Even though the Neue Zionsharfe had already been translated into English, the Apostolic Christian Church Nazarene also translated the Neue Zionsharfe, hiring ten university English professors for the work. This translation was first published in 1940. This created a slightly different, but comparable English hymnal. It became the official hymnal of the Apostolic Christian Church Nazarene. Of the two English translations of the Neue Zionsharfe, the Apostolic Christian Hymnal most closely mirrors the European translations in musical composition and song selections. The hymnal was a complete translation of the Neue Zionsharfe, as well as the Heft, and the Alte Lieder.
In January of 2016, with the approval of the ACCN Elder Body, a steering committee was commissioned to make the necessary decisions to begin the work on the new edition of the hymnal. This project was undertaken for a number of reasons:
The hymnal is one of the treasures of the Nazarean heritage, and has been largely unchanged for over 70 years. The objective of this project was to preserve the look and feel of the original hymnal, and remain true to its character. Changes will be minimal, and only made with the approval of the entire steering committee.
The Apostolic Christian Hymnal is used by the Apostolic Christian Nazarene Church, the English Doroslovac Church, the Christian Apostolic Church, and the German Apostolic Church. Churches in these denominations are distributed across the United States and Canada.
In January of 2016, with the approval of the ACCN Elder Body, a steering committee was commissioned to make the necessary decisions to begin the work on the new edition of the hymnal. This project was undertaken for a number of reasons:
- The existing stock of 2005 edition had been depleted, necessitating a new printed edition of the Apostolic Christian Hymnal.
- It has become increasingly difficult to find a printer who can print the current hymnal from the emulsion-based film that had been used for the previous edition.
- By recreating the hymnal using a digital workflow, the new edition could be easily printed using a variety of methods, as well as e-published.
- Refinements and corrections could be made as needed.
The hymnal is one of the treasures of the Nazarean heritage, and has been largely unchanged for over 70 years. The objective of this project was to preserve the look and feel of the original hymnal, and remain true to its character. Changes will be minimal, and only made with the approval of the entire steering committee.
The Apostolic Christian Hymnal is used by the Apostolic Christian Nazarene Church, the English Doroslovac Church, the Christian Apostolic Church, and the German Apostolic Church. Churches in these denominations are distributed across the United States and Canada.
The links above will take you to the Apostolic Christian Nazarene Church of Windsor Canada's website.