which comes out in a Reformation mould, which has given to us one of the most expressive of our Easter hymns. There are at least four different translations of this Luther hymn which have merit. That which probably best expresses the thought and breathes the spirit of Luther is the translation by Richard Massie. He made it in 1854. It appears in "Martin Luther's Spiritual Songs." We are glad to have these English translations of the old historic hymns of the Church; but to enter fully into their spirit it will in all cases be helpful to know the original text. LUTHER'S EASTER HYMN Christ Jesus lay in Death's strong bands, But now at God's Right Hand He stands, Wherefore let us joyful be, And sing to God right thankfully Alleluia! It was a strange and dreadful strife, The victory remained with Life, 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 The night of sin is ended! Then let us feast this Easter day He is our Meat and Drink indeed; AN EASTER HYMN FROM THE LATIN Christ the Lord is ris'n today; At the Paschal victim's feet. Christ, the victim undefiled, Christ, who once for sinners bled, Hail, Eternal Hope on high! Hail, Thou King of victory! Hail, Thou Prince of life adored! Help and save us, gracious Lord. This hymn is another which has come to us from the Latin. It has sometimes been credited to Nother, of St. Gall; but it is more likely a hymn of the eleventh or twelfth century. The oldest book in which it has been found is the "Lyra Davidica," which was published in 1708 A. D. The translation in use was made by a Miss Jane Leeson, who has published a number of hymns under the title of "Hymns and Scenes of Childhood." Little if anything is known of her personal history. Yet her name will live, for she wrote the hymn: "Saviour, teach me day by day, Though we know so little of her, yet we remember her, and she did not live in vain. Her prayer is the petition of many a child which sounds sweetly into the ear of the Saviour, our Master Teacher. A BOHEMIAN EASTER HYMN Christ the Lord is risen again; He Who gave for us His life, He Who bore all pain and loss He Who slumbered in the grave, Now through Christendom it rings Thou our Paschal Lamb indeed, That we all may sing for aye, This is an Easter hymn from the first hymn book of the Bohemian Brethren. It appeared in 1531. These "Brethren" allied themselves in the time of the Reformation with Luther. In their doctrines they laid special stress on the Eucharist in both kinds for the communicants, namely, that they should have both the bread and the wine; the preaching of God's word should be free to every man; the clergy should have no temporal authority; public crimes should be punished. In modern times Count Zinzendorf revived their teachings, and we have their successors in the Moravian Church. The German original of this hymn begins: "Christus ist erstanden von des Todes Banden." It is credited in its German form to Michael Weisse. It evidently, however, was suggested by a still older hymn, which begins: "Christ ist erstanden von der Marter alle." It goes back in its original to at least the twelfth century. The translation, which is used in English, is that of Miss Winkworth, who has been very busy with her pen in serving the Church by furnishing many of the beautiful translations of ancient hymns. Michael Weisse, like Luther, did much to enrich German hymnology. His work was principally translations from the ancient Latin. How rich German hymnology is! Our blood and our tongue are English; but when we begin to look for our favorite hymns we must often turn to those which come from the land of Luther. So it is that Christian F. Gellert has furnished us a splendid Easter hymn which is a great favorite and has come into almost general use in English hymn books. That hymn in the original begins: "Jesus Lebt! mit Ihm auch ich." This hymn was first published at Leipzig in 1757. It was in six six-line stanzas. The keynote of the hymn is to be found in John 14: 19. It is his finest hymn and has its own peculiar lyric character. For the last fifty years there has scarcely been a hymn book of any importance in English-speaking countries which has not contained it. This alone should assure it a place among the favorite hymns. While originally written as an Easter hymn, it has also found its way into favor as a hymn for the dying and also for use at the consecration of cemeteries. It is often sung at funerals. Notable occasions have been in St. Paul's, London, at the funeral of the Lord Mayor G. S. Nottage, April 18, 1885; also that of Bishop McDougall, of Labuan, in Winchester Cathedral. How our appreciation of the old hymns increases as we learn their history. No Easter is complete without the singing of Charles Wesley's grand Easter hymn, which tells the Easter story |