On The Lamb Our Souls Are Resting

The German original has two more verses, but they bear no resemblance to the fifth English verse.

A literal prose translation of the German original would be something like this:

1. My soul rests on the Lamb, worshipping with admiration. His blood has taken away all, all my sins.

2. Blessed resting place! Sweet peace fills my soul now. Where God rests with delight, I too am at rest.

3. My conscience has found rest here, for His blood – O rich fountain! – has washed me clean and bright from all my sins.

4. And with sweet rest in my heart I go here through struggle and sorrow. Above in the glory of the Lamb I will find eternal rest.

5. There my eye will see Him, whose love has refreshed me here, whose faithfulness has guided me, whose grace has made me richly happy.

6. There His dearly purchased flock will sing of the Lamb's love, offering Him eternal praise in Zion's blessed rest.

The English version appeared first in Darby's 1881 revision, being a translation (by Mrs Frances Bevan) of the German of J A von Poseck from his Lieder für die Kinder Gottes (1856). The German hymn (#91) originally had 11 verses but by the 1863 edition of Geistliche Lieder had been pruned to 5 but with another verse (v 4) by Carl Brockhaus (?) added. This verse is the source of the English verse 4.  The hymn is #78 in the Elberfeld editions.  The 5th verse added in 1951 doesn't seem to be based on any of the 6 verses in the current German hymn-book, though.

Some might not know the backstory to this hymn. I've read it a few times before and just give the following, which I found by a quick search online:

The words of the German song “Auf dem Lamm ruht meine Seele” (translated as “On the Lamb our souls are resting,”) were written through an experience that changed the life of the author.  As a student in Bonn, Julius Anton von Poseck stood among the spectators who waited eagerly for the great procession on August 15, 1848 on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the Cologne Cathedral. For some reason, he left his good vantage point, which was taken over right away by a young girl. Immediately afterwards, a large stone fell from the cathedral’s facade, killing the young girl on the spot.  This shook Julius Anton von Poseck so much that he immediately went home, fell to his knees, and cried out: “O God, why was I spared, and why did another person have to die?” This experience led to his conversion. His sister persuaded him to listen to the sermons of Pastor Krafft in Düsseldorf, and after a short time, he came to a complete certainty of salvation. The words of the song “On the Lamb Our Souls are resting, what His love no tongue can say; All our sins, so great, so many, in His blood are washed away” lay on his heart when he stood at a church in Essen-Werde in 1850. There, he had seen a lamb carved in stone at the top of the tower. It was explained to him that many years ago, when a roofer had repaired the tower roof, the hook on which his ladder hung broke off. However, during the terrible fall down below, he miraculously fell onto a small sheep grazing on the lawn below. The sheep was crushed by the falling man, but he escaped with his life. In gratitude for his protection, he had the lamb carved in stone and mounted in the masonry of the tower. The image of how his life had been spared when he was a student, since someone had died in his place at the Cologne Cathedral, brought these words of thanksgiving and adoration from his heart for the King of heaven and earth, who had borne the punishment of his sins there on the cross as the Lamb of God. Through Jesus’ death, he too was granted forgiveness, salvation, and deliverance.

The original words of von Poseck’s hymn are unknown; none of von Poseck’s first hymn book  (1851 or 1852) has been preserved. The words of the hymn in the second edition (1856) are here:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Anton_von_Poseck  

The version in use today is first found in the hymnbook "Kleine Sammlung geistlicher Lieder" by Carl Brockhaus, 2nd edition, Elberfeld 1861. Brockhaus deleted some stanzas, reworked others, and added another.

It seems that assemblies of the “Ravens” used the hymnbook of Brockhaus at first. The first original German hymn book of the Ravens was issued in 1897 by Gottlob Wilhelm Eduard Schmidt in Leipzig: „Lieder für das Evangelium“. I don’t have this book but the title suggest that it was used for Gospel work, not for the use in the assembly.

The first hymn book for assembly use (of the Ravens) was issued in 1899 by Christian Schatz in Altenvoerde. (Schatz went with Open Brethren, later.) The hymn of von Poseck was altered from the version of Brockhaus:  All words in the first person singular were changed to the first person plural – doubtless to make it more suitable for corporate worship. (This was done with a lot of other hymns, too.)

The text of von Poseck’s hymn by Schatz is doubtless taken from the Brockhaus-edtion, not from the original version of von Poseck. There is only one little change which might be a hint that Schatz used the original hymn of von Poseck, namely at the beginning of the third stanza:

- Von Poseck (1856):  „Hier fand Ruhe mein Gewissen;“

- Brockhaus (since 1861): „Ruhe fand hier mein Gewissen“

- Schatz (1899): „Hier fand Ruhe das Gewissen“

However, the similarity may be coincidence.

As to the German hymn books of the Ravens: I have made a list here (years ago): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Flock_hymnbook (near to the end of the article).

Martin Arhelger

Irma,

the publisher of “Heils and Loblieder” was given as “Ernst Jost in Oberdießbach” in Switzerland, perhaps the predecessor of F. A. Burri. But I cannot help you with the compiler of the hymns. It seems that known songs were taken from current hymn books of German and Swiss brethren.

> Brother August Mann and those who were in fellowship
> with him would have deprecated the disparaging
> designation, ‘Ravens’, as they did not hold the views of
> F.E.R. Indeed, if it were found that any brother held these
> views, then he was immediately put out of fellowship. There
> was such a case around the time that Brother Mann
> was taken to be with Christ.

With “Ravens” I meant those who remained in fellowship with FER in the 1890s.

I doubt that the Glantons (before WWII) put out of fellowship those holding to FER. The Glantons opposed the teaching of non-eternals Sonship very strong, but they did not oppose FER generally. I cannot believe that those who “did not hold the views of F.E.R.” distributed tracts by FER and printed articles of him in their magazine.

Let me explain: Max Staude was the editor of the only German magazine of “Glanton” at that time (title: “Der Dienst des Wortes”). Staude also printed articles by FER in his magazine, for example volume 3 (1925), page 118 – 120. (This article contains the denial of FER that the believer has two natures!) or vol. 13 (1935), p. 60. There was also advertisement for writings by FER, CAC, EHC, JT HD’AC and in the early years of this magazine.  It is interesting to see that about 1930, when JT, CAC and others brought forth the evil doctrine of non-eternal Sonship this Glanton magazine stopped the advertisement of writings by JT, CAC and HD’AC – but they did not stop to advertise and sell tracts written by FER nor did they stop to print article by him.

By the way: Max Staude gave up to issue “Der Dienst des Wortes” in 1934 and later held Christian universalism. Hugo Adrian from Düsseldorf got editor of “Der Dienst des Wortes” in 1935 but later joined the Taylorists, probably after WWII.  

Martin

We seem to have got round to Mr F E Raven again! And this on something - a hymn - not even connected with him.

I have written enough elsewhere on the question of Mr Raven's teaching, so I do not repeat it all again here. The key expression here is "FER's alleged errors." Whatever these "alleged errors" might have been, there is sufficient evidence available to prove that his critics were not exactly right themselves in their doctrine on the Person of Christ.

The root of this disastrous conflict is a party spirit, as alluded to in an above comment, the taking of sides and adherence to leading teachers, the result being that the sheep of Christ's flock have been scattered, and not a few now isolated.

I am not entirely sure about what is being meant by my 'both-sides' approach to FER and the other party. I suspect it involves my having studied both the ministry of Mr Raven and the writings of his critics. There are indeed plenty of documents & testimony available, but most if not all of these are from those who opposed Mr Raven.

There seems to be a growing attitude set against so-called "Glanton Brethren" having not sufficiently voiced their condemnation of Mr Raven, that evidently now being a criterion for fellowship.

There are some statements made by Mr Raven with which as they stand or as taken alone I do not agree, but the thing which concerns me is the way that his critics are unwilling to admit their own errors.

It is this strict adherence to party line as mentioned above which remains the problem, and the "deletirious impact" cannot be solely attributed to Mr Raven's teaching and errors.

I do not think there is "a degree of equivalence between FER and his critics." That is why sadly there was a division among "brethren" in 1890. The point I am making is that it was not simply the case that Mr Raven had it all wrong and of his critics being right on everything. 

That there were many questions laid before 'Glanton' during that process called at one time a "reunion" rather than a "merger" - which latter term would have been refused - makes me wonder if 'Glanton' asked questions of KLC. The term "KLG" might be used by others, and while the 1997-2002 division of the "Reunited Brethren" might have not been been along but across "KLCG" lines, there seems to be an anti-Raven stance now taken by some with origins in KLC that spills over into other Christian companies never associated with "brethren" such that Mr Raven is known only as an "evil teacher" who maintained his "evil teachings" left unjudged by those who remained in the "fellowship" to which others attached his name. 

The matter now arising goes beyond comments relevant to hymn 57, and being a large subject in itself, I do not wish to continue with it on a webpage supposedly devoted to this hymn. It was simply that yet again Mr Raven's name had somehow entered into it along with "Glantons" and others.