Blood, People, and Crowds in Matthew, Luther, and Bach
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Swarthmore College Works Music Faculty Works Music Spring 2005 Blood, People, And Crowds In Matthew, Luther, And Bach Michael Marissen Swarthmore College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-music Part of the Music Commons Recommended Citation Michael Marissen. (2005). "Blood, People, And Crowds In Matthew, Luther, And Bach". Lutheran Quarterly. Volume 19, Issue 1. 1-22. https://works.swarthmore.edu/fac-music/30 This work is brought to you for free by Swarthmore College Libraries' Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Music Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BloodBlood, }People, People, and and Crowds Crowds in Matthew,in Matthew, Luther, andand Bach Bach by MICHAEMICHAELL MARISSENMARISSEN n allall ofof ChristianChristian Scripture,Scripture, probablprobablyy nnoo lineline hahass beenbeen invokeinvokedd toto Ijustifjustifyy theologicatheologicall condemnationcondemnation ofof JewsJews oror physicalphysical violenceviolence againstagainst JewJewss mormoree frequentlyfrequendy thanthan thethe outcryoutcry forfor Jesus'Jesus' crucifixioncrucifixion expressedexpressed byby "all"all thethe people"people" inin MatthewMatthew 27:25,27:25, "His"His bloobloodd bbee onon usus andand onon ourour children."children." ThisThis versversee appearsappears too,too, ofof course,course, iinn Bach'sBach's St.St. MatthewMatthew PassioPassionn (BWV(BWV 244)244),, andand iitt isis importantimportant toto askask hohoww thethe passagpassagee wawass interpretedinterpreted withiwithinn Bach'Bach'ss greatgreat choralchoral work.11 KeyKey ttoo unun derstandingderstanding thithiss troublingtroubling verseverse are,are, inin mymy viewview,, ththee variousvarious termsterms usedused inin Matthew'Matthew'ss GospelGospel toto referrefer ttoo groupsgroups ofof peoplpeoplee mentionedmentioned inin ththee passiopassionn narrativenarrative (including(including thethe groupgroup thathatt uttersutters thithiss remark)remark) andand thethe particulaparticularr wordwordss useusedd inin Luther'sLuther's NewNew TestamentTestament toto renderrender thesethese termsterms inin German.German. TheThe evidenceevidence stronglystrongly suggestssuggests thathatt Luther'sLuther's BibleBible intensifiesintensifies whateverwhatever anti-Jewishanti-Jewish tendenciestendencies (that(that is,is, hatredhatred ofof oror unreasonableunreasonable prejudicprejudicee againstagainst JewJewss oror JudaismJudaism)) therethere mamayy bebe inin thethe GreekGreek texttext ofof Matthew,Matthew, therebythereby significantlysignificantly affectingaffecting interpreinterpre tationtation ofof thethe expressionexpression "his"his blood.blood."" ItIt isis allall thethe mormoree significant,significant, then,then, thatthat thethe commentarycommentary offeredoffered byby ththee otherother textstexts inin Bach'sBach's St.St. MatthewMatthew Passion-madrigalianPassion—madrigalian poetrpoetryy byby Bach'Bach'ss LeipzigLeipzig contemcontem porarporaryy ChristianChristian FriedrichFriedrich HenricHenricii ("Picander")("Picander") andand stanzasstanzas fromfrom LutheraLutherann hymnhymnss byby variousvarious authors-appearsauthors—appears ttoo workwork inin thethe oppooppo sitesite direction,direction, mitigatinmitigatingg thethe anti-Jewishanti-Jewish sentimentssentiments amplifiedamplified byby Luther'sLuther's translatiotranslationn ofof ththee Bible.Bible. Laos and OchlosOchlos in Matthew, and DasDas VolkVolk in Luther InIn thethe originaoriginall Greek,Greek, Matthew'Matthew'ss GospelGospel usesuses severalseveral differendifferentt termsterms ttoo refereferr ttoo groupsgroups ofof people.people. TheThe mostmost commoncommon areare laos ("people")("people") andand ochlos ("crowd"), ("crowd") ,each each ofof which which isi soften often somewhatsomewhat vaguevague in in its it s NewNew TestamentTestament usages;usages; thusthus readersreaders havehave toto relyrely onon contextcontext ifif theythey wantwant ttoo identifyidentify thethe groupgroupss moremore specifically.specifically. WithWith hishis recentrecent mono-mono- 1 LUTHERALUTHERANN QUARTERLQUARTERLYY VolumVolumee XIXXIX (2005(2005)) 2 LUTHERANLUTHERAN QUARTERLQUARTERLYY graphgraph onon thethe crowdscrowds inin Matthew,Matthew, RobertRobert CouslandCousland hahass dondonee aann enormousenormous serviceservice ofof sortingsorting throughthrough a myriamyriadd ooff historicalhistorical,, narranarra tive,tive, andand theologicaltheological issues. 2 TheThe upshotupshot ofof hihiss researcresearchh iiss thathatt therethere isis a strongstrong literaryliterary tendencytendency inin MatthewMatthew ttoo ususee laos ttoo refereferr ttoo ththee peoplepeople ofof IsraelIsrael ((eveeven n ifif itit doesdoes notnot alwayalwayss denotdenotee ththee peoplpeoplee asas a whole),whole), andand toto useuse ochlos either either generallygenerally for for crowdscrowd sor or particularly particularly forfor thethe peoplpeoplee ofof IsraelIsrael asas opposedopposed toto theitheirr leadersleaders.. ThusThus whewhenn puspushh comescomes toto shove,shove, soso toto speak,speak, thethe ochlosochlos and an dthe th eJewish Jewish leaders leader semerge emerg e asas distinctdistinct subsetssubsets ofof ththee laos. SeeingSeeing that tha t MatthewMatthew finds finds echoes echoe sin in thethe HebrewHebrew Bible-throughBible—through talktalk ofof ththee "lost"lost sheepsheep ofof ththee HousHousee ofof Israel"Israel" onon thethe oneone handhand andand thethe "killers"killers ooff prophetsprophets"" oonn ththee otherother— CouslandCousland concludesconcludes thatthat thethe reasonreason ththee GospelGospel ooff MattheMattheww narranarra tivelytively alignsaligns thethe ochlos with with its it sauthor's author's understandingunderstanding of of the the history history ofof JewishJewish IsraelIsrael isis thatthat thethe evangelistevangelist seeksseeks toto \Vinwin thethe proto-Rabbinicproto-Rabbinic JewsJews ofof thethe first centurycentury overover toto hishis proto-Christiaproto-Christiann side,side, wherwheree hhee believesbelieves thethe truetrue futurefuture forfor "Israel""Israel" lies.lies. CouslandCousland allowsallows thatthat therethere areare anomaliesanomalies foforr hihiss literarliteraryy schemescheme.. HeHe notes,notes, forfor example,example, thatthat "the"the useuse ofοι ochlosochlos at a Matthewt Matthew 9:2 9:23,2 3, 2 55 [for [fo r a groupgroup ofof mourners-identifiedmourners—identified asas a "crowd""crowd" onlyonly inin MatthewMatthew— makingmaking a tumultumultt atat thethe househouse ofof a rulerruler wh\Vhoo iiss identifiedidentified aass ththee synsyn agogueagogue leaderleader ''Jairus""Jairas" onlyonly inin MarkMark anandd LukeLuke]] woulwouldd argueargue againsagainstt anyany simplesimple identificationidentification ofof thethe crowdscrowds witwithh Israel..Israel .... [[andand] ] atat ononee levellevel Matthew'sMatthew's understandingunderstanding.. .... doesdoes nonott depardepartt fromfrom ththee [varied[varied]] viewview.. .... [in][in] Mark."33 StompingStomping inin asas a biblical-studiebiblical-studiess amateuramateur wherwheree somesome expertsexperts maymay fearfear ttoo tread,tread, I wouldwould offeroffer ththee additionaladditional observaobserva tiontion thatthat thethe useuse ofoí ochlos at a tMatthew Matthew 26:47 26:47 and and 26:55,26:55 ,this this timetime apap parentlyparently toto signifysignify a largelarge quasi-militaryquasi-military groupgroup sentsent bbyy ththee JewishJewish leadersleaders (that(that is,is, anan ochlos consisting consisting not no tof of the the general genera lpopulace populace of of Is Is rael,rael, butbut ofof courtcourt attendantsattendants whowho werewere atat ththee disposaldisposal ooff ththee JewishJewish leadersleaders forfor policepolice purposespurposes whenwhen necessary,necessary, asas iinn JohJohnn 18:3)I 8: 3),, possiblypossibly makesmakes forfor another,another, oddodd inconsistencyinconsistency iinn Cousland'Cousland'ss word-studyword-study scheme. 4 Also,Also, I wouldwould notenote that,that, significantly,significantly, forfor thithiss GospeGospell ththee oror dinarydinary JewishJewish folkfolk andand theirtheir leadersleaders appearappear inin ththee endend ttoo bbee blendedblended togethertogether forfor disapprobationdisapprobation (see(see 28:r28:15 5,, "".. .... anandd thisthis storstoryy [that[that JesusJesus waswas notnot risenrisen fromfrom thethe deaddead bubutt hishis bodbodyy hahadd beebeenn stolenstolen frofromm thethe tombtomb byby hishis disciplesdisciples whilewhile thethe guardsguards werweree sleepingsleeping]] hahass beebeenn toldtold amongamong the Jews upup ttoo thisthis day"). 53 ItIt appears,appears, thenthen,, thatthat despitedespite Cous-Cous- MATTHEWMATTHEW,, LUTHER,LUTHER, ANDAND BACHBACH 3 land'sland's extremelyextremely stimulatingstimulating andand thorougthoroughh study,study, thethe identityidentity ofof thethe crowdscrowds inin MatthewMatthew iiss stillstill worthworthyy ofof criticalcritical discussion.discussion. FoForr ththee presentpresent studystudy onon Luther'sLuther's GospelGospel translatiotranslationn andand Bach'sBach's St.St. MattheMattheww Passion,Passion, therethere isis another,another, crucialcrucial issueissue surroundingsurrounding possiblepossible distinctiondistinctionss betweebetweenn "crowds""crowds" andand "people""people" iinn MatthewMatthew.. WhileWhile thethe overalloverall tendencytendency inin MatthewMatthew doesdoes seemseem ttoo bbee forfor ochlos and and