Sunday, August 6, 2023

"Christus ist erstanden" (#100)

German text in the Gesangbuch:
1 Christus ist erstanden
von des Todes Banden,
des freuet sich der Engel Schar,
singend im Himmel immerdar:
Halleluja!

2 Der für uns sein Leben
in Tod hat gegeben,
der ist nun unser Osterlamm,
des wir uns freuen allesamt.
Halleluja!

3 Der ans Kreuz gehangen,
kein Trost konnt erlangen,
der lebet nun in Herrlichkeit,
uns zu vertreten stets bereit.
Halleluja!

4 Der so ganz verschwiegen
zur Höllen gestiegen,
den wohlgerüsten Starken band,
der wird nun in der Höh erkannt.
Halleluja!

5 Der da lag begraben,
der ist nun erhaben,
und sein Thun wird kräftig erweist
und in der Christenheit gepreist.
Halleluja!

6 Er läßt nun verkünden
Vergebung der Sünden
und wie man die durch rechte Buß
nach seiner Ordnung suchen muß.
Halleluja!

7 O Christe, Osterlamm,
speis uns heut allesamt,
nimm weg all unser Missethat,
des wir dir singen früh und spat:
Halleluja!

Brüder in Böhmen.
My prose translation:
1 Christ is risen
From the bonds of death;
Therefore the host of angels rejoices,
Forever singing in Heaven:
Hallelujah!

2 He Who His life
Has given in death,
He Who is now our Easter lamb;
Therefore we rejoice altogether.
Hallelujah!

3 He Who hung on the cross,
Could reach no comfort;
He Who now lives in splendor,
Constantly prepared to plead for us.
Hallelujah!

4 He Who so completely discreetly
Came up from hell,
Having bound the well-prepared strong man;
He Who will not be recognized in the highest.
Hallelujah!

5 He Who lay there buried;
He Who is now raised;
And His act will be powerfully shown
And be praised in Christendom.
Hallelujah!

6 He now lets forgiveness of sins
Be announced
And how through true repentance
One must seek it according to His order.
Hallelujah!

7 O Christ, Easter Lamb,
Feed us altogether to-day;
Take away all our misdeeds
So that we sing to to You early and late:
Hallelujah!

Monks in Bohemia.
I'm not sure what "stets" ("constantly") in the third verse modifies:  whether it's "constantly prepared to plead for us" or "prepared to plead constantly for us."

In the line "zur Höllen gestiegen" in the fourth verse, the preposition "zur" and the verb "gestiegen" seem to be at odds.  "Zur" means "to (the)," but "gestiegen" means "came up" or "rose."  I translated the line as "Came up from hell," but I'm not sure this is the best translation.  The image of binding the strong man (in the same verse) seems to come from Mark 3:27.

Parts of the seventh verse (the Lamb taking away misdeeds) are drawn from John 1:29.

This hymn appears as "Christ the Lord Is Risen Again" in The Lutheran Hymnal (#190), but as far as I can tell, it's not in Lutheran Worship or The Lutheran Service Book.  In The Lutheran Hymnal and as the Gesangbuch notes, the text is sung to "its own melody."  Here's the TLH arrangement: