Der Jahreswechsel im Kirchenlied

A turn of the year is a transition celebrated in services predominantly in the Protestant church. Ute Nürnberg analyses eleven church hymns and the relevant sections in German and Swiss hymn books and traces the theological interpretation of this time of the year across five centuries. She shows how the circumcision and naming of Jesus, originally celebrated on January 1st, slowly lost significance and were gradually replaced by the New Year’s celebrations. This change in emphasis resulted in time itself becoming the dominating subject – and filled a gap in the ecclesiastical calendar: The feast now provided time to reflect on one’s own life, the time given by God, and daily events in relation to Gods‘ eternity. This fresh approach to New Year hymnology opens up new fields for discussions and topical questions.