BWV 173 Erhöhtes Fleisch und Blut

Second Day of Pentecost.

Poet unknown; PT (Leipzig, 1731); Facs: Neumann T, p. 445.

29 May 1724, Leipzig; Parody ← BWV 173a/1-5, 8.

BG 35; NBA I/14.



1. Recit. (T)

Exalted flesh and blood,
Which God himself accepts,
Which he on earth already
Assigns a heav’nly bliss,
As God’s own child becoming,
Exalted flesh and blood!

2. Aria (T)

A redeemed and hallowed spirit
Sees and savors God’s own kindness.
Praising, singing, tune your lyres,
God’s devotion tell the nations!

3. Aria (A)

God will, O ye mortal children,
For you mighty things achieve.

    Mouth and spirit, ear and vision
    Cannot now amidst such fortune
    And such holy joy keep still.

4. Aria (B, S)

(B)
For hath God the world so loved,(1)
That his mercy
Helps us wretches,
That he gives his Son to us,
Gracious blessings for our pleasure,
Which like fertile streams are flowing.

(S)
His new covenant of grace
Is effective
And has power
In the human heart and voice,
That his Spirit for his honor
Teach them faithfully to call him.

(both)
Now our bounden duty we
Bring our off ’ring,
Grateful singing;
For his light, made manifest,
Now is to his children bending
And to them appeareth clearly.

5. Recit. (S, T)

O infinite, whom yet we Father call,
We would in turn our hearts as off ’rings bring thee;
From these our breasts, which full with worship burn,
Shall rise our sighing’s fire, to heaven soaring.

6. Chorus (S,A,T,B)

Stir, O Highest now our souls,
That the Holy Spirit’s blessings
Their effective work be in us!
As thy Son did bid us pray,
Will it through the clouds come bursting
And give ear to our petition.


1. Cf. Jn. 3:16.


© Copyright Z. Philip Ambrose


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