Johann Gottfried Olearius

Johann Gottfried Olearius
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Short Name: Johann Gottfried Olearius
Full Name: Olearius, Johann Gottfried, 1635-1711
Birth Year: 1635
Death Year: 1711

Olearius, Johann Gottfried, son of Dr. Gottfried Olearius, pastor of St. Ulrich's Church at Halle, was born at Halle, Sept. 25, 1635. He entered the University of Leipzig in 1653, and graduated M.A. 1656, residing also for short periods at other German Universities. In 1658 he was ordained as assistant to his father at St. Mary's Church in Halle, where he became diaconus in 1662, and in 1685 pastor and also superintendent of the second portion of the dis¬trict of the Saale. He was finally appointed, in 1688, as chief pastor, superintendent, and consistorialrath at Arnstadt, and also professor of Theology in the Gymnasium there. He died at Arnstadt, May 21, 1711, after having been for some years totally blind. (Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie xxiv. p. 280; Bode, p. 124, &c.)

Olearius was the author of several devotional works, and composed a number of melodies to his own hymns. His hymns appeared in his (1) Jesus! Poetische Erstlinge an geistlichen Deutschen Liedern und Madrigalen, Halle, 1664 [Berlin], and the second edition enlarged and altered as (2) Geistliche Singe-Lust, Arnstadt, 1697 [Wernigerode]

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A number passed into the Arnstadt Gesang-Buch 1705, and a few are still in German common use. Two have passed into English, one ("Es war die ganze Welt") being noted under J. A. Schlegel (q.v.), and the other being:—

Komm du werthes Losegeld. Advent. Founded on St. Matt. xxi. 9. First published 1664 as above, p. 1 in 4 stanzas of 6 lines, and entitled, "On Advent." In the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, edition 1863, No. 137. Translated as:—
Come, 0 Lord, our sacrifice. By A. T. Russell, omitting st. iii., as No. 10 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book, 1848, repeated in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864, No. 2. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.]

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)


Texts by Johann Gottfried Olearius (13)sort descendingAsAuthority LanguagesInstances
Come, Thou precious Ransom, comeJohannes Olearius (Author)English13
Comfort, comfort ye my peopleJohannes G. Olearius, 1611-1684 (Author)English3
Es war die ganze Welt von Mosis Fluch erschrecketDr. Joh. Gottfr. Olearius (Author)German4
Herr, weil Du sprichts: Kommt her zu MirJohann Gottfried Olearius (Author)German2
Jesu, lass mich ja nicht fallenJohann Gottfried Olearius (Author)German1
Jesus Christ, my pride and gloryJohann Olearius (Author)English3
Komm, du wertes LösegeldJ. Gottfr. Olearius, 1685-1711 (Author)German6
Redentor precioso, venJohann Gottfried Olearius (Author)Spanish1
The new church year again is comeJohann Olearius (Author)English1
Tu' Rechnung, diese will Gott ernstlich von dir habenJ. Olearius, 1635-1711 (Author)German4
Wenn dich Unglück hat betretenJohann Gottfried Olearius (Author)German2
When all the world was cursedJohann G. Olearius (Author)English5
When the clouds of trouble gather and afflictions grieve thee soreJohann Gottfried Olearius (Author)English1
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