Martin H. Franzmann (January 29, 1907 – March 28, 1976) was an American

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

clergyman and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He was also a college professor and poet who wrote numerous books and hymns.

Early life and education

Martin Hans Franzmann was born in Lake City, Minnesota. He was the son of Rev. William Franzmann (1868–1953) and Else (Griebling) Franzmann (1875–1944). His father was an immigrant from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and was a Lutheran minister. Franzmann graduated from Northwestern College before entering Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He had also studied at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, but did not earn a degree. He later studied in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

as a Daniel L. Shorey Traveling Fellow.

Career

In 1936 Franzmann accepted the position to serve as a professor of Greek and English at Northwestern until the summer of 1946. In 1946, he was called to teach at Concordia Seminary in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. In 1957, he became the chairman of Exegetical Theology at Concordia. He was notable for his traditional stance on Biblical inerrancy and inspiration against historical criticism well before the walkout that led to the Seminex crisis. Among his other position was time as chair of the

Synodical Conference The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America (german: Die Evangelisch-lutherischen Synodal-Conferenz von Nord-Amerika), often known simply as the Synodical Conference, was an association of Lutheran synods that professed a comp ...

, a member of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

, and the 1962 LCMS representative to the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...

. He left the faculty of Concordia Seminary in 1969 to become tutor at Westfield House, the theological college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (ELCE), in Cambridge, England.

Personal life

In 1972 he retired from Westfield House and moved to

Wells, England Wells () is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, located on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills, south-east of Weston-super-Mare, south-west of Bath and south of Bristol. Although the population recorde ...

, where he died in 1976. He was succeeded as tutor by his son John Franzmann.

Hymns

Original

*In Adam We Have All Been One :*

Lutheran Book of Worship The ''Lutheran Book of Worship'' (''LBW'') is a worship book and hymnal used by several Lutheran denominations in North America. Additional hymns and service music are contained in the companions, ''Hymnal Supplement 1991'' and ''With One Vo ...

(Minneapolis:

Augsburg Publishing House 1517 Media, formerly Augsburg Fortress Press, is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), also publishing for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) as ''Augsburg Fortress Canada''. Headquar ...

, 1978), 372. :*

Lutheran Service Book ''Lutheran Service Book'' (''LSB'') is the newest official hymnal of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC). It was prepared by the LCMS Commission on Worship and published by Concordia Publishing Hou ...

(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 569. *O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth :*Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1978), 396. :*Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 834. *O Kingly Love :*Lutheran Worship (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982), 346. *O Thou, Who Hast of Thy Pure Grace :*Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1978), 442. *Our Paschal Lamb That Sets Us Free :*Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 473. *Preach You the Word :*Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 586. *Thy Strong Word :*Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1978), 233. :*Lutheran Worship (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1982), 328. :*Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 578.

Translations

*With High Delight Let Us Unite; original text: Georg Vetter :*Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1985), 140. :*Lutheran Service Book (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), 483. *Isaiah, Mighty Seer; original text: Martin Luther :*Evangelical Lutheran Worship (Minneapolis:

Augsburg Fortress 1517 Media, formerly Augsburg Fortress Press, is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), also publishing for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) as ''Augsburg Fortress Canada''. Headquarte ...

, 2006). :*Lutheran Book of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1985), 528. :* The Lutheran Hymnal (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941), 249. *Rise Again, Ye Lion-Hearted; original text: unknown :*The Lutheran Hymnal (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941), 470.

Books

* "Follow Me: Discipleship According to Matthew"; Concordia Publishing House, 1961. . * "Concordia Commentary: Romans"; Concordia Publishing House, 1968. . * "Pray For Joy"; Concordia Publishing House, 1970. . * "Concordia Study Bible with Notes"; William Collins Sons & Co., Ltd., for Concordia Publishing House, 1971. . * "The Word of the Lord Grows"; Concordia Publishing House, 1972. . * "The Revelation to John: A Commentary"; Concordia Publishing House, 1986. . * "Ha! Ha! Among the Trumpets"; Concordia Publishing House, 1994. .