O Sacrum Convivium in quo Dei Filius

Here is my translation of the Communion chant, “O Sacrum Convivium in quo Dei Filius” and “O welch ein heiliges Abendmahl” (Pomerania, 1563), in ELGB #332a–b, a confession from the Pomeranian reformation published in the 1560s against the Sacramentarians, then included in the Pomeranian Agenda of 1569 in both Latin and Low German with musical notation, later again published in 1582 with more thorough explanation by Jacob Runge. The first few words are identical to the older Communion antiphon “O Sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur” attributed to Thomas Aquinas, but the similarity ends there. It has been wholly reimagined as a confession of the True Presence , an apologetic summary of the Lutheran teaching furnished with its own chant melody (based on a Mode 3 Antiphon) and appointed to be sung during Communion in the churches of Pomerania. Later Pomeranian hymnals include the High German translation, and in the 19th c., a paraphrase is found adapted to a chorale tune. Grabau includes both the Latin and German titles for each version respectively: “Confession of the true presence of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, to be sung during Communion.” No music is provided in the hymnal, and must have been taken from an edition of the Pomeranian Agenda.

 

 

From the Latin:
O SACRED banquet, wherein the Son of God, Christ the Lord, the Crucified, feedeth the Church by a wonderful mystery, under the sacred bread giving His true Body that hung on the tree of the cross, under the sacred wine giving His true Blood that was poured out for the sins of the world: Thus is Christ present in the Supper: not with His grace alone, not with His Spirit alone, not absent with His Body, but since He sitteth at the right hand of the Father in heaven, filling all things, He is truly present, as God and Man, Almighty, true in His word, when He saith, “This is My Body which is given for you. Take, eat.” Therefore in the most Sacred Supper all Christians, worthy and unworthy, eat the Body of the Lord. The worthy eat with the mouth and faith unto life eternal. The unworthy eat with the mouth only, without faith, unto the judgment of death.

From the German:
OH, what a Holy Supper, wherein the Son of God, the Lord Christ, crucified for us, feedeth His Christian congregation with wonderful mystery! Where He, under the sanctified bread, giveth the same His true Body, which hung on the tree of the Cross, under the blessed wine; He giveth the same His true Blood, which was poured out for the sin of the world. Thus is the Lord Christ present in His Supper: not only with His grace, not only with His Spirit, not absent with His body, but because He sitteth in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and filleth all things, therefore is He truly present, God and Man, almighty and true in His Word, when He saith, “This is My Body, which is given for you. Take, eat.” Therefore in the Holy Supper all Christians, the worthy and unworthy, eat the Body of the Lord. The worthy eat it with the mouth and faith unto eternal life; the unworthy eat it only with the mouth, without faith, unto judgment and death.

Translation © 2023 Matthew Carver.

LATIN

Sacrum convivum,
in quo Dei Filius,
Christus Dominus crucifixus,
pascit Ecclesiam mirando mysterio.

Sub pane sacro dans Corpus
illud suum verum,
quod pependit in Crucis ligno.

Sub vino sacro dans Sanguinem
suum illum verum,
qui effusus est pro peccatis mundi.

Sic adest Christus in Cena,
non sola gratia,
no solo Spiritu,
no absens corpore.

Sed quia sedit ad dexteram Patris,
in caelestibus,
implens omnia
vere praesens est
Deus et Homo,
potens omnia,
verax in verbo suo,
cum inquit dicens:
HOC EST CORPUS MEUM
QUOD PRO VOBIS TRADITUR:
ACCIPITE, COMEDITE:

Ergo in Cena sacratissima
Corpus Domini manducant omnes Christiani,
digni et indigni.
Digni edunt ore et fide ad vitam aeternam.
Indigni edunt solo ore sine fide ad mortis judicium.

GERMAN

O welch ein heiliges Abendmahl,
darin der Sohn Gottes, der Herr Christus,
für uns gecreuziget,
seine christlich Gemeine
speiset mit wunderbarem Geheimniß!

Da Er unter dem geheiligten Brod
giebt denselbigen seine wahren Leib,
welcher am Holz des Creuzes gehänget hat.

Unter dem gesegneten Wein
giebt Er dasselbige sein wahres Blut,
welches für der Welt Sünde vergossen ist.

Also ist der Herr Christus in seinem Abndemahl zugegen,
nicht allein mit seiner Gnade,
nicht allein mit seinem Geiste,
nicht abwesend mit seinem Leibe.

Sondern, weil Er im Himmel
zur Rechtendes Vaters sitzt,
und alles erfüllet,
so ist Er wahrhaftiglich gegenwärtig,
Gott und Mensch, allmächtig
und wahrhaftig in seinem Wort.

Da Er spricht: das ist mein Leib,
der für Euch gegeben wird, nehmet, esset.

Derhalben essen im heiligen Abendmahl
des Herrn Leib alle Christen,
die Würdigen und Unwürdigen.

Die Würdigen essen ihn mit dem Munde
und Glauben zum ewigen leben,
die Unwürdigen essen ihn allein mit dem Munde,
ohne Glauben zum Gericht und Tod.