Ausbund
Ausbund (First Published 1564 – Still in Use) The Ausbund is a historic Anabaptist hymnal, first compiled around 1564, making it one of the oldest Christian songbooks still in active use, particularly among Old Order Amish communities in North America. Its origins trace to the early 1530s in Passau, Bavaria, where over 50 Swiss Brethren Anabaptists, including preacher Michael Schneider and hymnist Hans Betz, were imprisoned in the Oberhaus Castle dungeon for their radical faith—adult baptism, rejection of state churches, and pacifism. Facing torture and execution under Catholic authorities, these martyrs composed 51 hymns, smuggled out as letters to sustain their persecuted brethren. Printed initially in German, the collection grew over time, with later editions adding songs from other Anabaptist writers, reaching about 137 hymns by the 1583 edition, though its exact early publication details remain murky due to underground printing presses. The Ausbund’s significance extends beyond its music to its role as a theological and cultural artifact, embodying Anabaptist resilience and spirituality. Lacking musical notation—tunes were memorized or adapted from folk melodies—it emphasizes lyrics of suffering, martyrdom, and hope, such as Schneider’s Psalm 139-inspired hymn or Betz’s reflections on persecution. Carried by Swiss and South German Anabaptists fleeing to Moravia and later by Amish immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 18th century, it became a cornerstone of worship, sung slowly in unison during services. Today, printed by the Amish in places like Lancaster County, it remains a living link to the Reformation era, its worn pages a testament to a faith forged in adversity, distinct from modern hymnals in its raw, unadorned devotion.
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
Hans Betz preaches about the journey of a person who was created by God as His child, lost in sin and impurities of the world, and condemned by the law to death. Through recognizing the magnitude of sins and crying out for God's grace, the person finds redemption and restoration in Christ, who fulfills the law and teaches to love God and others. By living in faith, love, and obedience to Christ, one overcomes sin and finds the way to the Father and eternal life.
The Scriptures Tell Us That Every Man Should Have a Wife
In the beginning, God created me to be his child. He created me clean. He gave me his image when I was still in my mother's womb. But when I was born onto the earth I lost my goodness and was robbed of the innocence God had given to me. I grew up in the world, surrounded by all the impurities of sin. I sought only possessions and money, which are against God. Whatever my eyes lusted after, I sought in my heart. . . . Even though the law of God within me resisted the common sins in which I lived, I did not obey it. I was perverted from the bottom of my heart. My mouth could speak only bad things, and my vices were many. Even though my spirit would have been willing to stay away from sin, I was too weak in the battle and soon found myself lying on my side. The good that I wanted to do I could not accomplish because the power of sin kept forcing me to do wrong. I led an uncontrolled life, driven by the lusts of my heart. I lost God's gift and sinned to the limit. Then the law of God judged me, and even though it was given for life, it condemned me to death. When I recognized the law of God, I began to see the magnitude of my sins, my vices, and my shame. The law wounded me and condemned me to death and hell. There, surrounded by sin, death and hell I looked for God and he brought me to life again. He moved me with his law to where I found again the grace which I had lost for so long a time. . . . The law taught me to recognize sin and drove me back to God's gift, given in Christ. I would not have known what sin was if God had not spoken to me. Like sin rules the man who lives in it, God's grace rules the man whom Christ bears again. He is led out of all sin to live in what is right. When the law wounded my conscience I began to cry for God's grace and mercy. I began to cry to him to help me out of my sin and to accept me once more as his child for his mercy's sake. God in his grace, heard through Christ my cry. He brought me out of death, forgave my sins, took me again as his son, and through him I overcame sin when he made me new. Because I had fallen from God through sin and come under his wrath, he bore me again as his child. He bore me in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the man in between, so that I would not be lost. No one comes to God unless God draws him. Therefore he shows us Christ so that none of us will run away from him when we see through the law the punishment we deserve.... Christ shows us the law of God for man: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." He shows us what is good and what is bad so that we may live in a different way. Christ is the fulfillment of the law that was given in figures to Moses. All the figures of the law end in Christ because Christ is the law. To obey the law, says Christ, is to love God with all the strength of our souls, and to love our neighbour as ourself. In these short commands the law is gathered up in Christ. Faith and love out of a pure heart, says Paul, is the sum of all commands. The one who lives in God's love is a disciple of Christ and knows the truth. Love is kind and friendly and does no one harm. It bears everything and keeps away from sin. . . . This is how the law and the prophets are fulfilled in Christ our Lord. This is the way he has shown us that leads to the Father and eternal life. . . . -- Hans Betz, Ausbund, 112
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Ausbund (First Published 1564 – Still in Use) The Ausbund is a historic Anabaptist hymnal, first compiled around 1564, making it one of the oldest Christian songbooks still in active use, particularly among Old Order Amish communities in North America. Its origins trace to the early 1530s in Passau, Bavaria, where over 50 Swiss Brethren Anabaptists, including preacher Michael Schneider and hymnist Hans Betz, were imprisoned in the Oberhaus Castle dungeon for their radical faith—adult baptism, rejection of state churches, and pacifism. Facing torture and execution under Catholic authorities, these martyrs composed 51 hymns, smuggled out as letters to sustain their persecuted brethren. Printed initially in German, the collection grew over time, with later editions adding songs from other Anabaptist writers, reaching about 137 hymns by the 1583 edition, though its exact early publication details remain murky due to underground printing presses. The Ausbund’s significance extends beyond its music to its role as a theological and cultural artifact, embodying Anabaptist resilience and spirituality. Lacking musical notation—tunes were memorized or adapted from folk melodies—it emphasizes lyrics of suffering, martyrdom, and hope, such as Schneider’s Psalm 139-inspired hymn or Betz’s reflections on persecution. Carried by Swiss and South German Anabaptists fleeing to Moravia and later by Amish immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 18th century, it became a cornerstone of worship, sung slowly in unison during services. Today, printed by the Amish in places like Lancaster County, it remains a living link to the Reformation era, its worn pages a testament to a faith forged in adversity, distinct from modern hymnals in its raw, unadorned devotion.