Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands
Easter that has been to the grave and has not forgotten it.
The words
In church you’ll sing updated words from hymn 370. These are the older words, and most lines are the same.
Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands, For our offences given; But now at God's right hand He stands, And brings us life from heaven; Wherefore let us joyful be, And sing to God right thankfully Loud songs of Alleluia! Alleluia!
It was a strange and dreadful strife, When Life and death contended; The victory remained with Life, The reign of death was ended; Stripped of power, no more he reigns; An empty form alone remains; His sting is lost for ever! Alleluia!
So let us keep the festival Whereto the Lord invites us; Christ is Himself the joy of all, The Sun that warms and lights us; By His grace He doth impart Eternal sunshine to the heart; The night of sin is ended! Alleluia!
Then let us feast this Easter day On the true Bread of heaven; The Word of grace hath purged away The old and wicked leaven: Christ alone our souls will feed; He is our meat and drink indeed; Faith lives upon no other! Alleluia!
As printed in Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), no. 110. Public domain: free to print, copy and share.
Old words in this hymn
- Hath, Hast
- has, have
- Doth, Dost
- does, do
- Alleluia
- a Hebrew word of praise to God
- Wherefore
- why, or for that reason
About this hymn
A strange and dreadful strife, when life and death contended. That line is the hymn. This is not Easter as relief or as spring, it is Easter as the aftermath of something violent that only just went the right way.
Bach built his fourth cantata on it, stanza by stanza, and did not soften it.
For congregations that find the brass and lilies of Easter morning slightly unbelievable, this is the hymn that meets them. The victory in it is real and it cost something.
For musicians and planners
| Words | Martin Luther (based on the Latin sequence 'Victimae paschali laudes'), 1524 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Translation | Richard Massie (altered), 1854 | Public domain |
| Tune | CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN · Johann Walter (setting in Geystliche gesangk Buchleyn, Wittenberg, 1524), from a Latin melody of c. 1100, 1524 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917), no. 110, via hymnary.org page scan (p. 447) and transcription; cross-checked word for word against The Lutheran Hymnary (Norwegian synods, 1913), no. 330, hymnary.org transcription
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.