Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above

"Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above" is a Lutheran Christian hymn based on The Lord's Prayer originally written in German in 1539 by Martin Luther and translated in 1863 into English by Catherine Winkworth.[1]

Martin Luther

History

Martin Luther wrote "Vater unser im Himmelreich" based on The Lord's Prayer. Each verse of the hymn is used to elaborate on the requests in the Lord's Prayer to God.[2] It was first published in 1539 in the Geistliche Lieder hymn book by Valentin Schumann and set to the tune of "Vater Unser" by an unknown composer.[1]

In 1863, Luther's hymn was translated by the English Church of England hymn-translator Catherine Winkworth, who gave it the title of "Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above".[3] It was first published in Winkworth's The Chorale Book for England.[4] Her translation used the original textual style of Luther, with a theme of justice at a time when that theme was not as prevalent in hymns.[4]

Scriptural references

The scriptural inspiration for "Our Father, Thou in Heaven Above" was Matthew 6:9–12, the source of The Lord's Prayer.[3]

References
  1. "Our Father, Thou in heav'n above". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 2017-10-06.
  2. Mansch, Larry (2016). Martin Luther: The Life and Lessons. McFarland. p. 326. ISBN 978-0786498543.
  3. Rogal, Samuel (1991). A General Introduction to Hymnody and Congregational Song. Scarecrow Press. p. 27. ISBN 0810824167.
  4. Wuestermeyer, Paul (1998). Let Justice Sing: Hymnody and Justice. Liturgical Press. p. 66. ISBN 0814625053.
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