people’s battles and, although the “nations made an uproar,” “He raised His voice, the earth melted.” Luther’s hymn, tailored to 16^th century realities, incorporates these symbols into the verses. Bainton refers to Luther’s lyrics as, “richly quarried, rugged words set to majestic tones [that] marshal the embattled host of heaven.” [2]

 

The English translation begins, “A Mighty Fortress is our God, A Bulwark never failing…” Luther’s beginning, however, is far more to the point and allows the singing peasants to identify symbols from their own 16^th Century experiences: Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott, Ein gute Wehr und Waffen…” Luther begins by comparing God to a fortress, but more specifically a stronghold, a “feste Burg.”

 

The term feste implies an impregnable citadel or stronghold. It brings to mind some of the inaccessible fortresses in the German hills that are often referred to as a festung. In this fashion, Luther emphasizes the absolute power of God over the invading forces, “And He must win the battle.” (End of second verse). The German here reads, “Das Feld muss er behalten.” This is a military phrase – not giving up the “battle field” to the enemy.

 

The use of the Burg is very obvious. A Burg was a fortified town. When invaders approached, the surrounding populace fled to the safety of the walls. In some cases, walled towns had various layers of walls. Residents of the Burg were called burghers. Significantly, they were free citizens of the town. Luther’s analogy is highly appropriate and Protestants, very familiar with medieval and post medieval wars, could easy understand that their God was like the most powerful of all Burgs: nothing could breach the walls.

 

Line two of the first verse is translated as, “a bulwark never failing.” Here again, Luther’s words are far more descriptive. Wehr refers to a barrage or an armed barrier. Another extended meaning in German refers to defending oneself tooth and nail. Waffen relates to weapons or arms. In essence, the Burg is a barrage and a weapon against the invader.

 

Who was the Invader?

 

Throughout the hymn, Luther identifies the invader. It is “the old foe,” the  “prince of darkness” (verse 3) at the head of a legion of devils. His forces are destroyed, however by one “little word,” in the German, “Ein Woertlein.” In contrast to elaborate ritual, the word is simple and is carried to the next verse of the song. The word is God’s truth, simple yet compelling.

 

Luther draws, perhaps, from Job in the last stanza: goods and kindred may go, even life itself, but God’s truth will remain. Luther’s German is more precise, identifying “Kind und Weib” (child and wife). While the English translates “Gut” as “goods,” the term refers more precisely to a manor or estate. Hence, the parallel with Job, who, after losing everything, blessed the name of the Lord.

 

Luther’s hymn was sung boldly as an affirmation of God’s power over forces that sought to disrupt the truth of God. Significantly, Luther wrote the hymn 1527-1529, a time of severe depression for the Reformer. It remains as one of Protestantism’s greatest anthems.

 

[1] and [2] Ronald Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther, published originally in 1950.