{"slug": "christ-jesus-lay-in-death-s-strong-bands", "title": "Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands", "first_line": "Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands", "author": "martin-luther", "author_date": "1524", "translator": "richard-massie", "translator_date": "1854", "foot": "iambic", "meter": {"pattern": [8, 7, 8, 7, 7, 8, 7, 4], "doubled": false, "refrain": false, "alleluia": false, "irregular": false}, "topics": ["Easter", "Resurrection", "Victory"], "scripture": ["1 Corinthians 5:7-8", "1 Corinthians 15:54-57", "Romans 6:9"], "provenance": {"layer": "text", "source": "lutheran-hymnary-1913", "source_kind": "hand_encoded", "pd_basis": "pub_pre_1931", "pd_evidence": "Words: German \"Christ lag in Todesbanden\" (Martin Luther, 1524), English by Richard Massie, 1854, as revised in the pre-1931 American Lutheran hymnals (\"alt.\"). Every stanza is transcribed from a dated pre-1931 page image read directly: stanzas 1, 6, 7 from The Lutheran Hymnary (1913), No. 330, p. 352 (archive.org item lutheranhymnary0000unse, leaf n453; its index credits \"R. Massie, 1854\"); stanzas 2, 3, 5 from the Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book (Concordia, 1912; scanned printing of 1927), No. 224, pp. 211-212 (archive.org item evangelicalluthe0000vari_b7v6, leaves n242-n243); stanza 4 verbatim from Massie's own Martin Luther's Spiritual Songs (London, 1854), pp. 16-17 (archive.org item martinlutherssp00massgoog) \u2014 chosen over The Lutheran Hymnary's compressed strife-stanza, which borrows Massie's \"Stripped of power\" lines and would duplicate stanza 3's closing line. The stanza order is Luther's seven-verse order, as in ELHB 224. Three normalizations, per house practice: \"Murd'rer\" (st. 5) is the sung elision of the plates' \"Murderer\"; \"power\" (sts. 3, 4) is one syllable as sung; the em-dashes of ELHB st. 3 l. 6 are dropped. The now-common further alterations first attested in The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) No. 195 (\"it reigns\"/\"Death's sting\" in the strife stanza, \"And Satan cannot harm us\") are NOT adopted \u2014 every reading here is pre-1931. Massie's 1854 original first line is \"Christ lay awhile in Death's strong bands\"; the familiar \"Christ Jesus lay\" opening is the 1913 hymnal revision, taken from the dated plate.", "pd_jurisdictions": {"US": true}}, "stanzas": {"1": {"syllabified": "Christ Je -- sus lay in death's strong bands, For our of -- fens -- es giv -- en; But now at God's right hand He stands, And brings us life from heav -- en: Where -- fore let us joy -- ful be And sing to God right thank -- ful -- ly Loud songs of Hal -- le -- lu -- jah! Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands,", "For our offenses 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 Hallelujah!", "Hallelujah!"]}, "2": {"syllabified": "No son of man could con -- quer Death, Such mis -- chief sin had wrought us, For in -- no -- cence dwelt not on earth, And there -- fore Death had brought us In -- to thral -- dom from of old And ev -- er grew more strong and bold And kept us in his bon -- dage. Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["No son of man could conquer Death,", "Such mischief sin had wrought us,", "For innocence dwelt not on earth,", "And therefore Death had brought us", "Into thraldom from of old", "And ever grew more strong and bold", "And kept us in his bondage.", "Hallelujah!"]}, "3": {"syllabified": "But Je -- sus Christ, God's on -- ly Son, To our low state de -- scend -- ed, The cause of Death He has un -- done, His power for -- ev -- er end -- ed, Ru -- ined all his right and claim, And left him noth -- ing but the name, His sting is lost for -- ev -- er. Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["But Jesus Christ, God's only Son,", "To our low state descended,", "The cause of Death He has undone,", "His power forever ended,", "Ruined all his right and claim,", "And left him nothing but the name,", "His sting is lost forever.", "Hallelujah!"]}, "4": {"syllabified": "It was a strange and dread -- ful strife, When Life and Death con -- tend -- ed; The vic -- to -- ry re -- mained with Life, The reign of Death was end -- ed: Ho -- ly Scrip -- ture plain -- ly saith, That Death is swal -- lowed up by Death, Made hence -- forth a de -- ri -- sion. Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["It was a strange and dreadful strife,", "When Life and Death contended;", "The victory remained with Life,", "The reign of Death was ended:", "Holy Scripture plainly saith,", "That Death is swallowed up by Death,", "Made henceforth a derision.", "Hallelujah!"]}, "5": {"syllabified": "Here the true Pas -- chal Lamb we see, Whom God so free -- ly gave us; He died on the ac -- curs -- ed tree So strong His love! to save us. See, His blood doth mark our door; Faith points to it, Death pass -- es o'er, The Mur -- d'rer can -- not harm us. Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,", "Whom God so freely gave us;", "He died on the accursed tree", "So strong His love! to save us.", "See, His blood doth mark our door;", "Faith points to it, Death passes o'er,", "The Murd'rer cannot harm us.", "Hallelujah!"]}, "6": {"syllabified": "So let us keep the fes -- ti -- val Where -- to the Lord in -- vites us; Christ is Him -- self the joy of all, The sun that warms and lights us: By His grace He doth im -- part E -- ter -- nal sun -- shine to the heart; The night of sin is end -- ed! Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["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!", "Hallelujah!"]}, "7": {"syllabified": "Then let us feast this Eas -- ter day On the true bread of heav -- en; The word of grace hath purged a -- way The old and wick -- ed leav -- en; Christ a -- lone our souls will feed; He is our meat and drink in -- deed; Faith lives up -- on no oth -- er! Hal -- le -- lu -- jah!", "prose": ["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!", "Hallelujah!"]}}, "license": "The hymn texts and tunes are in the public domain; per-layer provenance is recorded on each record."}