Chant. Chances are, that you may have heard the original of this song only in some obscure monophonic form (without various harmonic parts mixed in), but nevertheless sung beautifully by some monks in a place with great acoustics, perhaps. If you had the original words, or something close to the original words (as in this Frankish Hymnal from the 8th Century, shown here), it would have been in that same now-extinct language – Latin – that only pharmacists and others in the medical profession use today. All this did not matter to Ignaz Franz in 1771, however, when he took the original Latin and penned some German words, which in English say “Holy God, We Praise Your Name”. God listens in any language, so whether you’re saying ‘Te Deum’ (in Latin), ‘Grosser Gott, Wir Loben Dich’ (in German), or the words in English, He hears you.
That this ancient hymn has survived for over 1,600 years says something about the words that a believer from the 4th Century used to express his faith. Indeed, they still mean something in the 21st Century. Ignaz Franz probably speculated, to one degree or another, that ‘Te Deum’ emanated from one of the Christians, perhaps Ambrose or Augustine, who were bishops in the early church in Europe and North Africa during the last years of the crumbling Roman Empire. The original author, whose role would likely have been a formal one to guide worship in the church, would have crafted this and other hymns for various times that believers would assemble. Central to their faith expressions would have been the Apostles’ Creed, a statement that Ignaz and his contemporaries would have still acknowledged 1,400 years later. Basics of Christianity – that’s how someone might sum up this Creed. Ignaz’s eight verses, translated from the Latin into German (and then into English [seven verses by Clarence Walworth in 1858; and one verse by Hugh T. Henry several decades later]) intersperse these creedal axioms with praises to the Creator. Three verses that begin this hymn underscore the breadth of His ‘vast domain’ (v.1), and the creatures therein who lift praises to extol Him. Earth and heaven’s inhabitants – angels, seraphim and cherubim, apostles, prophets, and martyrs – are among the ‘all’ that offer Him this exaltation. The Trinity (v.4); Christ’s virgin birth by Mary, and His sacrifice (v.5); and His certain return to redeem all believers (vv.6 and 7) are foundations of the faith that Ignaz wanted to preserve, even as the Latin language expired. Only in the writer’s last two verses does the believer petition God for help – for eternal salvation and rest (v.7), and for protection until His rescue is secured (v.8).
‘Te Deum’ remains a model for 21st Century prayers. None of the things that Ambrose or Augustine felt were essential have become ‘old-fashioned’. Though we may worry that our consumption is damaging what He’s created, the basics of our planet are unshaken. The sky, earth, and seas are still here, and though it’s true we pollute it, His fingerprints on this planet remain unobscured. None of my senses or the history I’ve heard or read tell me that He’s unreal, that He never came here, or that His promises are discredited. Ambrose, Augustine, and Franz were like me – what else is there to believe, when so many have seen Him, and so many have believed in Him throughout the centuries since He returned to heaven? How many millions of humans have leaned on the Truth of Him? Could God be that big of a hoax? I choose to think He’s still preparing a place for me there with Him (John 14:2). Have you got something more certain than Him?
See here for little biographic information on author: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/f/r/a/n/franz_i.htm
See here also: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Franz
See here for all eight original verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/h/o/l/y/g/holygod.htm
See here for article detailing the original Latin hymn (from the 4th Century) which the author used to construct the modern-day hymn in the 1770s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Deum
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