Nun freut euch lieben Christen gmein. Den danska receptionen av Luthers psalm

Abstract

"Nun freut euch lieben Christen gmein." The Danish Reception of Luther's Hymn

This article shows that when reformer Martin Luther wrote hymns, the reason was not only that there was a need for evangelical church music to replace the Catholic worship service’s liturgical hymns, antiphons and responsories, but also that the fundamental theology of the Reformation needed to be clearly expressed in the hymns of the worship service.

Luther’s hymns express the Scriptures musically and poetically in the vernacular, making it possible for illiterate people to gain an understanding of the Bible’s contents. The hymns also communicate Biblical interpretations melodically for use in services of worship as well as in the home. The hymns are therefore a valuable tool which enables congregations to preach the Gospel in accord with the Lutheran vision of the layman’s calling.

In addition, Luther’s hymns provide the fundamental principles of the Reformation in a condensed form – justification by faith, God’s presence, and Christology – thus filling a major educational function.

During the reception of Luther’s hymns in Danish their theological content has gradually been modified. As the number of hymns written by Luther is reduced for every new edition of the Danish Hymnal which is published, their dynamic theology becomes more an historical marker. Today – to a great extent – Luther’s hymns represent a kind of »Reformation musem», albeit a necessary one.