his remarkable hymn is obscure. The claim has been made that
it was written as a hymn of thanksgiving following the Peace of
Westphalia, which in 1648 brought to an end the long and cruel war. This
claim has been based on the fact that the first two stanzas are a
paraphrase of the words of the high priest Simeon, recorded in the
Apocryphal book Ecclesiasticus 50:29-32: "And now let all praise God, who
hath done great things, who hath glorified our days, and dealeth with us
according to His loving-kindness. He giveth us the joy of our hearts,
that we may find peace in Israel as in the days of yore, thus He lets His
loving-kindness remain with us, and He will redeem us in our day."
Inasmuch as this was the Scripture passage on which all regimental
chaplains were ordered to preach in celebration of the conclusion of
peace, it has been inferred that Rinkart was inspired to write his hymn
at that time.

It is probable, however, that these circumstances were merely a
coincidence, and that the hymn was written several years previous to
1648. In Rinkart's own volume, "Jesu Hertz-Buchlein," it appears under
the title "Tisch-Gebetlein," or a short prayer before meals, and many
believe that it was originally written for Rinkart's children. It will be
noticed that, while the first two stanzas are based on the passage from
Ecclesiasticus, the last stanza is the ancient doxology, _Gloria Patri_.

No hymn except Luther's famous "A mighty Fortress is our God" has been
used more generally in the Lutheran Church than Rinkart's glorious paean
of praise. In Germany, where it has become the national _Te Deum_, it is
sung at all impressive occasions. After the battle of Leuthen, the army
of Frederick the Great raised the strains of this noble hymn, and it is
said that even the mortally wounded joined in the singing.

In his history of the Franco-Prussian War, Cassel tells of a stirring
incident that took place on the day following the battle of Sedan, where
the Germans had won a decisive victory over the French. A multitude of
Prussian troops who were marching toward Paris were billeted in the
parish church of Augecourt. They could not sleep because of the extreme
excitement of the day. Suddenly a strain of music came from the organ,
first very softly but gradually swelling in volume until the whole
sanctuary shook. It was the grand old hymn--"Nun danket alle Gott!"
Instantly men and officers were upon their feet, singing the stirring
word