Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense

Representative Text

1 Jesus Christ, my sure defense
and my Savior, now is living!
Knowing this, my confidence
rests upon the hope he's giving,
though the night of death be fraught
still with many an anxious thought.

2 Jesus, my Redeemer, lives;
I, too, unto life shall waken.
Endless joy my Savior gives;
shall my courage then be shaken?
Shall I fear, or could the head
rise and leave his members dead?

3 No, too closely am I bound
unto him by hope forever;
faith's strong hand the rock has found,
grasped it, and will leave it never.
Even death now cannot part
from its Lord the trusting heart.

4 I am flesh and must return
unto dust, whence I am taken;
but by faith I now discern
that from death I shall awaken
with my Savior to abide
in his glory, at his side.

5 Glorified, I shall anew
with this flesh then be enshrouded;
in this body I shall view
God, my Lord, with eyes unclouded;
in this flesh I then shall see
Jesus Christ eternally.


Source: Christian Worship: Hymnal #446

Author (attributed to): Electress Luise Henriette

Luise Henriette, Electress of Brandenburg, daughter of Friedrich Heinrich, Prince of Nassau-Orange and Stadtholder of the United Netherlands, was born at 'S Gravenhage (The Hague), Nov. 27, 1627. She received a careful Christian training, not only in literature, but also in domestic economy and feminine handicrafts. On Dec. 7, 1646, she was married, at the Hague, to the Elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg, who was then residing at Cleve, but remained at the Hague to nurse her father, who died March 14, 1647. She then, in June, 1647, joined her husband at Cleve, where her first child, Wilhelm Heinrich, was born in May 1648. In the autumn of 1619 she set out with her husband and child on the way to Berlin, but in the inclement weather th… Go to person page >

Author (attributed to): Otto von Schwerin

(no biographical information available about Otto von Schwerin.) Go to person page >

Translator: Catherine Winkworth

Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used i… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Jesus Christ, my sure defense
Title: Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense
German Title: Jesus, meine Zuversicht
Author (attributed to): Electress Luise Henriette (1653)
Author (attributed to): Otto von Schwerin (1653)
Translator: Catherine Winkworth (1863)
Meter: 7.8.7.8.7.7
Language: English
Notes: Mel. Jesus, meine Zuversicht
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

JESUS, MEINE ZUVERSICHT (Crüger)

First published in Johann Crüger's Praxis Pietatis Melica (1653) without attribution, JESUS, MEINE ZUVERSICHT was credited to Crüger (PHH 42) in the 1668 edition of that hymnal. (The later isorhythmic RATISBON is related to this tune; see 34.) JESUS, MEINE ZUVERSICHT is named for its association w…

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Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #3223
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Instances

Instances (1 - 7 of 7)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #3223

Text

Lutheran Worship #266

TextPage Scan

Lutheran Service Book #741

Text

Christian Worship (1993) #167

Text

Christian Worship #446

TextAudioPage Scan

Evangelical Lutheran Worship #621

Text

Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary #532

Include 49 pre-1979 instances
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