Abstract
The process of transmission and translation of texts has similarities with crossing borders into foreign territory, as immigrant or refugee. Not everything can be taken along, and finding acceptance in the new environment is sometimes difficult. Martin Luther’s hymn A mighty fortress has found a place in most denominational hymnals, but there are many disagreements about how it should be sung and what its meaning is. Has it really found a ‘home’ in the new settings, or is it still a foreigner? Does it have a ‘home’ even in its original language in the 21st century? Can this hymn be a unifying factor in the Reformation celebrations in 2017? This article analyses various translations and discusses issues of interpretation of this well-known Reformation hymn.
Highlights
In 2017, churches throughout the world commemorate the Reformation
The movement that began with the posting of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in Wittenberg, Germany, spreads across the Western World and left the world more free-thinking and less dominated by oppressive religious institutions
For Lutherans, it was fairly clear that singing hymns of the Reformation, by Martin Luther, needed to be part of such a commemoration, and A mighty fortress (LBW 228)2 is undoubtedly the most universally known and translated hymn of Luther
Summary
In 2017, churches throughout the world commemorate the Reformation. The movement that began with the posting of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in Wittenberg, Germany, spreads across the Western World and left the world more free-thinking and less dominated by oppressive religious institutions. There are hymns and songs which have completely made their home in the new language, and one forgets that they are translations, such as O Lord my God from Swedish, Silent Night from German or O come all ye faithful from Latin (UMH 77, 239, 234). Do the translations of Ein feste Burg ‘kill’ the original Luther hymn or give it a new lease on life?
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