"Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" (Alone to God in the highest be glory) is an early Lutheran hymn, with text and melody attributed to Nikolaus Decius.

"Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" is a paraphrase of the Latin Gloria from the mass liturgy.

[1] The oldest prints of the hymn do not mention an author,[2] but it is believed that it was written in Low German by Nikolaus Decius in 1523, which makes it one of the earliest songs of the Reformation.

[6] Text and melody of the hymn were published together for the first time in Johann Spangenberg [de]'s Kirchengesenge Deudtsch (Magdeburg 1545).

[7] In 17th-century Leipzig hymnals the German text of "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" was attributed to Nikolaus Selnecker.

Catherine Winkworth translated the hymn to "All glory be to God on high, who hath our race befriended", which appears in 95 hymnals.

O Jesu Christ, Sohn eingeborn des allerhöchsten Vaters, Versöhner derer, die verlorn, du Stiller unsres Haders, Lamm Gottes, heilger Herr und Gott: nimm an die Bitt aus unsrer Not, erbarm dich unser.

O Heilger Geist, du höchstes Gut, du allerheilsamst' Tröster: vor Teufels G'walt fortan behüt, die Jesus Christ erlöset durch große Mart'r und bittern Tod; abwend all unsern Jamm'r und Not!

As a hymn usually sung every Sunday, "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr" was often the basis for chorale preludes.

[14] Other composers from the 18th century or earlier set the hymn tune for organ including Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Georg Böhm, Christian Geist, Johann Peter Kellner and Melchior Schildt.

He used the first stanza of the hymn "Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt", a paraphrase of Psalm 23 by Cornelius Becker published in 1602, as the closing chorale of Du Hirte Israel, höre, BWV 104, with the tune of "Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr".

Similarly, he used a 1530 paraphrase of Psalm 23 by Wolfgang Meuslin as the base of the chorale cantata Der Herr ist mein getreuer Hirt, BWV 112.