Thy strong word did cleave the darkness

Thy strong word did cleave the darkness. Martin Franzmann* (1907-1976). Written as a ‘Seminary Hymn’ for Concordia Seminary, St Louis, where Franzmann was then teaching, to fit the Welsh tune EBENEZER or TON-Y-BOTEL. It was written in 1954 at the request of Walter Buszin, the Professor of Liturgics, and contained four stanzas (the present 1-3 and 5). Stanzas 4 and 6 were added later: a typewritten copy of the complete hymn, now long enough for processional purposes, was dated by Franzmann ‘1954/9’. The strong emphasis on ‘light’ throughout is an appropriate allusion to the Greek motto of Concordia Seminary, translated as ‘Light from above’. The hymn has appeared in many books, including LBW...