A vesper with Bach’s Passion: how to imagine it? Well, let’s try…

premieres: 1724 St John Passion; 1727 St Matthew Passion)2

Leipzig, Good Friday

At a quarter to two, the bells of the City Churches begin to toll: the citizens of Leipzig are called to gather for Vespers. Around two o’clock, the organ takes over and intones the chorale Da Jesus an dem Kreuze stund (“When Jesus was crucified” )

Samuel Scheidt (choral prelude SSWV), organist Bart Jacobs – Thomas orgel Ciboure.

All stanzas are sung, the first and last one inviting the congregation to “muse upon the wounds and words of the Man of Sorrows.” That’s exactly what they are going to do, assisted by the power of ‘Music’…

As they close their hymnals, the Hauptmusic begins. All musicians and singers are positioned at the rear (west-side) of the Church: on the Organ Loft (St. Thomas), in the ‘schoolboys-loft’ in the St. Nicolai (yellow arrow – the red one points to the organ). The Hauptmusik, the Passion, can begin.

It must have taken them by surprise, in 1724, with Bach’s first offering (St. John Passion): Herr, unser Herrscher. And in 1727, entirely different in atmosphere but equally breathtaking: the instrumental lamento (feel the heartbeat) that opens the St. Matthew Passion: Kommt, ihr Töchter, helft mir klagen… (“Come, ye daughters, help me mourn”), followed by the dramatic dialogue: Sehet! — “Wen?” “Den Bräutigam… etc. and then, rising from primeval depths, far above the musical flood, the sopranos singing in unison: O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig (“O innocent Lamb of God”).1 This opening chorus lasts nearly ten minutes. It heralds the Gospel narrative, in which recitatives alternate with crowd choruses, chorales, and arias. After the figured chorale O Mensch, bewein dein’ Sünde groß (“O man, lament thy grievous sin”)—inserted only in the 1736 version, having been plucked from the St. John Passion—the first part concludes. In earlier versions, a simple SATB chorale, Jesum lass ich nicht von mir (“I shall not let go of Jesus”), closed the first half, as is the case in the St. John Passion with ‘Petrus, der nicht denket zurück (“Peter, who doesn’t remember”)

And then: silence.

After a brief pause, the grand organ begins once more, playing the pulpit hymn: Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend. The assembly then will sing the frist stanza

from the reconstruction of the celebration 1724 – John Butt (2012): community hymn singing.

Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend,
dein’ Heilgen Geist du zu uns send;
mit Hilf und Gnad er uns regier
und uns den Weg zur Wahrheit führ.

 Lord Jesus Christ, be present now,
our hearts in true devotion bow,
your Spirit send with grace divine,
and let your truth within us shine.
tr. Catherine Winkworth

In the meantime the priest walks towards the pulpit and ascends it. For many in attendance, this is the heart of the service: the sermon, often lasting an hour. Here, the Passion narrative is transformed into meditation: reflections on personal life, suffering, and the redemptive power of Christ’s own.

After the sermon, the music resumes. Recitatives, arias, choruses, and chorales follow one another once more, until the story reaches Joseph of Arimathea’s garden, where the tomb is sealed. The St. Matthew Passion ends with the final chorus: Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder (“We sit down in tears”), closing with the words sanfte Ruh—gentle rest. In the St. John Passion, angelic voices transport the soul to paradise: O Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein. Those who have listened—attuned in breath and spirit—will have undergone catharsis.

But Vespers are not yet over.

The finest singers rise again to perform the motet Ecce quomodo moritur justus (probably by Jacob Handl/Gallus, but this is not stated explicitly). This ancient part (responsory) of Vesper liturgy, composed in rich polyphony, deepens the emotional resonance stirred by the Baroque music. It evokes the image of how the just (‘tsaddiq’) die. On earth, no ones takes notice, but in heaven (s)he is received in peace.

Nun danket alle Gott (Hammerschmidt) – concerto: soprano Julie Roset, with Clematis dir. Stéphanie de Failly. https://lnk.to/Nun_danket_alle_GottID

Good Friday 2025, Dick Wursten


[2] All information about the order of the Good Friday vesper is based on one source: the description of a sexton (custos) of St Thomas Church, Johann Christoph Rost. For completeness the original text (nr. 180 in NBA BachDokumente II). The reference is to 1721 (first performance of Kuhnau’s Passion, but the sexton explicitly says that this order is repeated (het writes Item) in the following years. The reference to the chorale ‘O Lamm Gottes unschuldig‘ at the end of the first halve of the Passion, in my interpretation, not necessarily refers to a hymn sung by the assembly, but can also refer to the closing chorale of Kuhnau’s Passion, part I (text and score not extant).
Aö. 1721. ward am CharFreytag in der vesper, die Passion zum 1sten mahl Musiciret, np. I. Viertel auf 2. wurde gelautet mit dem gantzen gelaute, als ausgelautet, wurd auf dem Chor, das Lied gesungen Da Jesus an den Creütze stund etc, dann ging gleich die Musicirte Passion an, und ward vor der Predigt halb gesungen diese Helffte schloße sich mit dem verß, ô Lamb Gottes unschuldig, damit ging der Prister auf die Cantzel. auf der Cantzel ward a[uch] Herr Jesu Christ dich zu uns wend gesungen. Nach der Predigt dann ging die andere Helffte der Music an, als solche aus, ward die Motete Ecce quomodo moritur justus etc gesungen, alsdenn der Passions verß intoniret u. Colle[c]te gesprochen. alsdenn Nun dancket alle Gott gesungen.

P.S. 1
In 2002 – reprinted 2023, open access now, Denis Laborde did a similar exercise, but his sketch is wanting, for not based on sound historical scholarship. Since his sketch is quite popular, and (re-)produces popular opinions, some remarks: 1. Contrary to what he suggests, no orchestra and singers were placed near the altar – all were on the organ loft (he refers to St. Matthew Passion). 2. The community did not join in in singing the Chorales during a Cantate/Oratorio/Passion. 3. His phrase “In the clamor of the two orchestras playing at both ends of the nave, in the chaos of the two choirs responding to each other in waves of dissonances, while in the center the congregation struck up their Lutheran chorales…” is ludicrous. 4. The community didn’t sing the motet ‘Ecce quomodo moritur’. 5. His inventio (which is also the conclusio, so caveat!) that this performance provoked a clash with Bach’s superiors about the ‘operatic’ character of Church music, is widespread but not correct. Verify your references. Source: Denis Laborde, The unbearable sound: the strange career of musicoclashes, , Iconoclash. Beyond the images war. Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press, 2002 : 253- 280.
A book about liturgical praxis in Saxony by Christian Geber is the source. Here the original quote : “Als in einer vornehmen Stadt diese Paßions-Music mit 12 Violinen, vielen Hautbois [Oboen], Fagots und anderen Instrumenten mehr, zum erstenmal gemacht ward, erstaunten viele Leute darüber und wußten nicht, was sie daraus machen sollten. Auf einer Adelichen Kirch-Stube [Empore] waren viele Hohe Ministri und Adeliche Damen beysammen, die das erste Passions-Lied aus ihren Büchern mit großer Devotion sungen: Als nun diese theatralische Music angieng, so geriethen alle diese Personen in die größte Verwunderung, sahen einander an und sagten: Was soll daraus werden? Eine alte Adeliche Wittwe sagte: “Behüte Gott, ihr Kinder! Ist es doch, als ob man in einer Opera-Komödie wäre.” – Aber alle hatten ein Mißfallen daran und führten gerechte Klage darüber.” (Christian Gerber, Historie der Kirchen-Ceremonien in Sachsen (1732).
Gerber is a pietist and indeed a critic of concerted music in Church. But this quote does not refer to Bach in Leipzig. Why not? Gerber refers to the first time a concerted Passion is performed (In Leipzig this was 1717 – Neue Kirche; 1721 Thomas Kirche – Bach’s firstling is only in 1724). NB: Gerber recounts the story in a general way ‘in einer vornehmen Stadt’ (in a noble city). In this book he is always specific when he refers to Leipzig or Dresden. Of course, that many – more conservative – people objected to Bachs modern music, will be true. But in assessing this différend acts should be distinguished from fiction, otherwise the truth will get lost.

Hearing Bach’s Passions (Daniel R. Melamed)

From the book, two tables

uit Daniel R. Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions (2005/2016).

This overview is confirmed by a number of ‘church service orders’ (Kirchen Agende). Martin Petzoldt and Robin A. Leaver give similar overviews but with more detail and some variations (a motet at the beginning) and a ‘reading’ of the Passion from a gospel-harmonisation. I doubt that would be maintained when the narrative was also sung (in the Passion). a ‘doublure’. Which Passion? Apparently there was choice, liberty. A list:

uit Daniel R. Melamed, Hearing Bach’s Passions. (2005/2016). There is a fairly broad consensus about 1727 as the first version of the St. Matthew Passion, but it remains hypothetical, for no material (documentary) evidence available. Personally, 1729 convinces me more: Bach working on the St. Matthew Passion during Lent and then being commissioned to enhance the funeral of Leopold von Köthen, thus killing ‘two birds with one stone’ (the Funeral Music has 10 choruses/arias in common with the St. Matthew Passion).

For those interested in the context: A sermon by Erdmann Neumeister (1720), a lutheran pastor, who also wrote cantate libretto’s. It’s a versper sermon for the Passion-tide. https://youtu.be/vzaKGXAJ4pE

Here the facsimile of that sermon (with ‘introduction) from the book: “Epistolische Nachlese derjenigen Predigten, welche er ehedessen in der Fürstlichen Schloss-Kirche zu Weissenfelss, uber die Sonn- und Fest-Tags Epistel-Texte, gehalten, und nebst sechs Passions-Predigten, auf Ansuchen, zum Drucke gegeben. Gott der Herre ist Sonn und Schild” (Hamburg, 1720)

Ecce quomodo moritur iustus (Gallus/Handl)

Jacob Hándl (Jacobus Gallus), Opus Musicum , volume II (Prague, 1587) nr. 13

The text of this motet is Responsory from the Vigil of Holy Saturday (the Tenebrae). ℟ = Prophecy of Isaiah 57,1-2 = prima pars ; ℣ = Psalm 75:3 = secunda pars. NB: other verses also can be found, f.i. in the Lutheran service book. It’s also part of the Office for the Deceased (funeral music). Idem in the Lutheran tradition. Texts are polyseme.
– The rubric in Hándl/Gallus’ publication is clear: De Passione Domini Nostri Iesu Christi.
– Martin Luther included this text (with gregorian chant) in his ‘hymnbook’ for funerals (1542). It was still in use in Bach’s days, also for both occasions: Passion and Obsequies.
In 1682 the setting of Gallus/Handl was published by Godfried Vopelius in the Neu Leipziger Gesangbuch providing a singable German text as well “Siehe, wie dahin stirbt der Gerechte”. That in Leipzig Hándl/Gallus motet (there are others) was sung, is not a fact but an assumption.
Jacob Hándl (or Gallus, 1550-1591) was born in Carniola (Kranjska), Slovenia. He flourished at the Habsburg court (Graz, Prague).

performance by Singer Pur from the CD ‘musica divina’

[prima pars]
Ecce quomodo moritur iustus,
et nemo percipit corde,
viri iusti tolluntur,
et nemo considerat.
A facie iniquitatis sublatus est iustus,
Et erit in pace memoria eius.
[secunda pars]
In pace factus est locus eius,
et in Sion habitatio eius,
et erit in pace memoria eius.

[first part]
Behold, the (a) rigtheous one dies,
and no one cares,
rigtheous people are taken away,
no one is concerned.
From injustice the rigtheous is removed,
he will be remembered in peace.
[second part]
In peace, that’s where he is at home,
In Sion his dwelling place,
and he will be remembered in peace.

Just a note: the Latin text of this response differs considerably from the standard Latin text in the most widespread translation (the Vulgate). Idem for the German translation by Luther: 1Aber der Gerechte kommt um, und niemand ist der es zu Herzen nehme; und heilige Leute werden aufgerafft, und niemand achtet darauf, denn die Gerechten werden weggerafft vor dem Unglück; und die richtig vor sich gewandelt haben, kommen zum Frieden und ruhen in ihren Kammern.

As said, the motet is based on the responsory of the vigils of Holy Saturday (Sabbato sancta – Tenebrae).
– See https://gregorien.info/chant/id/2698/10/fr.
Below a manuscript of the Tenebrae with this responsory. The lamentation that precedes it is also very famous (O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus – Behold and see if there be any sorrow Handel’s Messiah)

Ms. CZ-Pu XIV.B.13 (National Library Czechia, Prague) Provenance: Prague, St. George Monastery – Date: 14th century 

Donum superadditum (the pages from Vopelius 1682, with the Latin/German text of Gallus’ motet). This gesangbuch was still in use in Bach’s times. It contains all texts for the celebration of the Char-Freytage. Passion-hymns, but also a complete score to sing the St. Matthew Passion (= precedes Gallus) – see images below

The glory of the cathedral schools (12th Century)

Fragment from Episode 4 of The Age of the Cathedrals

Georges Duby discusses the origins of science, with a particular focus on Pierre Abélard and the concept of ‘reasoning.’ During the broadcast, he pulls a sheet of paper from his pocket containing a quote from Historia Calamitatum about Abélard’s teaching method and reads it aloud. A standout moment on Antenne 2 (France) in 1980—still well worth watching, listening to, and reflecting on today. (English subtitles (cc) ; full text below the fragment.)

TRANSCRIPT (translation plus…)

“The construction of the cathedrals (at a rapid pace in the late 12th and early 13th centuries) was made possible by the growth of the urban economy. Certainly. But at the same time it is also due to another growth, which is inextricably linked to the first: the growth of knowledge (savoir). After all, every cathedral is flanked by a school, and the most dynamic schools are located around the cathedrals in Northern France. Certainly, lessons were also given in monasteries, but the monastery school was closed, the cathedral school was open. That has to do with its function. The cathedral is – by definition – the church of the bishop. The primary function of the bishop is (yes, really! DW) the proclamation of the Word of God and not only in his own church, no, in his entire diocese. He needs helpers, to preach with him. And therefore workshops (ateliers) to train preachers, to educate them. That implied good books (manuscripts), good teachers who could explain these books. And: in a society where travel became increasingly easy, we see intellectual adventurers roaming Europe in search of the best schools. These were precisely where the masterpieces of Gothic art were built: in Laon, Chartres, and Paris. I do not think it is a coincidence that the locations of these intellectual research centers coincide with the hotbeds of artistic creation (artistic = everything that man ‘adds’ to nature: skill, craft, artisanal art)

The cycle of study was the same as in the “first Renaissance” (under Charlemagne), the seven liberal arts – the artes liberales. These can be seen on one of the rose windows of the cathedral of Laon, where they surround the central flower where Wisdom sits enthroned. They form her court, enriching and enlightening. The seven artes consisted of three introductory disciplines: grammar (language), rhetoric (the art of speaking) and dialectic (the art of reasoning), followed by four more in-depth disciplines: the study of numbers, geometry, astronomy and the science of the ‘tones of music’ (and their mutual relationship).

Rose window with the 7 artes, cathedral of Laon (completed c. 1200)

These disciplines revealed the mysterious laws that govern the universe. This path, this road, this boulevard of knowledge, ultimately led to theology – the highest science because it helped man to fathom the secrets of God that he communicates in what he says (his Word) and in the visible signs, scattered in nature.2

In the second half of the 12th century, the schools of Paris were extremely successful. They became the breeding ground for skilled bishops; all the popes of that time came to study there. This success was largely due to the teaching of Abélard3). They started with the language, the words, but dialectics was central: understanding the meaning of the words through reasoning. Not by meditating on them in mystical contemplation, as in the monastery, but by analyzing them. The intellectual tools became increasingly refined. Clergymen traveled with the knights who reconquered Spain and Sicily from the Muslims, and they threw themselves into the magnificent libraries of Toledo and Palermo. They began – together with/at the same time as the Jews – feverishly to translate Arabic works into Latin – works that the Arabs had in turn translated from Greek. What they thus revealed was ancient science: Euclid, Ptolemy, and even more valuable to them: the logic of Aristotle.

The method was refined, perfected and enriched by Abelard. The first step? Doubting! Abelard said: “we arrive at inquiry through doubt, and through inquiry we discover the truth.” Pride, arrogance… Some fiercely condemned this attitude, notably Bernard of Clairvaux, who ultimately brought Abelard down. But what fertility there was in this approach! What enthusiasm arose in the schools. It was no longer a matter of simply listening to lessons, but of discussion. Dialogue, dialectic, debate! “My students,” said Abelard, “want to hear human reasons, explanations that they understand; not propositions and affirmations.” They believed that talking (teaching) was useless, unless one also conveyed the understanding of what one wanted to say, and also that one could not believe anything unless one first understood it.4

Ils disaient qu’il est inutile de parler si l’on donne pas l’intelligence de ses propos et que nul ne peut croire s’il n’a pas d’abord compris. Et toute notre science sors de là…

Georges Duby, Le temps des cathédrales – TV-series – 9 episodes, aired 1980.

Lorenzo Sewell, Trump’s jester

Sewell’s speech (calling it a prayer would be blasphemous) was almost completely copy-past from Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech of 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial 5. He is doing his utmost to imitate his role model. His ‘act’ elicits an approving smile from the president: The new king is entertained by his jester.

BTW: The original parts of Sewell’s speech are few: the opening prayer (with the “millimeter miracle”) and the call for applause at the end. All the rest is plagiarism. But there is a catch: He adds a few cunning transtions to the text, proclaiming the president as God’s chosen instrument. In the text below I highlighted these words.

Fact-check it yourself.

L. Sewell (2025)  M.L. King (1963)
Inauguration Donald J. TrumpMarch on Washington for jobs and freedom






Let us pray for our 47th president. Heavenly Father, we’re so grateful that you gave our 45th and now our 47th president a millimeter miracle. We are grateful that you are the one that have called him for such a time as this. That America would begin to dream again.  
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. … Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
We pray that we would fulfill the true meaning of our creed, that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.









I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.    
We pray that you use our president, that we will live in a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.  I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
   I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.  With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we are so grateful today that you will use our 47th president so we will sing with new meaning:
My country, ’tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died.
Land of the pilgrims’ pride.
From every mountainside,
let freedom ring.

And because America is called to be a great nation, we believe that you will make this come true.
This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country, ’tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty,
of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims’ pride,
from every mountainside,
let freedom ring.

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring
From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania, let freedom ring. From the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado, let freedom ring. From the curvaceous hilltops of California, but God, we’re asking you not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain, Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill in Mississippi, from every state, every city, every village and every hamlet.

And when we let freedom ring, we will be able to speed up that day where all of your children, Black men and white men, Protestant and Catholic, Jew and gentile will be able to sing in the meaning of that old Negro spiritual:

Free at last
free at last.
Thank
you God almighty,
we are free at last
,
 From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last.
Free at last.
Thank God almighty,
we are free at last.
  If you believe with the Spirit of the Lord, there is liberty. Come on, put your hands together and give your great God great glory.” 

Christianity – the cultural matrix of our world (Marcel Gauchet)

Télérama (nr. 3178, 2010), interview with Marcel Gauchet, one of France’s leading intellectuals, who as a secularist (‘laïc’) says pertinent things about Christianity/religion:

Christianity is, after all, the cultural matrix of the world we live in, and if we don’t have this memory, I don’t really see what we can understand about it’.

« Le déclin du christianisme vous paraît-il inéluctable? »

Gauchet « Rien n’est inéluctable dans l’histoire et on ne compte plus les morts ressuscités qu’on a enterrés un peu prématurément. Ce qui a disparu dans les dernières décennies, c’est ce qu’il restait du christianisme politique, c’est-à-dire de l’ambition du pouvoir religieux d’exercer un rôle d’englobement normatif de la collectivité. A disparu aussi le christianisme sociologique, à l’orée des années 1960: le christianisme paroissial qui se vouait à l’encadrement des communautés et du cycle de vie. Mais il reste la vitalité de la foi chrétienne. La nouveauté, c’est qu’elle reste minoritaire, alors qu’avant elle était le cadre. Cela produit une situation intellectuelle totalement nouvelle: toutes les conditions dans lesquelles s’est défini historiquement le christianisme, sur un plan théologique ou pastoral, ont changé. Mais la place est ouverte pour une réinvention de la foi chrétienne dans sa manière de s’énoncer, dans les horizons qu’elle donne à ses pratiques, dans le rôle qu’elle entend jouer dans la cité. A beaucoup d’égards, tous les éléments sont réunis dans nos sociétés pour une réactivation du religieux, dans de nouveaux rôles très éloignés de ceux du passé. »

« Mais quel sens revêt votre dialogue avec la religion? »,

Gauchet: « Le christianisme est quand même la matrice culturelle du monde dans lequel nous sommes, et si l’on n’a pas cette mémoire, je ne vois pas bien ce que l’on peut y comprendre. Par ailleurs, le débat entre laïcs et religieux est derrière nous, sauf pour quelques acharnés. La vraie ligne de clivage, aujourd’hui, passe, au-delà des familles politiques, entre ceux pour lesquels la réflexion sur l’aventure humaine est plus que jamais nécessaire, et ceux qui la considèrent dépassée, pour lesquels la prospérité, l’hédonisme ou une certaine liberté apportent des réponses à tout. Tout laïc que je puisse être, je me sens beaucoup plus proche de l’esprit religieux que de beaucoup de laïcs qui me semblent à la dérive dans une sorte d’inhumanisme spontané, cette pente de nos sociétés à l’incuriosité, l’inculture et à la déculturation. Beaucoup appellent « spirituel » le fait de continuer creuser le mystère humain. C’est un mot dans lequel je me reconnais tout à fait. »

‘Do you think the decline of Christianity is inevitable?

Gauchet ‘Nothing in history is inevitable, and there are countless examples of the dead being resurrected after being buried a little prematurely. What has disappeared in recent decades is what was left of political Christianity, that is to say the ambition of religious power to exercise a role of normative encompassment of the community. The 1960s also saw the disappearance of sociological Christianity: parochial Christianity, dedicated to providing a framework for communities and the cycle of life. But the vitality of the Christian faith remains. What’s new is that it remains in the minority, whereas before it was the framework. This produces a totally new intellectual situation: all the conditions in which Christianity has historically defined itself, from a theological or pastoral point of view, have changed. But the stage is set for a reinvention of the Christian faith in the way it is expressed, in the horizons it gives to its practices, in the role it intends to play in the city. In many respects, all the elements are present in our societies for a reactivation of the religious, in new roles far removed from those of the past.

‘But what sense does your dialogue with religion make?

Gauchet: ‘After all, Christianity is the cultural matrix of the world we live in, and if we don’t have this memory, I don’t really see what we can understand about it. Furthermore, the debate between the secular and the religious is behind us, except for a few die-hards. The real dividing line today, beyond political families, is between those for whom reflection on the human adventure is more necessary than ever, and those who consider it outdated, for whom prosperity, hedonism or a certain freedom provide the answers to everything. However secular I may be, I feel much closer to the religious spirit than to many secularists, who seem to me to be drifting into a kind of spontaneous inhumanism, this inclination of our societies towards incuriosity, unculture and deculturation. Many people call the act of continuing to delve into the human mystery ‘spiritual’. It’s a word with which I completely identify.

Le christianisme est quand même la matrice culturelle du monde dans lequel nous sommes, et si l’on n’a pas cette mémoire, je ne vois pas bien ce que l’on peut y (sc. notre monde) comprendre…

Het christendom is per slot van rekening de ‘culturele matrix’ (moederschoot) van de wereld waarin wij leven, en als we ons daarvan geen rekenschap geven, zie ik niet goed in hoe we onze wereld kunnen begrijpen…

 

Further reading: Jean-Luc Nancy about the same topic : The deconstruction of Christianity (two quotes in Dutch)

Arthur Honegger: psalm 138

Trois psaumes (1940-41), nr. 3: Il faut que de tous mes esprits.
Superb Psalm poem by Clément Marot (1543), joyful tune by Guillaume France (1543), and captivating composition by Arthur Honegger (1940/1). Dedicated to Eliette Schenneberg (contre-alto / mezzo) . But this performance with Jean-François Gardeil is my favorite.

Score (All three psalms) – from IMSLP. Enjoy.

Text (Fr-Eng)

Psaume 138 Psalm 138
(poem by Clément Marot, 1543)(English – Book of Common Prayer)
Il faut que de tous mes esprits
ton los et prix
j’exalte et prise:
Devant les grands me présenter
pour te chanter
J’ai fait emprise.
En ton saint’ Temple adorerai,
célèbrerai
ta renommée,
Pour l’amour de ta grand’ bonté,
et féauté
tant estimée.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
with my whole heart;

Before the gods I will sing your praise.

I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name,

Because of your love and faithfulness;

Religion…

God is back, and with a vengeance. Only sociologists of religion were surprised by his return, ordinary people always have known that God never left the building. ‘Secularization’ was the code word for scholars: Religion was losing its relevance, the impact of faith and faith organizations on society would decline. Max Weber: rationalization and a ‘disenchantment of the world’.  Nothing to be done about it. Or to pay tribute to the most famous sociologist of religion of the second half of the last century, Peter Berger: The sacred canopy that had sheltered us from external threats for centuries is broken, gone. Now, we must survive under the open sky, on our own, whether we like it or not. In 1968, Berger had predicted that by the year 2000 religion would be completely marginalized in society. Only in the form of small sectarian groups, which would come together to protect themselves against the evil effects of secularization, it would survive (NY Times, Sunday, February 25, 1968, ‘A Bleak Outlook is Seen for Religion’). Well, scientists can be wrong. Berger freely admitted it, long before the year 2000. Quote: “If I look back on my earlier work, I would say that I was wrong about secularization, but right about pluralism. I misunderstood the relation between the two: the latter does not necessarily lead to the former (vide the American case). What pluralism does (and there I was right) is to undermine all taken-for-granted certainties, in religion as in all other spheres of life. But it is possible to hold beliefs and to live by them even if they no longer hold the status of taken-for-granted verities. In other words, I would now say that pluralism affects the how of religious belief, but not necessarily the what.” 6 The secularization theory was common among scholars looking at things from the outside (sociologists) but also within the church. There, too, ‘secularization’ was the main theme.

Continue reading…

System failure in the roman-catholic church

church operating systems (COS) – helpdesk

On TV (23 september 2023) the Bishop of Antwerp, Johan Bonny, admitted that the never-ending story of sexual abuses in Belgium (and other anomalies) were symptoms (signals) of a ‘systemic error‘ in the Church. What he didn’t realize, however, was the gravity of the situation. He still believes a ‘restart’ (albeit in ‘safe mode’) is still possible. But the ‘error’ does not originate in isolated programs (bugs, software), which can be repaired, but in the ‘church operating system’ itself, called ‘the Roman-Catholic Church’: Some critical elements

  • The dichotomy of the members in ‘clerics’ (priests) and ‘laity’, the latter being totally dependent on the first for access to Gods grace.
  • The ‘hierarchical’ power-structure (priests>bishops), on the top of which resides the pope, ‘who has to answer to no one’ (canon-law).
  • Who controls the judges? Answer: the judges. No divide between lawmakers and lawinforcers.

Cyril of Alexandria, the Song of Solomon and Mary Magdalene

A prefiguration of Easter (chapter 3)

Preparing an Easter sermon about Mary Magdalene wandering about in the garden early in the morning, desperately searching for the Lord, a scene from the Song of Solomon came to mind, in which the bride (the maiden) at night is looking for her beloved. She can’t find him, and – wandering through the city – she addresses the guards, and then – suddenly – she finds him, grabs him and does not want to let go of him anymore… 1600 years ago Cyril of Alexandria saw the same connections as I did (and you, reader). Hypertext. The text in question is Song of Solomon ch. 3:1-4 (translation below). The story of Mary in the garden can be read in John 20:1, 11b-18. I wondered: Did the evangelist use the story from the Song of Solomon as a matrix to tell his story of Mary? A kind of literary device?

Cyril of Alexandria, d. 444

Canticle of canticles (Song of Solomon), chapter 3

Translation of the Vulgata (Douay-Rheims)

1 In my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and found him not. 2 I will rise, and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him not. 3 The watchmen who keep the city, found me: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth? 4 When I had a little passed by them, I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him: and I will not let him go, till I bring him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that bore me.

Commentary of Cyril of Alexandria

Commentary of Cyril on Canticum canticorum ch. 3, 1: On my bed, during the night, I looked for my beloved… Below the original Greek with latin translation and below that a translation of Cyril’s remarks in English, turning Ch 3, 1-4 into a allegoric description of the meeting between Mary of Magdala and her Lord. NB: koitè (cubicule, lectum) denotes not only the bed, but also the room (bedroom, resting place); mnèma (monumentum – both use the same root: “mnm” = rememberance), memorial, tomb.

Patrologia Graeca, vol. 69, column 1285 – works of Cyril of Alexandria – fragments from a commentary on the Song of Solomon, also in PG 87/2, column 1620 (catena in the Song of Songs by Procopus of Gaza), only minor differences.

English translation

Translation of the Greek text. The quotes from Song of songs ch. 3 are underlined. I made the scriptural quotes explicit (adding the reference).

Meant are the women who, very early in the morning on Sabbath, went to the tomb of Jesus, and did not find him. – ‘On the bed’ or ‘from the bedroom’; ‘her bedroom’ is what she calls the tomb of the Lord in which we are buried with him. (Rom 6:4) But she did not find him, but instead heard, “He is not here, for he is risen.” (Lk 24,6) And the angels/guards found her, whom she addressed, “Where have you put the Lord?” (Jn 20,15). And as she passed by the men whom she was addressing, the Lord appeared, saying: “Greetings” (Mt 28:9). That is why she says: “No sooner had I passed by them than I found him, and I did not let go of him” (Canticum 3:3,4). For she caught hold of his feet, and he said, “Do not hold me.” (Jn 20,17 – feet = conflation with Jn 12,3). And the ‘house of the mother‘ (= Canticum 3:4) is what he calls the assembly (synagogue in Greek) of the apostles, where he sent her in order to bring the gospel of Christ’s resurrection. (Jn 20,18)