“A feast during the plague”. Images of union with Christ and of the Kingdom of Heavens in the hymns of Philipp Nicolai

Authors

  • Anton Tikhomirov President of the Religious spiritual educational organization of higher education “Theological Seminary on the Evangelical-Lutheran Church”., Ukraine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29357/issn.2521-179X.2017.19.61

Keywords:

Hymns, Theology, Eschatology, Mystic, Hymnology

Abstract

After a short introduction on Philipp Nicolai’s (1556-1608) biography and his sharp polemic theology, two of his famous hymns, “the king and queen of Lutheran hymns” written during an epidemic of the plague in Unna, are analysed. Their linguistic and theological characteristics, which have to do with the brilliant use of biblical images and with a sensual mysticism in the spirit of Bernard Clairvaux which seems very provocative today as well as with the anticipation of the Kingdom of Heaven full of untroubled excitement, are shown. Using the example of some characteristics of these hymns, the lecturer illustrates the attitude of Luther and the Lutheran church to music as to a “natural Gospel” and to poetry as to a means for expressing the divine.

Author Biography

Anton Tikhomirov, President of the Religious spiritual educational organization of higher education “Theological Seminary on the Evangelical-Lutheran Church”.

Anton Tikhomirov, PhD (Dr. theol.) President of the Religious spiritual educational organization of higher education “Theological Seminary on the Evangelical-Lutheran Church”

References

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"Theological Reflections" #19 (2017) / Special issue: "THE REFORMATION: HUMANITY, CHURCH, SOCIETY"

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Published

2017-09-04

How to Cite

Tikhomirov, Anton. 2017. “‘A Feast During the plague’. Images of Union With Christ and of the Kingdom of Heavens in the Hymns of Philipp Nicolai”. Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology, no. 19 (September):61-70. https://doi.org/10.29357/issn.2521-179X.2017.19.61.

Issue

No. 19 (2017): THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS: Euro-Asian Journal of Theology

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2020 Anton Tikhomirov

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