Zu Bethlehem geboren

"Zu Bethlehem geboren"
German Christmas carol
The lyricist
EnglishBorn in Bethlehem
Written1637 (1637)
Textby Friedrich Spee
LanguageGerman
MelodyFrench chanson
Composedc.1600
Published1638 (1638)

"Zu Bethlehem geboren" is a German Christmas carol. The text is attributed to Friedrich Spee and was first printed in the collection Geistlichen Psälterlein (Little sacred psalter) by Johannes Heringsdorf in Cologne in 1637. The author was unknown until the 20th century, but research of style and content arrived at the attribution. The song was printed with a then-popular secular melody in 1638. The song appears in current Catholic and Protestant hymnals.