Christ the Life of All the Living
By Holly Scheer
Christ, the Life of all the living,
Christ, the Death of death, our foe,
Who, Thyself for me once giving
To the darkest depths of woe,–
Through thy sufferings, death, and merit
I eternal life inherit:
Thousand, thousand thanks shall be,
Dearest Jesus, unto Thee.
Ernst C. Homburg, the author of this popular hymn, is credited as a popular author and poet of his time– and that initially he started out writing secular works and drinking songs.
Hard times in his life and that of his wife brought him closer to the church and church music and he then became a prolific hymn writer. Many of these hymns are still not translated into English.
It’s been really interesting looking up the authors of our various hymns and seeing when and where they lived. How much is known about them, and what we remember.
If you ever have a spare moment, I suggest picking some of your favorite hymns and looking deeper.
Do you have a favorite hymn or hymn writer?
