Time&Eternity

notes to chapter 1 243
163. Cullmann’s theory that “Eternity is endless time, or better said, that which we call
‘time’ is nothing more (my emphasis) than a God-limited portion of this same endless divine
period of time” [Ewigkeit unendliche Zeit ist, oder besser gesagt, daß das, was wir ‘Zeit’
nennen, nichts anderes (meine Hervorhebung) ist, als ein von Gott begrenztes Stück dieser gleichen
unendlichen Zeitdauer Gottes], Cullmann, Christus und die Zeit, 69, cannot be
verified in the findings of the hymns.
164. Sv ps 314,4, text by Natanael Beskow (1886), revised; Sv ps 321,4, text by Magnus
B. Landstad (1861) and J. A. Eklund (1910); eviga tider (eternal times) occurs here both
times in contrast to strider(nas dal) (valley of conflicts); (in)till evig tid or för evig tid (until
or for eternity) occurs much more frequently, though almost exclusively in older hymns.
In at least two cases, till evig tid in hymns from the nineteenth century was changed to för
evig tid in a revision in the 1980s. This could be a shift of emphasis from a formal usage of
the meaning of always to a more content-oriented way of thinking.
165. E.g., AHB 84,1, text by Horatius Bonar (1808–89); AHB 354,6, text by Jean-Baptiste
de Santeüil (1630–97), translated by Henry Williams Baker (1821–77); AHB 422,6,
text by Thomas Aquinas (1227–74), translated by John Mason Neale (1818–66), revised.
One can also speak of “endless ages” as an equivalent, e.g., AHB 279,6, text by Fulbert of
Chartres (before 1028), translated by Robert Campbell (1814–68). These expressions do not
occur in SA.
166. A difference between the Swedish and English usages must be noted here. While
Sv ps often has (in)till or för evig tid, the AHB speaks of God’s glory “while eternal ages
run.” In AHB, these passages are found entirely in nineteenth-century hymns or revisions
of hymns, and always in a doxological context.
167. Sv ps 376,1, speaks immanently of a proclamation of the grace of God to a future
young generation (text by Samuel Gabrielsson [1929]). The new worlds, creations, and
times in Sv ps 285,2 appear to be meant above all transcendentally (text by Britt G. Hallqvist
[1970], based on Frederick W. Faber [1814–63]). In Sv ps 623,4, there is a clearly timetranscendent
meaning: here one speaks of the re-creation of life in death for future times
and worlds (text by Aurelius Prudentius Clemens [ca. 400] and Olov Hartman [1979]).
168. Twenty-six hymns from Sv ps that follow this pattern were arranged according to
their times of origin. The results were: three hymns from the sixteenth century, five from
the seventeenth century, three from the eighteenth century, eleven from the nineteenth century,
and four from the twentieth century (from 1914, 1915, 1927, and 1971). The nineteenth
century thus dominates here, which does not necessarily mean that the time-eternity perspective
is typical for this time period. Here, one may simply be dealing with a stylistic feature
of Johan Olof Wallin, who wrote seven of the eleven hymn texts.
169. GL 901,5: “Wir glauben dir und deinem Wort, das leitet uns zum Frieden dort
aus dieser Zeit Beschwerden” (We believe in you and in your Word, which leads us there to
peace away from this time of tribulation), text by Heinrich Bone (1847), revised version by
Friedrich Kienecker (1973).
170. Sv ps 566,6, text by J. O. Wallin (1816) and Anders Frostenson (1979).
171. Sv ps 615,6: “.l.l. en liten tid .l.l. så kommer hemmets frid .l.l. i evighetens ro” (just
a little while longer and then the peace of home will come in the rest of eternity), text by
Gerhard Tersteegen (1738); Swedish (1741); Britt G. Hallqvist (1983); Sv ps 624,6: “.l.l. då är
jag i hamn, jag skådar mitt hemlands stränder .l.l.” (then, I am in the harbor, viewing the
beaches of my native land), text by Johannes Johnson (before 1915), Oscar R. Hallberg, and
Oscar Mannström (1920). For the wandering and home motifs, cf. Selander, O hur saligt
att få vandra, 103–33, particularly 130ff.
172. Sv ps 63,8: “Och tidens kval fick sammanhang med evighetens tröst .l.l.” (And the
torment of time became connected to the solace of eternity), text by J. O. Wallin (1816).