Richard Massie

Richard Massie (1800–1887) was an English translator whose work helped make German Protestant hymnody available to English-speaking congregations. Born in Chester on June 18, 1800, he was the eldest son of the Rev. Richard Massie and lived for many years at Pulford Hall in Cheshire. His surviving hymnological reputation rests chiefly on translations from German.

In 1854 Massie published Martin Luther’s Spiritual Songs, an English collection of Luther's hymns. He later issued Lyra Domestica, translating devotional poetry associated with Carl Johann Philipp Spitta, and supplied further translations to collections and periodicals including Mercer's Church Psalter & Hymn Book, the British Herald, and the Day of Rest. Hymnary records dozens of texts connected with him, many in the role of translator.

Massie's full 1854 translation of Luther's Easter hymn began "Christ lay awhile in Death's strong bands." Later nineteenth-century hymnals altered portions of his wording, and an 1882 collection printed stanzas beginning "Christ Jesus lay in Death's strong bands," the form that became familiar in a number of English-language hymnals. Massie died on March 11, 1887.