Born: Sep­tem­ber 16, 1557, Laban, Schle­sien (Si­le­sia).

Died: Feb­ru­a­ry 5, 1622, Breslau.

Martin was the son of Hans Behm, town over­seer of Lau­ban. In 1574, dur­ing a pro­tract­ed fam­ine, Dr. Paul Fa­bri­ci­us, roy­al phy­si­cian in Vi­en­na and a dis­tant rel­a­tive, took Mar­tin to Vi­en­na, where he worked as a pri­vate tu­tor for two years. He then went to Straß­burg, where he was be­friend­ed by Jo­hann Sturm, Rec­tor of the new­ly found­ed un­i­ver­si­ty there. Re­turn­ing home at his mo­ther’s re­quest af­ter his fa­ther’s death in 1580, he was ap­point­ed as­sist­ant in the town school, and on Sep­tem­ber 20, was or­dained di­a­co­nus of the Ho­ly Trin­i­ty Church. Af­ter the sen­ior pas­tor was pro­mot­ed to Bres­lau, the Town Coun­cil kept the post nom­in­al­ly va­cant for two years, then made Behm sen­ior pas­tor in June 1586. He held the po­si­tion 36 years, re­nowned as a preach­er and faith­ful pas­tor through trou­bled times: fa­mine in 1590, pes­ti­lence in 1613, war in 1619. A pro­li­fic au­thor, he wrote about 480 hymns. His works in­clude:

• Centuria preca­tionum rhythmicarum (Wit­ten­berg: 1606, second edition 1611)
• Centuria secunda preca­tionum rhythmicarum (Wit­ten­berg: 1608, second edition 1611)
• Centuria preca­tionum rhythmicarum (Wit­ten­berg: 1615) (complete edition of the Three Centuries, Jena and Breslau: 1658)

Sources

Hymns

1. Das walt Gott Vater und Gott Sohn
   • O God Almighty, Father, Son
2. O Heilige Dreifaltigkeit
   • O Thou Most Ho­ly Trin­i­ty
   • O Ho­ly, Blessed Trin­i­ty, Divine
   • O Ho­ly, Ho­ly, Ho­ly Three
3. O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht
   • Jesu, My Light and Sure Defense
   • Lord Jesu, Fountain of My Life
   • Lord Jesus Christ, My Life, My Light
   • Lord Jesus Christ, My Soul’s Desire
   • O Jesu, Life-Light of My Way
4. O König aller Ehren
   • O Jesu, King of Glory
   • O King of Glory, Da­vid’s Son