Two more missives from Mary Louise VanDyke:

In researching Horn and his hymn, I do not think we can label him Mennonite. Although his hymns appear in Mennonite collections they occur more often in German Evangelical Reformed contexts. I believe he was a Bishop in the Evangelical Church, not in the Mennonite Church. The hymn was indexed for us from a Mennonite collection titled THE YOUTH HYMNARY, 1956.

We have a copy in storage here in the library and I have asked for it; I don't think it will shed further light on Horn's life. But, according to my files, the text in both German and English was indexed from that hymnal.

M.L.VanDyke for Dictionary of American Hymnology, Oberlin College Library

and

In THE YOUTH HYMNARY, 1956 there are two stanzas in German and English of Nun Ist Sie Erschienen. The text citation is "W.Horn, Tr. H. J. L, 1954" and the music citation is "James R. Murray". The German text is

1.Nun ist sie erschienen, die himmlische Sonne,
Und strahlt durch die irdische Nacht;
Darum trocknet die Thraenen und jauchzet vor Wonne
Denn den Menschen ist Heil nun in Christo gebracht.

2.Wie lag sie umnachtet in Tod und Verderben,
Die Menschheit, voll Suende und Not!
Doch durch Christum kann jeder die Seligkeit erben;
"Glaubt und lebet" so heist's nun gelobet sei Gott.

REFRAIN: Dem Heiland sei Ehre Und Frieden der Welt
In Christo dem Retter, Ist Heil uns bestellt.

The English translation by H.J.L.(neither Hiebert nor Letkeman) is:

1. Now appeareth the Heavenly Sun in its glory,
It streams thru the darkness of earth;
So then dry tears of sadness and sing the glad story
Of a Saviour now come by the heavenly birth.

2. The people that walked in sin's condemnation,
And weary of battle and strife
Now inherit in Jesus the gift of salvation.
"Believe ye and live" says the Lord of all life".

REF: To Jesus be glory, Jesus be glory, peace and goodwill on earth
In Christ is salvation, in Christ salvation, Proclaim we today His birth.

The initials H.J.L. are a mystery; I've gone through the book to see what other translations are by H.J.L. and find that he/she translated Julie von Haussmann's "So nimm denn meine Haende" in 1954; Luise Hensel's "Muede bin ich geh zur ruh" in 1954; Johannes Falk's "O du Froehliche" in 1954; and "Der Tannenbaum" in 1954. However, L.J.H. is cited as translator of Schmidt's "Come hither, ye children" 1954 and as paraphraser of Ps. 23.
Lester Hostetler is the editor of the collectionpublished in 1956. I don't know if this clears up or muddies up your research into this Christmas hymn.

Mary Louise VanDyke for Dictionary of American Hymnology, Oberlin College Library

Wilfried, can you propose any emendations of the German text she gives?

Haruo