Praise the Savior Now and Ever
Praise the Savior now and ever
The hymn exemplifies Lutheran emphasis on Christ's finished work and eternal reign, declaring His deity and redemptive accomplishment. It connects personal salvation to cosmic redemption, reflecting the Lutheran understanding of Christ as the center of all creation and history.
History & Background
Written by Scottish hymnodist William Mercer and published in his collection Church of Scotland Hymnal in 1864. The text has been widely adopted in Lutheran hymnals as a strong Christological affirmation suitable for Easter and general praise.
Traditionally dated the year 569, the original Latin text “Pange, Scripture References lingua, gloriosi proelium, ” was written by Venantius H. st. 2 = Rom. 5:1-11 Fortunatus for the Holy Week offices of the medieval church. st. 3 = Gen. 3:15 Venantius Honorius Clematianus Fortunatus (b. Cenada, near Treviso, Italy, c. 530; d. Poitiers, France, 609) was educated at Ravenna and Milan and was converted to the Christian faith at an early age. Legend has it that while a student at Ravenna he contracted a disease of the eye and became nearly blind. But he was miraculously healed after anointing his eyes with oil from a lamp burning before the altar of St. Martin of Tours. In gratitude Fortunatus made a pilgrimage to that saint’s shrine in Tours and spent the rest of his life in Gaul (France), at first traveling and composing love songs. He developed a platonic affection for Queen Rhadegonda, joined her Abbey of St. Croix in Poitiers, and became its bishop in 599. His Hymnsfor all the Festivals of the Christian Year is lost, but some of his best hymns on his favorite topic, the cross ofJesus, are still respected today, in part because of their erotic mysticism. One English translation byJohn M. Neale appears in many modem hymnals as “Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle.” But the version here comes through a Swedish translation (“Upp, min tunga, att lovsjunga”) published in Andeliga Psalmer 559 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS och Wijsor (1614) .Johan O. Wallin revised the Swedish text, changing the Passiontide focus to an Easter focus. Wallin’s version, published in the Svenska Psalmboken (1816), was translated into English by Augustus Nelson (b. Asarum, Bleking, Sweden, 1863; d. Mankato, MN, 1949); it is one of seven Swedish hymns he prepared for the Hymnal (1925) of the Augustana Lutheran Synod. A revised version appeared in the 1958 Service Book and Hymnal. Nelson graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, and did graduate work in philosophy and history at Yale University and at Augustana Theological Seminary, Rock Island, Illinois. During his ministry he served parishes in Michigan, Illinois, Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The text sets forth the gospel of Easter: Christ who died has risen in victory (st. 1), has set us free from sin (st. 2), and has conquered death and hell itself (st. 3); to that confession we respond with our praise—a doxology to the Trinity (st. 4).
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 847
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 155
- Lutheran Worship — 445
- Psalter Hymnal — 400
Liturgical Use
Easter; many other times.
Bulletin Note
Composed by William Mercer in 1864, this hymn centers Lutheran Christology on Christ's finished redemptive work and eternal dominion, sung to the German tune Gott sei Dank (God be praised).
Preaching Connection
This hymn crystallizes the Gospel proclamation of Christ's cosmic redemption and present intercession, providing a congregational affirmation of the very justification by faith that Luther recovered and every sermon announces.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Third Article (Concerning Sanctification) Small Catechism — The Apostles' Creed
Themes
Resurrection of Christ Praise and thanksgiving Christ's exaltation Christological affirmation