The sign of the cross I triumphantly bear

Author: Carl Olof Rosenius

Rosenius, Carl Olof. (Nysätra, Sweden, February 3, 1816--February 24, 1868). Lutheran. Son of a state church preacher with pietist convictions. University of Uppsala, 1838-1839. Tutor at Lenna. Lay preacher and evangelist. Editor of Pietisten, 1842-1868, a monthly which played a major role in the revival and free church movement. In order to stem the tide of separation and keep the revival within the state church, Rosenius and his friends organized "Evangeliska Fosterlandsstiftelsen" (Evangelical National Foundation) in 1856. In his activities as a lay preacher Rosenius was often accompanied by the singer-hymnist, Oscar Ahnfelt, and his lyrics were published in the latter's Andeliga Sånger (Spiritual Songs). Author of "Var jag går" (Wher… Go to person page >

Translator: Ernst W. Olson

Ernst W. Olson (b. Skane, Sweden, 1870; d. Chicago, IL, 1958) prepared the English translation for the 1925 Hymnal of the Lutheran Augustana Synod. As editor, writer, poet, and translator, Olson made a valuable contribution to Swedish-American culture and to church music. His family immigrated to Nebraska when he was five years old, but he spent much of his life in the Chicago area. Educated at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, he was editor of several Swedish-American newspapers and spent most of his professional career as an editor for the Augustana Book Concern (1911-1949). Olson wrote History of the Swedes in Illinois (1908). He also contributed four original hymns and twenty-eight translations to The Hymnal (1925) of the Evang… Go to person page >