God, the Omnipotent!

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"God, the Omnipotent!" is a hymn with words written in 1842 by Henry F. Chorley (1808–1872) and 3rd and 4th stanzas by John Ellerton (1826–1893) in 1870.[1] It is based on a text from Revelation 19:6, "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (KJV). Set in 11.10.11.9 meter, the tune is from the 19th century Russian national anthem, "God Save the Tsar!", composed by Alexei Lvov (1798–1870) in 1833.[2]

The tune name is Russian Hymn in various modern hymnals, such as those of the United Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), or just Russia, as in The Hymnal 1982 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.[1] Called "stirring" by one hymn editor, the hymn is described as having "a triumphant, positive quality".[3]

The first two verses are:

God, the Omnipotent!
"God the Omnipotent! King, who ordainest

Thunder thy clarion, the lightning thy sword;
Show forth thy pity on high where thou reignest;

Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

God the All-merciful! earth hath forsaken
Meekness and mercy, and slighted thy Word;
Let not thy wrath in its terrors awaken;
Give to us peace in our time, O Lord."[2]

In 1982, new words to the Russian Hymn tune were composed by Carl P. Daw Jr., entitled Christ the Victorious, for the U.S. Episcopal Church's The Hymnal 1982.[3] Both versions, God, the Omnipotent! and Christ the Victorious, appear in The Hymnal 1982.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c (1985) The Hymnal 1982. New York: Episcopal Church Publishing, p. 569. 
  2. ^ a b (1966) The Methodist Hymnal. Nashville, Tennessee: The Methodist Publishing House, p. 544. 
  3. ^ a b Diana Sanchez (1989). The Hymns of the United Methodist Hymnal. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, p. 220. 

[edit] External links