Johann Mentzer
1623–1688 · Germany · Reformation
Lutheran pastor at Kemnitz in Upper Lusatia, near Herrnhut, author of 'Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices'.
Life
Johann Mentzer was born in 1658 at Jahmen in Upper Lusatia, attended the gymnasium at Bautzen and studied theology at Wittenberg. He became pastor at Merzdorf in 1691, at Hauswalde in 1693, and in 1696 at Kemnitz near Bernstadt, where he stayed until his death in 1734. Kemnitz lies a few miles from Herrnhut, and Mentzer was close to Count Zinzendorf and his circle. His life was hard: his first wife and six of his thirteen children died, and he lost his house and goods in a fire. Zinzendorf described him as refined in the furnace of affliction.
As a Hymn Writer
Mentzer belonged to a circle of poets shaped by early Pietism. His best-known hymn, 'Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices' ('O dass ich tausend Zungen hätte'), is a sustained song of thanksgiving that summons all creation to praise God for his goodness in creation and redemption, all the more striking given the losses he endured.
In The Lutheran Hymnal and Lutheran Service Book (3)
- Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices
- Oh, That I Had a Thousand Voices
- Lord Jesus, Thou the Church's Head
Sources: German Wikipedia, 'Johann Mentzer'.