Thursday, September 17, 2026

It is the 17th of September 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Today is the feast day of Hildegard of Bingen- the Sybil of the Rhine and perhaps the most famous woman composer in church history. This is not a show about her [if you go to the unofficial transcript at 1517.org I’ve got a link to the show we did on her, on this day, a few years ago: https://www.1517.org/podcast-overview/2021-09-17]. Today’s show is about a woman who stands in the great tradition of Hildegard, of poets and theologians who found the avenue of hymnody as most appropriate for their gifts.

 

She was Emilie Juliane Countess of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, née Countess of Barby-Mühlingen (that’s a lot of names… and very German). You may have never heard of her… she is, by some accounts, the most prolific female hymn writer of all time- at least in German. If you know her, it is likely on account of her most famous hymn- known in English as "Who Knows How Near My End May Be” it is under the title “Preparation for Death,” and the manuscript is dated by the Countess to this, the 17th of September in 1686.

 

So, who was Emilie Juliane and how did her own life and context help her develop such a large corpus and one that could speak so well to grief?

 

Emilie (or Aemelie) was born in 1637 in Rudolstadt in Thuringia (fun fact, if you’re listening to this show today, I am really close to Rudolstadt). She was born into the noble von Barby family. The timing is important- the 30 Years' War was raging, and the Protestant hero Gustavus Adolphus had just been slain in nearby Lutzen. Her family fled to live at the estate of the Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. Before Emilie turned five, both of her parents had died- disease killed as many as conventional warfare. She was raised with her cousins in a devout Lutheran home. We have a record of her reading and taking notes in the works of Luther and in the prayer book of Johann Arndt.

 

The family tutor, Herr Fristch, founded a society for noblewomen called the “Fruchtbringende Jesusgesellschaft” modeled on a similarly named society for intellectuals, the “Fruit Bearing Society for Jesus”. Fristch and this Society would help Emilie publish her hymns under the name Freundin des Lammes or “Friend of the Lamb” (each of the women had a name that began with “Friend of”).

 

She wrote some 600 hymns- many of them are deeply personal, so much so that hymnologist John Julian suggests they would not necessarily be appropriate for corporate worship. You may also see her designated as a “pietist,” which I promise you is rarely a helpful tag and especially for someone living in the 1600s. In the tumult of the war, the loss of her parents, and death, she found solace in her faith and in those affective elements of the faith that brought her consolation. This is perhaps best seen in her most popular hymn- “Wer Weiss, wie nahe mir mean Ende” translated by Catherine Winkworth as “Who Knows How Near My End May Be” in her Lyra Germanica II in 1858.

 

It is a massive 12-stanza hymn often pared down to seven or even three stanzas. A note in the manuscript noted that it was written: "on the occasion of the sudden death of Duke George of Saxe-Eisenach while hunting”. It is decidedly Lutheran and sacramental with verses such as:

 

“In holy Baptism long ago

I joined me to the living Vine;

Thou lovest me in Him, I know,

In Him Thou dost accept me Thine;”

And

“And I have eaten His own flesh

And drunk His blood,--nor can I be

Forsaken now, nor doubt afresh,

I am in Him, and He in me”

The final stanza encompasses the general theme of the hymn:

And thus I live in God at peace,

And die without a thought of fear,

Content to take what God decrees,

For through His Son my faith is clear,

His grace shall be in death my stay,

And peace shall bless my dying day.

 

She and her husband had one surviving son. They lost at least one child and she would live through the deaths of all of her cousins and siblings. Towards the end of her life she took to having a devotion every Friday from noon to three in commemoration of the death of Jesus. It is said that she would die on the 3rd of December, a Friday, at 3 o’clock. Surely his grace was in her death her stay and peace did bless her dying day. Emilie Juliane, author of “Who Knows How Near My End May Be”

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and Psalm 145:

I will exalt you, my God the King;
 I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you
 and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
 his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends your works to another;
 they tell of your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
 and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
 and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
 and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
 slow to anger and rich in love.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 17th of September 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who thought it was the Austrians who had the Barby… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man sorry about a niche joke that didn’t quite work… I’m doing a lot of these at a time right now… Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.