A Mighty Fortress

What a legacy left by Martin Luther in writing his powerful hymn, “A Mighty Fortress,” that has stretched across time and linguistic barriers, ministering to listeners and readers from numerous generations, past to present. I understood Martin Luther to be a priest, professor, monk and reformer, but remained unfamiliar with his work as a composer until today. I have memories of singing this hymn with my schoolmates in Catholic mass as a young girl, however I have not previously been educated in the hymn’s authorship and context. When I read that about the history of this poem I was surprised to find as many as four theories of origin recorded by John Julian and other scholars. While the hymns’ origin year and circumstance of authorship are debated, I learned about the significant role it played in support for the Reformers’ cause; some even call it the “Battle Hymn of the Reformation.”
In reading the expository work of Karl Hennecke, I came to discover that the use of the hymn in Thirty Years’ War was not the time its lines were a source of comfort and promise for men in battle facing the challenging realities of war. People in times of turmoil naturally have found comfort in “Mighty Fortress” because of it’s lines coming directly from scripture. In psalm 46:1 the sons of Korah describe YHWH as a “refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." It’s no wonder why the lines of this hymn have comforted people for centuries. Karl Hennecke’s exegesis of this text (Psalm 46) helped me further understand why we are in such desperate need of a refuge beyond what this earth can provide. “There are many troubles which plague man in this life. These troubles can do us no permanent harm if we seek refuge within that never failing