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Johann Heermann
- Birth: October 11, 1585, Raudten, Silesia
- Death: February 17, 1647, Lissa, Poland
Johann Heerman was born at Raudten, near Wohlaw, in Silesia. As a child he was very ill, and his mother vowed that he would receive theological training if he ever recovered. Heerman survived, and went on to study at Fraustadt, Breslau, and Brieg. In 1690, he entered the University of Strassburg, but eye trouble caused him to leave after just one year.
After his studies, Heerman was appointed diaconus of Koben, a small town near his hometown. For five years, he was well situated, but then a period of great struggle began. In 1616, Koben was devastated by fire. The next year Heerman's wife died. And in 1618 the Thirty Years' War broke out.
During the war, there was extensive fighting in Silesia, which belonged to Roman Catholic Austria. Koben was plundered four times and Heerman lost all his belongings several times. Then, in 1631, his town was also struck by the pestilence.
Heerman experienced severe throat problems during this time, which caused him to give up preaching in 1634. He retired to Lissa in Posen in 1638, where he remained until his death in 1647.
During his trials, Heerman wrote many fine hymns. Many of them were subjective hymns, making a transition from the objective hymns of the Reformation.
Page numbers in Trinity Hymnal (1990) and The Worshiping Church (1990)
| Title | Trinity | Worshiping |
|---|---|---|
| Ah, Holy Jesus, How Hast Thou Offended | 248 | 231 |
| O God, My Faithful God | 602 |