“Alleluia, He is Risen!” Alleluia, He is Risen Indeed!”
If you and I had been living during the early Christian era, this undoubtedly would have been our greeting to one another, as believers, on Easter Sunday. For the past century, however, many churches have celebrated this triumphant day and have been inspired anew, with the singing of this beloved Easter hymn, written and composed by Robert Lowry in 1874.
Although a well-respected preacher, professor, and Bible scholar, Lowry is perhaps most well- known for his hymns and songbooks. He had few equals in his day when it came to writing gospel texts and singable tunes. In addition to “Christ Arose,” he also wrote the familiar hymns “Shall We Gather at the River?”, “Nothing but the Blood,” “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” and “I Need Thee Every Hour.”
When often asked about his method for writing songs, Lowry answered in this way:
“I have no set method. Sometimes the music comes and the words follow…I watch my moods, and when anything strikes me, whether words or music, no matter where I am, at home or on the street, I jot it down…My brain is a sort of spinning machine, for there is music running through it all the time. The tunes of nearly all the hymns I have written have been completed on paper, before I tried them on the organ. Frequently, the words of the hymn and the music have been written at the same time.”
And so it was with “Christ Arose.” During the Easter season of 1874, while having his devotions one evening, Robert Lowry was captivated by the events associated with Christ’s resurrection, especially with these words recorded in Luke 24:6-8:
He is not here, but is risen; remember how He spoke unto you when He was in Galilee, saying, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words.
Soon Lowry found himself seated at the little pump organ in the parlor of his home, and, in a very spontaneous fashion, there came forth the music and the words. The hymn was first published in 1875 in the collection, Brightest and Best. The verses and refrain of the hymn depict a vivid contrast between the moods of Christ’s death and resurrection.
Low in the grave He lay – Jesus, my Savior!
Waiting the coming day – Jesus, my Lord!
Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign;
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Vainly they watch His bed – Jesus, my Savior!
Vainly they seal the dead – Jesus, my Lord!
Death cannot keep his prey – Jesus, my Savior!
He tore the bars away – Jesus, my Lord!
Musical Recordings
Traditional: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ExVIvNvXZs
Contemporary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0arouoCJ8es
A cappella: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGNCIL4uIqY
Piano Solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMblWaCAsSc
Organ Solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0fhHEoSFj8&t=71s