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Te Deum Laudamus
or "Te Deum laudamus" is an anonymous worship text in Latin that has been set to music by countless composers, from the baroque masters all the way through to practicing church musicians of our day. Martin Luther translated it into German and there are at least twenty-five metrical settings in English ("Holy God, We Praise Thy Name"). I imagine that there are some readers who have this prayer memorized (in Latin or English), and some who are encountering these words for the first time. TE DEUM LAUDAMUS We praise Thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting. To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens and all the powers therein. To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy Glory." The glorious company of Apostles praise Thee. The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee. The noble army of Martyrs praise Thee. The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee: The Father of an infinite Majesty; Thine honorable, true, and only Son; Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter. Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ. Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man: Thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father. We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge. We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants whom thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in glory everlasting. O Lord, save Thy people: and bless Thine heritage. Govern them and lift them up forever. Day by day we magnify Thee and we worship Thy Name, ever world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us. O Lord, let Thy mercy lighten upon us, as our trust is in Thee. O Lord, in Thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded. [If you look around, you can find modern English renderings of the TE DEUM text, ones that avoid "thee" and "thou" and "vouchsafe." But for today, . . .] May the Lord vouchsafe to give thee a great week. Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Music and Worship The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.carlstam.org www.sbts.edu |