"Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" is a Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

. It was initially written in the 14th century as a Bohemian

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

hymn titled "". It is an

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

hymn referring to the

Resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus ( grc-x-biblical, ἀνάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lord. ...

and based on Matthew 28:6, Acts 2:32, 1 Peter 3:18 and Revelation 1:17-18.

History

"Jesus Christ Is Risen Today" was first written in Latin titled "", as a Bohemian hymn in the 14th century by an unknown author on manuscripts written in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

and Breslau. In Latin, it had eleven verses. It was first translated into English in 1708 by John Baptist Walsh to be included in his (''Collection of Divine Songs and Hymns''). The verses of the hymn were revised in 1749 by John Arnold. Initially the hymn only had three verses translated with just the first verse being a direct translation; in 1740

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include "And Can It Be", "Christ the Lord Is Risen ...

(one of the founders of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

) added a fourth verse to the hymn as an alternative, which was later adopted into the hymn as part of it. The hymn is also noted for having

Alleluia Alleluia (derived from the Hebrew ''Hallelujah'', meaning "Praise Yahweh") is a Latin phrase in Christianity used to give praise to God. In Christian worship, Alleluia is used as a liturgical chant in which that word is combined with verses of s ...

as a refrain after every line. The hymn is set to a piece of music entitled "Easter Hymn" which was composed in the for "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today". There was a later version of "Easter Hymn" composed by

William Henry Monk William Henry Monk (16 March 1823 – 1 March 1889) was an English organist, church musician and music editor who composed popular hymn tunes, including "Eventide", used for the hymn " Abide with Me", and " All Things Bright and Beautiful". ...

which is also used for "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today". Some denominations of Christianity often just use one while some use both. The hymn is sometimes confused with " Christ the Lord Is Risen Today", which was written by Wesley. This is because the wording is similar and "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" is usually likewise sung to "Easter Hymn" with '' Llanfair'' generally being the most common alternative .

References

External links

"Jesus Christ is Risen Today"
sung by the Ely Cathedral Choir {{Authority control English Christian hymns Latin-language Christian hymns Easter hymns 14th-century hymns Songs about Jesus Hymns in The English Hymnal