The Original "Elite Eight:" Reflections on the First Lutheran Hymnal

Many false masters now hymns indite
Be on your guard and judge them aright.
Where God is building his church and word,
​There comes the devil with lie and sword.

— Martin Luther, Preface to the Babst Hymnal
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Fans of the NCAA Basketball Tournament are familiar with the field of 64 teams and the nick names associated with the final weekends of the tournament: The Sweet Sixteen, The Elite Eight, and The Final Four. This process of numerical reduction also conveniently applies to the first Lutheran hymnal (1524), usually known as the Achtliederbuch (“Book of Eight” or, moreliterally, “Eight-Song-Book”). As faithful sons of the Reformation approach the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, just one year away, it seems fitting to survey the contents of our first hymnal to help us understand why Lutherans sing what they sing. Stephen Crist of Emory University sets the stage:

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