THE 
 
 PASSION PLA 
 
 OF 
 
 o 
 
 DBERAMMERGAU 
 
 O 
 
 >* 
 
The Passion Play of 
 Oberammergau 
 
Uniform with this Volume 
 
 <berpman: 51 amoral 
 
 With reproductions of sixteenth century wood 
 cuts. 12mo, boards, $1.00 
 
 of 
 
 A Christmas Play. Edited from old moralities b; 
 Professor Charles M. Gayley, of the Universit; 
 of California. Illustrated, boards, $1.25. 
 
Christus: Anton Lang 
 
The Passion Play of 
 Oberammergau 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN TEXT WITH AN 
 
 Sntrobuctton 
 
 BY 
 
 MONTROSE J. MOSES 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 
 1310 
 
Copyright, 1909 
 By DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 
 
 Published November, 1909 
 
 The University Press, Cambridge, U. S. A. 
 
To my Friend 
 CHARLES RANN KENNEDY 
 
 263773 
 
DRAMATIS PERSONS OF 
 THE PASSION PLAY 
 
 1890 1900 
 
 Christas 1 Joseph Mayr (1870-71-1880) Anton Lang 
 
 Dealer in carved goods Potter 
 
 Mary* Rosa Lang Anna Plunger 
 
 Daughter of the Burgomaster Postman's daughter 
 
 Peter Jakob Hett (also 1870) . . Thomas Rendl 
 
 Carver Carver 
 
 John 6 Peter Rendl Peter Rendl 
 
 Carver 
 
 Judas* Johann Zwink Johann Zwink 
 
 Artist-painter 
 
 Philip Tobias Zwink Tobias Zwink 
 
 Carver 
 
 Thaddeus .... Joseph Kurz Joseph Kurz 
 
 Roadmaker 
 
 Simon Mart. Hohenleittner . . . Mart.Hohenleittner 
 
 James, the Elder . . Andreas Braun Mathias Dedler 
 
 Woodcarver Carver 
 
 James, the Less . . Joseph Klucker Benedikt Klucker 
 
 Thomas Andreas Lang Anton Mayr 
 
 Carver 
 
 Andrew Alois Stadler Alois Gerold 
 
 Matthew Alois Gerold Josef Albrecht 
 
 Carver 
 
 Bartholomew Martin Albl Josef Rutz 
 
 Tailor 
 Simeon, of Bethany . Gregor Lechner 
 
 1 Tobias Plunger (1850) 3 Johann Zwink (1870) 
 
 a Franziska Plunger (1870) Gregor Lechner (1850-1880) 
 
 [vii] 
 
1890 1900 
 
 Lazarus Emanuel Lang Otto Lang 
 
 Carver 
 Magdalene .... Amalie Deschler .... Bertha Wolf 
 
 Daughter of the Tailor Daughter of Hotelkeeper 
 
 Martha Helene Lang Marie Schwalb 
 
 Daughter of the Tailor 
 
 Veronika Elizabeth Zundterer . . . 
 
 Pilate*- Thomas Rendl (also 1880) . Sebastian Bauer 
 
 Carver Carver 
 
 Caiaphas* .... Joh. Ev. Lang (also 1860- Sebastian Lang 
 Burgomaster 70-71-80) Verger 
 
 Annas 3 Franz Rutz, Sr Martin Oppenrieder 
 
 Master-tailor 
 Herod* Johann Diemer Rochus Lang 
 
 Retired Potter 
 
 Nathanael .... Sebastian Lang, Jr. (also 1880) Gregor Breitsamter 
 
 Carver 
 Archilaus Rabbi , . Sebastian Bauer (also 1880) . 
 
 Carver 
 
 Ezektet 5 Rochus Lang Rupert Breitsamter 
 
 Carpenter 
 Sadok Sebastian Deschler . . . Sebastian Deschler 
 
 Carver 
 Josue Andreas Wolf Andreas Wolf 
 
 Joiner 
 
 Mereric Anton Gastl 
 
 Josaphat Anton Schiestl 
 
 Samuel G. Sc hall hammer . . . . G. Schallhammer 
 
 Carver 
 
 Kabinth Eduard Albl 
 
 Nathan Franz Paul Lang .... 
 
 Dariabbas .... Johann Lang, Jr 
 
 Joseph of Arimathaea Martin Oppenrieder Andreas Braun 
 
 Carver (also 1880) Carver (1890) 
 
 Nicodemus .... Franz Steinbacher (also 1880) William Rutz 
 
 Master-dyer Baker 
 
 The Centurion . . . Anton Bartl 
 
 Simon of Cyrene . . Michael Bauer 
 
 1 Tobias Plunger (1870) * Franz Paul Lang (1860-1870) 
 
 2 Jacob Mayr (1830-1850) B Sebastian Deschler (1870) 
 Sebastian Deschler (1880) 6 Thomas Rendl (1870) 
 
 [ viii ] 
 
1890 1900 
 
 Ba.ra.bbas 1 .... Johann Oswald 
 
 Workman 
 Thief [to right} . . . Anton Lang Anton Lang 
 
 Mason 
 Thief [to left] . . . Eduard Bierling .... Eduard Bierling 
 
 Rabbi [see ArchUaus Rabbi] Andreas Lang 
 
 Carver 
 
 Prologue Joseph Mayr 
 
 Choragus Johann Diemer (1870) 
 
 High Priest . . . . Modestus Stickel (1870) 
 A Pharisee .... Franz Paul Lang ( 1890) 
 Chief of the Traders . Andreas Mayr (1890); Melchior Breitsamter (1900) 
 
 Carver 
 
 "Genius" . . . . Josepha Plunger (1870) ; Jacob Rutz (1871) 
 Leader of the Chorus . Jacob Rutz (1880-1890) 
 
 Quintus Sebastian Lang (1870) 
 
 Roman Captain . . Anton Bartl (1880-1900) 
 Director of the Play . Johann Lang 
 
 Burgomaster 
 DirectoroftheTableauxLudwigLang 
 
 Director of the Carving School 
 
 {Ferd. Feldigl 
 Teacher 
 Eduard Lang 
 
 Dealer in Glass 
 Chorus Director . . . Jacob Rutz (also 1880) . . Johann Diemer 
 
 Smith (1870) 
 
 Jewish Boy .... Herbert Lang (1900) . . . 
 
 CHORUS (1890) 
 
 Soprano Alto 
 
 Josepha Breitsamter Crescenz Bierling 
 
 Luzie Lang Antonia Albl 
 
 Aloisia Mayr Maria Lutz 
 
 Regina Wolf Magdalena Kopf 
 
 Maria Samm Johanna Keller 
 
 Ludovica Gindhart Josepha Steidle 
 
 Anna Korntheuer Crescenz Klamer 
 
 i J. Allinger (1880) 
 [ix] 
 
Tenor Bass 
 
 Otto Anderl, Assistant Teacher Anton Lutz 
 
 Anton Lechner Joseph Gabler 
 
 Dominikus Schilcher Korbinian Rutz 
 
 Alois Lang Otto Mangold 
 Korbinian Christa 
 
 , [This is not a complete list of players ; it is given in such form that the 
 reader may judge of two essential characteristics of the cast : First, from 
 decade to decade the actors are shifted to different roles ; and second, cer- 
 tain families in Oberammergau predominate over others in the assignment 
 of parts. Nearly seven hundred villagers appear in the Passion Play.] 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 I 
 
 THE Oberammergau Passion Play is 
 a survival rather than a revival ; its 
 history is almost continuous from the 
 period of the early religious dramas of me- 
 diaeval times, and it retains, however faintly, 
 some of the characteristic features of its 
 prototype. It is true that modern condi- 
 tions have modified the form, have forced 
 the crudities and buffoonery from the text, 
 have softened the character conception of 
 Judas, for example, in precisely the same 
 manner that Shylock has been humanized 
 since the red-wig days before Charles Mack- 
 lin. But the main form and some of the 
 effects are still left, however far from the 
 mediaeval ingenuousness it is being forced 
 by contact with the outside world and 
 modern stage technique. 
 
^ vital essence of the Oberammergau 
 Passion Play is the spirit poured into the mod- 
 ified form a spirit dominating the social, 
 economic, and intellectual life of the people ; 
 time alone will tell whether the communal 
 ideal and whether the communal mission, 
 which guard the minds and hearts of two 
 thousand Bavarian peasants, will be able in 
 isolated reverence to withstand the suffusing 
 forces of civilization ; every decade opens 
 the sluices, and the village of Ammergau has 
 to meet the demands of a transitory and 
 curious crowd. The building of the new 
 theatre for the production of 1900 is part 
 example of how time and circumstance 
 work against tradition. 
 
 A student went to Oberammergau in 1900; 
 in his mind he carried pictures of mediaeval 
 ingenuousness the triple stage of heaven 
 and earth and hell, the church background 
 and the church-yard, the uncouth humour 
 centred in the Devil, the primitive concep- 
 tions of scene, the simple-minded mediaeval 
 audiences ; none of these did he find at 
 Oberammergau. But with his knowledge 
 of the ancient religious drama, he was better 
 able himself to be a mediaeval and to profit 
 by what is left of the type. You may gather 
 
 [xiv] 
 
together all the dramas in England, France, 
 and Germany, bearing upon Crucifixion and 
 Resurrection incidents and, with proper se- 
 lection, construct a passion play more orig- 
 inal in style, more unique in conception 
 because of the charm which lies in anach- 
 ronism. But after that, it is a dead, a fixed 
 thing, representing a genre wholly depend- 
 ent upon the atmosphere in which it origi- 
 nally blossomed. Because of the very fact 
 that the people of Oberammergau are aloof, 
 simple, childlike in belief, and imbued with 
 an inherited mission, because they have 
 elected to do one thing and to subserve all 
 else to that one thing, the spirit in which they 
 preserve their institution is what makes the 
 Passion Play a living force to them. 
 
 Evolution has deprived Oberammergau of 
 much of its agreement with mediaevalism ; 
 Sebastian Wild's Devil is no longer used; evil 
 spirits, which once were accustomed to carry 
 Judas from the stage in much the same man- 
 ner as they dominated in the early " Prophets 
 of Christ " or the " Adam " play, have dis- 
 appeared ; even Judas's death-shriek, which 
 once rent the stillness, is no longer allowed, 
 nor has he, since 1890, climbed the tree be- 
 fore his hanging, for fear unnecessary mirth 
 
 [XV] 
 
from the "groundlings" might destroy the 
 conscious humanizing which stamps every 
 role to the smallest part. 
 
 In another vital respect the Passion Play 
 has become modified; it nowhere accentu- 
 ates the Catholic doctrine from which it 
 sprang; at first Protestantism approached 
 Ammergau warily, with somewhat of an- 
 tagonistic criticism as to bad taste and sac- 
 rilegious intent. But we may take Matthew 
 Arnold's statement as a conservative sum- 
 mary of the reasons for Protestant accept- 
 ance : " It agrees with what is seen ... in 
 literature, in the writings of Dissenters of the 
 younger and more progressive sort, who 
 show a disposition for regarding the Church 
 of Rome historically rather than polemically, 
 a wish to do justice to the undoubted grandeur 
 of certain institutions and men produced by 
 that Church, quite novel, and quite alien to 
 the simple belief of earlier times, that between 
 Protestants and Rome there was a measure- 
 less gulf fixed." 
 
 In addition, one may note that repeated 
 renovations of the text have been made with 
 a constant desire to reach the brotherhood 
 of man idea ; or, perhaps, as indication of a 
 community sense of good taste; it is this 
 
 [xvi] 
 
feeling which prompted the omission, in the 
 1900 production, of the scene in which 
 Veronica hands Christus a towel on which 
 His image is imprinted. 
 
 Yet, notwithstanding this departure from 
 the type, there are still sufficient resemblances 
 and relationship to adopt an historical method 
 in dealing with this survival ; the sermons 
 delivered in the church, exhorting the players 
 to be faithful to their parts the Prologue and 
 Choruses, recitative in content and reflective 
 of the Greek plays the human grief of the 
 Mother before the cross, so like the mediae- 
 val spirit of the Marienklagen the simple 
 realism of the descent from the cross, sug- 
 gestive of early English, French, and German 
 plays of similar topic these details are 
 strikingly characteristic of passion play per- 
 formances in general. 
 
 Unlike the large mediaeval dramas in their 
 prime, the Oberammergau production occu- 
 pies only one day, during which time, be- 
 tween the hours of eight and five, but one 
 intermission is allowed. The seventeen acts 
 form a play about four times the length of an 
 ordinary four-act modern drama. Formerly 
 the mysteries and passion plays stretched 
 over a period of several days in performing. 
 
 [xvii] 
 
The Actes des Apotres contained 61,908 
 lines, while a mystery of the New Testa- 
 ment exceeded 180,000 verses, according 
 to Petit de Julleville, sixty-six times the length 
 of Polyeucte. 
 
 II 
 
 An understanding of the historical signifi- 
 cance of the Oberammergau Passion Play 
 requires a perspective survey of the sources, 
 a short discussion of the Crucifixion and 
 Resurrection scenes in the early religious 
 drama. Research has established the fact 
 that the beginnings of the modern drama 
 are to be found in the early Church service. 
 The fate of the one was intimately con- 
 nected with that of the other until, during 
 the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the dra- 
 matic elements slowly encroached and over- 
 balanced the religious, and resulted in a 
 definite separation of the two. One natu- 
 rally would expect to find dramatic activity 
 centred around the two pivotal events of the 
 church service Christmas and Easter. 
 
 While the Easter plays appeared first in 
 the development, the Christmas cycles al- 
 lowed of immediate larger scope, of amplifi- 
 
 [xviii] 
 
cation departing from the strict order of the 
 Scriptures. But, for several centuries, the 
 dramatists were careful not to approach 
 those details of Christ's death which formed 
 the most sacred elements in the service. The 
 Resurrection was chiefly dealt with until 
 about the fifteenth century, when the Cruci- 
 fixion received extensive treatment. 
 
 Despite the encroachment of popular situ- 
 ations and local allusions, the great Tragedy 
 never received anything but reverential 
 handling ; yet through every scene flowed 
 the elements of time and place. From its 
 liturgical period, through its transition stage, 
 to the era of the mystery, miracle, and moral- 
 ity plays, the drama was fraught with social 
 significance, and occupied a vital place in the 
 civic life and in the national development. 
 
 In the Easter liturgy, after the Surrexit 
 Dominus vere [The Lord hath truly risen], 
 the service proceeded as follows : i. Psalms; 
 2. The Lord's Prayer ; 3. Blessing ; 4. Mark 
 xvi. ; 5. Three lessons of the day (com- 
 mentaries). The first dramatic element was 
 introduced after the third response ; the 
 choir split in twain, and from one side 
 stepped forth three priests to represent the 
 Maries, while from the other side two ad- 
 
 [xix] 
 
vanced, representing the women at the 
 grave. Scenically, the altar was the holy 
 sepulchre, even as it was the manger during 
 the Christmas celebrations. 
 
 Proceeding to the altar, the Maries are 
 met by the women who chant, Quern 
 quaeritis, etc., " Whom seek ye in the sep- 
 ulchre, O Christians ? " The answer is given : 
 "Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified, O dwellers 
 in heaven." The response follows : " He is 
 not here ; He hath arisen, as was prophesied. 
 Go ye and proclaim that He hath arisen 
 from the tomb." 
 
 Then, either as a response, or in the form 
 of a statement to the congregation, the women 
 at the tomb add : " The Lord is truly risen, 
 as He hath said ; behold, He shall go before 
 you into Galilee, where you shall see Him. 
 Hallelujah, hallelujah!" 
 
 Thereafter the officiants resumed the reg- 
 ular service, Te Deum laudamus. 
 
 Such interpolations were designated tropes, 
 and consisted either in entirely new material 
 which was inserted during the service, or in 
 certain passages expanded by the intro- 
 duction of more extensive phrasing. The 
 question and response characteristics were 
 carried further in the accentuation of indi- 
 
 [XX] 
 
viduals from the choir group, who represented 
 different characters engaged in dialogue. 
 The priest was turning dramatist. 
 
 The tropes are of the tenth century, schol- 
 ars claiming, however, that the form must 
 have existed as early as the ninth century. 
 A description taken from an English record 
 contains the church background for such 
 rudimentary plays.* It reads : 
 
 "While the third lesson is being recited, 
 four brethren [of the monastery] shall cos- 
 tume themselves, and one of these, who is to 
 act a different part from the rest, shall enter, 
 clothed in a long white garment [alb], and, 
 going to a position at the side of the tomb 
 [altar], shall sit there quietly, holding a palm 
 branch in his hand. And when the third re- 
 sponse has been completed, the other three 
 shall come up, dressed in long flowing gar- 
 ments, and bearing illuminated censers in 
 their hands ; and they shall go to the tomb 
 slowly, as if looking for something. And 
 now, when he who is sitting at the tomb ob- 
 serves these approach, ... he shall begin by 
 singing softly, ' Whom seek ye ? ' 
 
 "Finding the linens from Christ's body, 
 
 * I have elsewhere treated of the Christmas cycle and of the history 
 of miracle, mystery, and morality plays. 
 
 [xxi] 
 
they shall put down their censers, take up 
 the linens, and spread them out before the 
 clergy, as if they wished to show the Lord 
 had risen, and was no longer wrapped in 
 them. Having sung the antiphony, ' the 
 Lord is risen from the tomb,' they shall place 
 the linens upon the altar." 
 
 The introduction of the actual person of 
 Christ was preceded in the historical devel- 
 opment by ceremonials in which the cross 
 figured as the symbol. But this reticence 
 did not prevent the trope from being ex- 
 panded until it reached the proportions of 
 a passion play. Such increase or enlarge- 
 ment was mainly secured through emphasis 
 on particular scenes, or through accretion, 
 the crude joining of old material with new 
 to produce a continuous picture. 
 
 The following extracts from manuscripts 
 of different dates indicate something of the 
 growth in scope and in action. 
 
 According to a German manuscript of the 
 twelfth century, the Maries on the way to 
 the tomb sing : " Who will roll away for us 
 the stone at the mouth of the sepulchre?*' 
 Deacons, as angels, chant : "Whom seek 
 ye," etc., according to the St. Gall inter- 
 polations, while the Maries respond, " Jesus 
 
 [xxiij 
 
of Nazareth," etc., as before. The angels 
 chant, " He is not here," going beyond the 
 St. Gall text with " Come ye and behold the 
 place where the Lord was laid. Hallelujah, 
 hallelujah!" Those who stand before the 
 altar now sing the antiphony : " The Lord is 
 risen from the tomb. He who for our sakes 
 hung upon the Cross. Hallelujah, hallelujah, 
 hallelujah ! " 
 
 Turning to an Italian manuscript of the 
 fourteenth century [Cathedral, Cividale], we 
 find that, after the antiphony, the Maries 
 proceed to the tomb in order to see the wrap- 
 pings, according to the command of the 
 angels, and, returning to the choir with 
 the wrappings, sing: " We came to the 
 sepulchre lamenting, and saw sitting there 
 the Lord's angel, telling us that Jesus was 
 arisen." The Maries now sing: " Behold, 
 O brethren, behold the linens and the wind- 
 ing sheet, and the body is not found in 
 the sepulchre." After the choir has pro- 
 claimed the resurrection, the service is re- 
 sumed, Te Deum laudamus. 
 
 Further development was more pro- 
 nounced and more rapid with the introduc- 
 tion of new characters and new text, where 
 heretofore there had been only variation. 
 
 [xxiii] 
 
In a manuscript of the eleventh or twelfth 
 century the Apostles Peter and John are 
 introduced, according to the Gospel of St. 
 John, 20 : i seq. Mary Magdalene tells of 
 the resurrection a scene which follows the 
 customary colloquy of the Maries and the 
 angels. The directions indicate that " while 
 the antiphony is being sung, two priests, 
 representing John and Peter, shall come to 
 the sepulchre, and, taking up the wrapping 
 cloth, shall turn about, come forward, facing 
 the people and the clergy, singing : ' Behold, 
 O brethren, behold the linens and the wind- 
 ing-sheet ; and the body is not found in the 
 sepulchre.' " 
 
 This action having occurred, the clergy 
 shall give the antiphony as in earlier texts, 
 while the choir does more than interpolate, 
 when they sing : " Let the Jews now tell how 
 the soldiers, guarding the sepulchre, lost the 
 King, though a rock was placed over the en- 
 trance of His tomb. Why kept they not the 
 Rock of Justice? Let them either give back 
 the Buried One, or adore, with us, the Risen 
 One, saying, Hallelujah." From this point 
 the service is resumed. 
 
 It will be seen that, while these small 
 dramas are distinctly liturgical, the additions 
 
 [xxiv] 
 
are not mere Bible paraphrases. The treat- 
 ment is guarded though varied. In John 20 : 
 ii seq.j the mediaeval dramatist found sanc- 
 tion for the introduction of Jesus. This par- 
 ticular incident was a favourite scene with 
 the celebrants of the thirteenth century, while 
 there is one manuscript dated as early as the 
 twelfth century. A Prague drama in addi- 
 tion contains a scene in which the Maries, 
 on their way to the tomb, stop in order to 
 buy spices and ointments. 
 
 This dramatic action, as outlined, took place 
 in the church during the service, and was en- 
 acted by the clergy. The recitative character 
 of the dialogue had its educational value, 
 since it made the sequence of events evident 
 to a congregation ignorant of Latin. 
 
 The ceremonials in which the cross was 
 used, representing the body as well as sym- 
 bolizing the passion of Christ, contain varied 
 colour ; there is much in them to accord with 
 the dramatic and pantomimic character of 
 the liturgy of the Mass. In a description of 
 the Burial of the Cross, according to Cham- 
 bers, one source directs the monks to go 
 shoeless from Good Friday "until the cross 
 is adored." " In the principal service of the 
 day, which begins at nones, the reading of 
 
 [xxv] 
 
the Passion according to St. John, and a long 
 series of prayers are included. Then a cross 
 is made ready and laid upon a cushion a 
 little way in front of the altar. It is unveiled, 
 and the anthem, Ecce lignum crucis, is 
 sung. The Abbot advances, prostrates 
 himself, and chants the seven penitential 
 Psalms. Then he humbly kisses the cross. 
 His example is followed by the rest of 
 the monks and by the clergy and congre- 
 gation." 
 
 Then, according to St. Ethelwold : " Let 
 them carry it [the cross] . . . singing anthems, 
 until they come to tfte place of the mon- 
 ument [sepulchre], and there, having laid 
 down the cross, as if it were the buried body 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, let them say an 
 anthem. And here let the holy cross be 
 guarded with all reverence until the night 
 of the Lord's resurrection. By night let 
 two brothers or three, or more if the throng 
 be sufficient, be appointed, who may keep 
 faithful wake there, chanting psalms."* 
 
 The Resurrection Ceremonial is equally as 
 solemn. The source reads : " Uppon Easter 
 Day, betweene three and four of the clocke 
 
 * This whole subject is graphically treated by Chambers, The 
 Medixval Stage, Vol. II. (Oxford, Clarendon Press), pp. 14 seq. t 
 p. 310, Appendix P. 
 
 [ xxvi ] 
 
in the morninge . . . two of the oldest Monkes 
 of the Quire came to the Sepulchre, being 
 sett upp upon Good Friday, after the Pas- 
 sion, all covered with red velvett and em- 
 brodered with gold, and then did sence it, 
 either Monke with a pair of silver sencers 
 sittinge on theire knees before the sepulchre. 
 Then they both rising came to the Sepulchre, 
 out of which, with great devotion and rev- 
 erence, they tooke a marvellous beautifull 
 IMAGE OF OUR SAVIOUR, representing the 
 resurrection, with a crosse in his hand. . . . 
 Then, after the elevation of the said picture, 
 carryed by the said two Monkes uppon a 
 faire velvett cushion, all embrodered, singinge 
 the anthem of Christus resurgens, they 
 brought it to the High Altar. ..." * 
 
 This is a unique picture, with the church 
 or cathedral as a scenic background, the 
 members of the congregation intent on ev- 
 ery movement that brought them their slim 
 knowledge of Bible lore, the story made 
 doubly vivid as they saw it unfolded before 
 them, the priests in ecclesiastical robes, sway- 
 ing through the long aisles, their voices reso- 
 nant in the high arches, their lighted tapers 
 like stars in the shadow. 
 
 * See Chambers. 
 [ xxvii ] 
 
Of the costumes, Chambers,* basing his 
 descriptions on various authorities, writes : 
 
 " The Maries had their heads veiled, and 
 wore surplices, copes, chasubles, dalmatics, 
 or the like. These were either white or col- 
 oured. At Fecamp one, presumably the 
 Magdalene, was in red, the other two in 
 white. . . . The angels, or angel, as the case 
 might be, sat within the sepulchre or at its 
 door. They, too, had vestments, generally 
 white, and veiled or crowned heads. At 
 Narbonne, and probably elsewhere, they had 
 wings. They held lights, a palm, or an ear 
 of corn, symbolizing the resurrection. The 
 Apostles are rarely described, the ordinary 
 priestly robes doubtless sufficed. At Dublin, 
 St. John, in white, held a palm, and St. Peter, 
 in red, the keys. In the earliest Prague ver- 
 sion of the Christ scene, the Christ seems to 
 be represented by one of the angels. At 
 Nuremberg, the dominica persona has a 
 crown and bare feet. . . ." 
 
 Popular dramatic taste began, during the 
 twelfth century, to contend with the liturgical 
 drama, resulting in changes of vital signifi- 
 cance in form and spirit. The Latin tongue 
 of the tropes was gradually superseded by 
 
 * The Medi&val Stage, Vol. II. p. 34. 
 [ xxviii J 
 
the introduction of the vernacular, at first 
 merely interpolative, but increasing bit by bit 
 until, in the thirteenth century, one finds a 
 play written entirely in French, save for the 
 Latin dramatis personce. 
 
 This piece is called La Resurrection, 
 and is but the fragment of a manuscript. 
 The scope of the play extends from the time 
 when Joseph asks Pilate for Christ's body, to 
 the moment when Caiaphas and his soldiers 
 guard the tomb, awaiting the predicted resur- 
 rection of the dead. Here the expansion of 
 the subject-matter is striking, and foreshad- 
 .ows the extensive fifteenth century mysteries, 
 in which the entire life of Christ was traced, 
 with Old Testament references, a formula 
 characterizing the Oberammergau play. 
 
 Even though it is a fragment, La Resur- 
 rection marks the transition development in 
 an excellent manner. The prologue is par- 
 ticular as to the stage setting, which was 
 fixed, according to the " stations " of the 
 mediaeval platform. The author, a product 
 of his age, speaks of " don " Joseph and Nico- 
 demus, and refers to the vassals of Caiaphas , 
 even Joseph in his greeting to Pilate shows 
 the mediaeval spirit of temporal inferiority, 
 by his submissive Monseigneur* And in 
 
return Pilate, forsaking not his pagan asso- 
 ciations, rejoins : " Let Hercules, who killed 
 the dragon, and destroyed the old Gerion, 
 give wealth and honour to him who greets 
 me so tenderly." The sudden changes in 
 scene called for in so small a drama were ac- 
 complished by the actor merely stepping from 
 one indicated spot to the other, a move- 
 ment which demanded the assistance of the 
 imagination on the part of the audience. 
 
 It is typical of the development in both the 
 Christmas and Easter cycles that the inci- 
 dents in certain plays became in turn distinct 
 dramas themselves. Adam figures as one of 
 the Prophets in the " Prophets of Christ"; he 
 also is the centre of a separate action which 
 grew out of a desire to accentuate his impor- 
 tance. This is why the mediaeval dramatist, 
 when he found material already prepared 
 and to his liking, appropriated it ; this is why 
 the two methods of growth, by accretion and 
 assimilation, were dependent upon the idea 
 of common possession which recognized no 
 conscious plagiarism. And so the student 
 meets with cycles around the Virgin and 
 Mary Magdalene which later are conjoined 
 in the greater passion plays. 
 
 These latter are chiefly preserved in French 
 
 [ XXX ] 
 
and German manuscripts, and are so enor- 
 mous in length as to make one marvel at the 
 ponderousness of the roles memorized and 
 enacted. Human and realistic elements 
 crept in, but in characterization there was 
 little effort to do more with the Christ than 
 to reflect the high idealism and fervour of the 
 Bible. Even in the Oberammergau play 
 there is no theatric endeavour to over-ac- 
 centuate Christus. A critic * states that "liter- 
 ally no attempt to define, draw out, or give an 
 interpretation of the character of our Lord is 
 made by the thoughtful enthusiast who rep- 
 resents Him ; that the realisms of the scene 
 and obligate touches of homely character are 
 given principally to the inferior parts." 
 
 The passion play, so highly developed in 
 Germany, is not a species in the English de- 
 velopment ; yet the English cycles trace the 
 course of events from Creation to the Judg- 
 ment and exhibit the tone of all religious 
 drama ; for, no matter what the national ele- 
 ments might be in England, France, and Ger- 
 many, a common origin, a similar religious 
 impulse, a secularization similar in motive if 
 not in process, served to produce similarity 
 of spirit, especially noticeable because of the 
 
 * Tyrwhitt. 
 [xxxi] 
 
similarity of the material employed. There- 
 fore in a Towneley mystery (T. xxiii.) the 
 following Crucifixion dialogue contains much 
 of Oberammergau in essence, besides ex- 
 pressing a characteristic mediaeval naivete. 
 Pilate commands silence under threat to 
 whomsoever breaks it, and thus discourses : 
 
 I am a lord that mekill [much] is of myght, 
 
 prince of all lury, sir pilate I hight, 
 
 Next Kyng herode grettyst of all ; 
 
 Bowys to my byddyng both greatt and small, 
 
 Or els be ye shentt [destroyed] ; 
 Therfore stere youre tonges, I warn you all, 
 And vnto vs take tent. 
 
 After the condemnation, the torturers con- 
 verse among themselves about Christ, " this 
 fals chuffer [boaster]," who claims He can 
 perform miracles, yet is not able to save 
 Himself. They prepare for the Crucifixion : 
 
 Lo, here I haue a bande, 
 If nede be to bynd his hande. . . . 
 
 Lo, here a hamere and nales also, 
 ffor to festen fast cure foo. . . . 
 
 The action progresses, and the torturers 
 reach Calvary with Christ. They mock His 
 Godhead ; if He be true Knight [mediaeval 
 touch], He will sit His horse [the cross] well. 
 
 [ xxxii ] 
 
Then, as they bind His body, the realism of 
 the dialogue becomes intensified : 
 
 SECUNDUS TORTOR. Knyt thou a knott with 
 
 all thi strength, 
 
 ffor to draw this arme on lengthe, 
 Tyll it com to the bore. . . . 
 
 QUARTUS TORTOR. yit drawe out this arme 
 
 and fest it fast, 
 
 With this rope that well will last, 
 And ilk man lay hand to. . . . 
 
 IJUS TORTOR. Do dryfe a nayll ther thrugh outt, 
 And then thar vs nothyng doutt, 
 ffor it will not brest [burst]. . . . 
 
 PRIMUS TORTOR. hald downe his knees. . . . 
 
 TERCIUS TORTOR. Draw out hys lymmes, let 
 se, haue at! ... 
 
 PRIMUS TORTOR. hald it now fast thor, 
 And oone of you take the bore. . . . 
 
 As they begin to draw the cross into place 
 with ropes, they vie with each other in their 
 enthusiasm, and then fall to accusing each 
 in turn of not giving his full effort. When 
 at last the cross is raised, they again mock 
 Jesus, self-satisfied as to their work. Gazing 
 at the cross firmly held, one of them says, 
 " A, it standys vp lyke a mast ! " 
 
 Then, in His agony, Jesus speaks : 
 
 [ xxxiii ] 
 
I pray you pepyll that passe me by, 
 That lede youre lyfe so lykandly, 
 
 heyfe vp youre hartys on night! 
 Behold if euer ye sagh body 
 Buffet & bett thus blody, 
 
 Or yit thus dulfully dight. . . . 
 My folk, what haue I done to the, 
 That thou all thus shall tormente me? ... 
 What haue I greuyd the? answere me, 
 That thou thus nalys me to a tre. . . . 
 
 Then follows this paraphrase: 
 
 Bot, fader, that syttys in trone, 
 
 fforgyf thou them this gylt, 
 I pray to the this boyn [prayer], 
 Thay wote [know] not what thay doyn, 
 
 Nor whom thay haue thus spylt. 
 
 The torturers further show their cruelty by 
 joggling the cross. Without any indication 
 of scene-change, the action passes to Mary's 
 lament, very like the German Marienklagen 
 of the thirteenth century : 
 
 MARIA. Alas! the doyll I dre [endure], 
 
 I drowpe, I dare [lie hid] in drede! 
 Whi hyngys thou, son, so hee? 
 
 My bayll [misfortune] begynnes to brede, 
 All blemshyd is thi ble [complexion], 
 
 I se thi body blede! 
 In warld son, were neuer we 
 
 So wo as I in wede. . . . 
 
 [ xxxiv ] 
 
ffestynd both handys and feete 
 With nalys full vnmete, 
 his wounds wrynyng wete, 
 
 Alas, my childe, for care! . . . 
 
 John fain would comfort her, but she can- 
 not control the mother-grief. Why may not 
 death slay her also ? Jesus calls her " my 
 mother mylde," assuring her that He suffers 
 for the salvation of the world. 
 
 The scene again changes without indica- 
 tion, and the torturers offer Christ a bitter 
 drink, bidding Him perform a miracle. They 
 likewise divide His clothes among them- 
 selves. 
 
 After the Saviour gives up the ghost, which 
 reminds one of the fact that in some of the 
 early dramas the characters included a sepa- 
 rate person for the " gast," there occurs the 
 scene in which Longinus is forced to drive 
 his spear into the body. This and the dia- 
 logue between Joseph and Nicodemus are 
 reminiscent of La Resurrection. 
 
 Even as the Mary Magdalene scenes occu- 
 pied large and definite space in the Benedikt- 
 beur and Wiener passion plays,* so the 
 Marienklagen, at a period when the Latin- 
 German drama was passing into the vernac- 
 
 * See Mone and other German references. 
 [ xxxv ] 
 
ular, had an individual development, and 
 whether or not they were fragments of larger 
 dramas, it is none the less certain that they 
 formed a genre peculiar to early German 
 drama, and reflective of a pronounced Ger- 
 man Marienkultus. 
 
 Some authorities believe that the German 
 Christians sang of Mary with the same in- 
 tensity that" the minnesingers lauded the 
 national heroes in their lieds and sagas. 
 These Marienklagen,* based upon the 
 Latin "sequence," were subjected to the 
 same transforming influences as the trope ; 
 they were characterized by lyricism and 
 dramatic power, and, because of the few 
 personages required in the performances, 
 were much sought after by village commu- 
 nities. The same human love of the Mother 
 for her Son is reflected and intensified in the 
 Oberammergau Passion Play. 
 
 Ill 
 
 There are two characteristics of the Ober- 
 ammergau Passion Play which were com- 
 mon among the miracle plays of the fifteenth 
 and sixteenth centuries ; many of them were 
 presented with a direct object of warding 
 
 * See Froning. 
 [ xxxvi J 
 
off the pest, an interesting example being 
 found in 1497, when " Saint Sebastian " was 
 given at Chalon-sur-Saone * and others 
 contained in their casts entire families. If 
 possible, the early miracles and passion 
 plays were enacted with more grandeur, on 
 a larger scale, and, being more directly under 
 the patronage of royalty, the players re- 
 ceived more adequate remuneration for their 
 services. So large were some of these pro- 
 ductions that special confreries in France 
 were organized with the direct object of 
 giving a single performance of a piece last- 
 ing twenty-five days. That there was small 
 profit to the organizations may be seen by 
 the figures representing the receipts (4,680 
 livres, 14 sous, 6 deniers) and the expendi- 
 tures (4,179 livres, 4 sous, 9 deniers) of a 
 Passion played at Valenciennes in 1547. 
 
 The history of passion plays has not re- 
 ceived adequate treatment by the English 
 student ; the material is rich and varied and 
 full of human interest, and its civic charac- 
 ter or connection fraught with grandeur of 
 pomp and with simple superstition. The 
 account-books of the gilds contain entries in- 
 dicating the expense of the costumes, which 
 
 * See De Julleville, I. 346. 
 [ xxxvii ] 
 
were often borrowed, as were also those used 
 at Oberammergau until 1830, when the com- 
 munity decided to purchase its own ward- 
 robe; now every costume is duplicated, 
 for bad and good weather. 
 
 It is the general impression that the Ober- 
 ammergau Passion Play began in 1633 or 
 more probably in 1632, according to Daisen- 
 berger, when Caspar Schuchler, a labourer, 
 brought the scourge to Ammergau ; but re- 
 search has clearly indicated that this survival 
 was subjected to an evolutionary develop- 
 ment distinctive of the genre. Besides 
 which, an examination of the older texts will 
 show that the theatre itself, though departing 
 from the distinctive features of the mediaeval 
 stage, is reminiscent of the latter in the ar- 
 rangement of its stations. 
 
 The reader can do no better than turn 
 to Hermine Diemer's " Oberammergau and 
 its Passion Play " for a history of the village 
 and its historical connections. With Munich, 
 the Bavarian capital, as a starting-point, 
 mediaevalism flows toward Oberammergau, 
 touched by the hand of modern improvement, 
 in the midst of which the traveller meets with 
 legend and monumental landmarks of Bava- 
 rian princes. Whatever people may say 
 
 [ xxxviii ] 
 
about the close proximity of Munich being a 
 disadvantage to the simple existence of Am- 
 mergau, much of the lustre of Bavarian 
 history has been shared by the little village ; 
 every year steam and electricity bring it closer 
 to the art centre, and there is no doubt that 
 the conquest of mountain fastness in this 
 way will eventually make it impossible for 
 the peasants or even the better class of vil- 
 lagers to exist untouched by cosmopolitan 
 life. But, to counteract this, there still re- 
 mains the tradition, evidences of which dot 
 the road-ways and decorate the exterior of 
 hall and home. 
 
 But when change comes to Ammergau, it 
 will gain its effect through mental revolution 
 rather than through the shifting of commer- 
 cial or industrial relations. The spirit of the 
 mountains and the influence of Ettal de- 
 scend, as of yore, into the valley, while the\ 
 river Ammer refuses to relinquish its ancient I 
 associations, just as the river Thames stands/ 
 a bulwark against the encroachments of 
 trade. 
 
 The valleys around Unterammergau were 
 the favourite haunts of King Ludwig II. The 
 villages leading to the home of the Passion 
 Play are all associated with German history ; 
 
 [ xxxix ] 
 
they all have had their feudal counts and they 
 all boast of their national advantages and 
 beauties. It is when the traveller reaches 
 Oberau that the spirit of Oberammergau 
 begins to work ; here Daisenberger was born, 
 here Andreas Lang has placed one 'of his 
 famous Crucifixion groups, here are the crude 
 stations of the cross to which Dean Farrar 
 so emphatically objected on the score of bad 
 art as well as of a lack of religious reticence. 
 From Oberau also the mountain road to 
 Ettal, once so treacherous because of the 
 deep tarns and sudden depressions, leads 
 through scenery of romantic variety. As 
 Madame Diemer expresses it, after describ- 
 ing the danger of precipice, the rivulets, 
 "the mountain's tears," trickle down "from 
 eyes of stone, fringed by the dark eyelashes of 
 the pine trees." Yet this country of Tyrolean 
 ruggedness has its gentle aspect also: the 
 roads that lead toward Oberammergau are 
 not strangers to marigolds or gentians or for- 
 get-me-nots, however familiar with the slide 
 of snow or the shifting of ice. The poetic 
 and romantic quality of the environment, the 
 ; Jesuitical, mediaeval tradition of Ettal Monas- 
 \tery, the cross which hovers high above the 
 Village of Oberammergau, on a crest known 
 
 [xl] 
 
as the " Kofl " the panoramic glimpse of 
 the home of the Passion Play, with this cross, 
 the church, and the theatre comprising the 
 first objects to catch the eye all these are 
 the outward instructions to the novitiate who 
 pilgrimages to this home of religious drama. / 
 
 It is not our object to give the local history 
 of Oberammergau, save as it materially 
 affects the development of the play and its 
 immediate production. The guidebooks in 
 sentimental language will convey the neces- 
 sary data which are in no manner as satis- 
 factory as the album prepared by Madame 
 Diemer or as the records penned by Daisen- 
 berger. In a country where every happening 
 is either born in a train of historic or super- 
 natural occurrences or else becomes the 
 centre of future legend, a book alone might 
 be devoted to such detail.* 
 
 Ammergau was known to the Romans, 
 whose blood flows in the peasants' veins. It 
 lay along the direct military and commercial 
 route between Augsburg and Verona ; it was 
 concerned with the fate of the Guelfs for over 
 
 * C. Trautmann : " Oberammergau und sein Passionsspiel." See 
 his descriptions of the founding of Ettal. This monastery, included 
 in a district popularly known as the "priest-pen," was in a group of 
 convents with Benediktbeuren, from which the mediaeval passion 
 manuscript was derived. 
 
 [xli] 
 
two hundred years, and then, in 1314, when 
 the Bavarian Prince Ludwig became Ger- 
 man Emperor, Ammergau rose into prom- 
 inence. For the monarch was visited by a 
 monk who promised him peace if to the holy 
 Mother a monastery was raised in Bavaria 
 for the Benedictine Order. Thus Ettal came 
 into being, and thus early the Ammer valley 
 could boast of Augsburg and Jesuit tradition. 
 I am inclined, with Hartmann, to believe that 
 when Ettal restored the Augsburg road, it 
 linked the Oberammergau Passion Play with 
 the larger history of passion plays in general. 
 The whole art fervour of the Ammergau 
 people seems to have been encouraged by 
 their early association with Augsburg and 
 Nuremberg. 
 
 The student has to study the mediaeval 
 relationship existing between a German vil- 
 lage and the ecclesiastical institution over- 
 shadowing it. In 1356, Oberammergau " was 
 a parish of its own, which was subservient 
 to the Convent of Rottenbuch " ; hence there 
 was much to be adjusted between the two, 
 an adjustment which, in the case of each, 
 involved the history of the other. One may 
 understand, therefore, how it was that Ober- 
 ammergau should have been greatly affected 
 
 [xlii] 
 
by the state of monastic culture in mediaeval 
 Germany. Ettal influenced both her Passion 
 Play and her wood-carving. 
 
 Among these monastic bodies the artistic 
 and scientific impulses were strong; espe- 
 cially the latter, since a certain scientific 
 tradition was preserved, which eventually 
 led toward the establishment of a Bavarian 
 Academy of Science (1758). Thus the con- 
 vents were regarded as the centres of a staid 
 intellectual life. The clerical influence was 
 dissolved in 1803, the culmination of a strug- 
 gle involving due consideration of the Ref- 
 ormation, the Counter-Reformation, and the 
 variable attitude of the State toward the 
 Church. The parish and civic interests of 
 the times were closely interwoven. 
 
 The proximity of the monastery to Ober- 
 ammergau, moreover, influenced her com- 
 mercial prosperity, and in a modified form 
 there developed among her people organiza- 
 tions resembling the mediaeval gilds. Even 
 at the present time, the communal unity of 
 the village, while deeper and more spiritual 
 than the craft motive, suggests a resem- 
 blance to the early Passion organizations. 
 Judged by the standards of the day, Ober- 
 ammergau during this early period enjoyed 
 
 [xliii] 
 
many opportunities and advantages of a 
 cosmopolitan town, for records indicate that 
 not only did artists visit Ettal, but also that 
 Ammergau art students travelled to Augs- 
 burg for instruction. In lieu of direct proof, 
 this fact is significant, establishing a con- 
 nection between the text of the 1662 Pas- 
 sion Play and the Augsburg drama, besides 
 indicating the outside impulse given to the 
 Oberammergau wood-carving which had 
 thus early become famed. 
 
 The scourge, which represents the popu- 
 lar starting-point for the history of the Pas- 
 sion Play, appeared in the wake of war; 
 since early times the little village has had 
 its quota of disturbance, has suffered the 
 brunt of national strife ; it has been in direct 
 line between contending Palatinates ; it has 
 witnessed repeated inroads, Ettal, in espe- 
 cial, representing the chief centre of pillage. 
 In fact, Oberammergau has experienced di- 
 verse dissensions which characterized un- 
 unified Germany. During the Thirty Years' 
 War, Swedes and Austrians, each in turn, 
 fell upon the community, in the wars of 
 Louis XIV (1680), in the Austrian War of 
 Inheritance (1740), in the Napoleonic up- 
 heavals (1796-1809), fire and sword left their 
 
 [xliv] 
 
marks in the village. The peace of the 
 Ammergauers has come from spiritual 
 resolve. 
 
 We have now to bear in mind two sig- 
 nificant dates, the establishment of Ettal 
 in 1330, and the institution of the decennial 
 performances of the Passion Play. Previ- 
 ous to 1634, the religious drama was exten- 
 sively performed throughout Bavaria. The 
 Benediktbeuer manuscripts are relics of 
 those times; while Munich and Innsbruck 
 records indicate the support of magnificent 
 productions. 
 
 There is conflicting evidence for those 
 who would connect the development of 
 Oberammergau's drama with the convents 
 of Ettal and Rottenbuch. Madame Diemer, 
 a stanch refuter of Trautmann's assertions 
 in support of Jesuitical influence on the 
 play, denies the connection, while Jackson 
 is authority for the following claim: 
 
 " Even Daisenberger admitted . . . that 
 the monks of Ettal may have aided the vil- 
 lagers in carrying out their vow. Dr. Hol- 
 land is of the opinion that the Passion Play 
 was introduced into Ammergau simultane- 
 ously with the craft of wood-carving. For 
 both acquisitions, he thinks, they were in* 
 
 [xlv] 
 
debted to the monks of Rothenbuch [Augus- 
 tine order]. The date which he gives is the 
 twelfth century. 
 
 "And, indeed, as to the supposition that 
 the Passion Play dates from the pestilence 
 of 1633, we have already hinted that it is 
 totally unfounded. Leaving, however, to Ro- 
 thenbuch the credit of having first prepared 
 the text and introduced the religious drama 
 into Ober Ammergau, it is probable that, as 
 soon as the monastery of Ettal was estab- 
 lished, the latter took the immediate guid- 
 ance of any existing dramatic elements into 
 their hands. That both the monks of Ro- 
 thenbuch and of Ettal had religious plays 
 cannot be controverted; for in 1803, when 
 the property of the suppressed Bavarian 
 monasteries was put up at auction, costumes 
 used in the religious plays were sold, 'and 
 the community of Ober Ammergau pur- 
 chased from Ettal a number of dresses, some 
 of which they still used in 1870." 
 
 Let us grant, therefore, that throughout 
 Germany the passion play, as a form and 
 as a pledge, was familiar ; that such dramas, 
 together with the high processionals of Cor- 
 pus Christi and minor festival observances, 
 if they did not actually encourage the Am- 
 
 [xlvi] 
 
mergau community to enact the Birth and 
 Death of Christ before 1634, at least induced 
 them to undertake such a production when 
 they were stricken by pestilence; and that 
 thus, once determined, they reached out to- 
 ward their flourishing friends, the com- 
 munities of Augsburg and Nuremberg, the 
 former especially affording them the basis 
 for their play. This evolutionary growth 
 we will consider after we have noted how 
 well and how uninterruptedly the Ammer- 
 gauers adhered to their decennial pledge. 
 
 For the first production an open-air stage 
 was prepared, and, until 1674, the drama 
 was presented with regularity; then it was 
 decided to give the next performance in 
 1680, so as to have the accepted decade date. 
 About this time the audiences were prom- 
 ised the luxury of seats ! 
 
 By interdict, in 1770, the Passion Plays 
 around Oberammergau were summarily 
 stopped, but the famous little village pro- 
 tested so effectively, presenting the spiritual 
 and material advantages in such graphic 
 manner, that, for the time being, the restric- 
 tions were removed from this special locality. 
 "(Diemer, pp. 67 seq.) 
 
 Such official opposition was aggravated 
 
 [xlvii] 
 
by rough and unseemly handling of particu- 
 lar Passion scenes by the actors* a coars- 
 ening which was sometimes evident as a 
 concession to popular appeal. But grad- 
 ually the governmental jurisdiction relaxed 
 in its power, and the Ammergauers, ap- 
 proaching their 1780 period, forwarded a 
 petition to the Government, together with a 
 copy of their Passion text, which, according 
 to Blondel, had been modified with an 
 idea to forestall any possible censorship. 
 This modification, unless relating to minor 
 changes, must have referred to the Weilheim 
 version, considered in Hartmann's study. 
 
 The Passion Play had an enemy around 
 1810 in the Bavarian minister, Count Mont- 
 gelas, who, Schroeder states, had steadily 
 opposed every petition of the Ammergauers, 
 but who, on March 3, 1811, was chagrined 
 to find that the royal permission was set 
 above his official opposition. It was during 
 this period that Weiss further revised the 
 Passion language, casting it into more lit- 
 erary form. 
 
 Oberammergau had thus in many respects 
 received favourable governmental discrimi- 
 
 * In Jean Michel's " Resurrection," Christ is interrupted in His dis- p 
 course by drinking-songs. An interesting field of study is the devel* 
 opment of the French fifteenth century " fou." See De Julie ville. 
 
 [ xlviii ] 
 
nation, not only for the Passion Play, but 
 for the secondary dramas, not unknown 
 during the intermediate years, such as the 
 " Kreuzesschule." However small the vil- 
 lage, and however dependent for its fame 
 upon a single custom, in its local history 
 Oberammergau was not lacking in distinc- 
 tion or in communal activity ; the inhab- 
 itants, far from ranking as peasants, often 
 attained comfortable positions, betokening 
 considerable wealth. But the prosperity 
 was reflective of greater activity around; 
 commercial roadways and monastic impor- 
 tance were the brawn and sinew of the civic 
 life. 
 
 It is only necessary foj us to note two 
 additional facts in the history of Ober- 
 ammergau. The state of Germany in the 
 eighteenth century was marked by violent 
 extremes of religious thought and action; 
 the secularization of the clergy in 1803 was 
 the culmination of a long series of historical 
 events, and, with the fall of Ettal, the judicial 
 court was removed from Ammergau, while 
 commercial depression was followed by the 
 numbing effects of war. The villagers now 
 turned to their Passion Play to save them, 
 but its production in many respects, while 
 
 [xlix] 
 
it brought them fame, hardly afforded them 
 pecuniary gain until later years. In 1870, 
 the performance was interrupted; some of 
 the players, including Christus Mayr, went 
 to the wars ; that is why the decennial regu- 
 larity was broken by the production of 1871. 
 
 A distinctive feature of the mediaeval relig- 
 ious drama was its close connection with 
 the Church,* being enacted within the church 
 edifice, until its increasing scope and grow- 
 ing popularity forced it into the churchyard, 
 thence into the streets and fields. Previous 
 to 1830, the Oberammergau Passion Play 
 was performed in the cemetery, but there- 
 after it was removed to its present site, 
 where the theatre has undergone numerous 
 modifications and doubtful improvements. 
 After 1830, also, the fame of the village 
 began to attract the tourist; this was due 
 either to the visits of royalty or to the de- 
 scriptive data about the drama which were 
 being published. 
 
 In 1830, on its removal from the cemetery, 
 the strictly personal and local phase of the 
 
 * Jackson writes : " In a hundred ways, indeed, the village church 
 is a preparatory school for the Ammergau drama. . . . Among the 
 principal occasions when . . . processions take place, we may men- 
 tion Palm Sunday, Corpus Christi, and a day devoted to thanks- 
 giving, when Mass is celebrated at Ettal." 
 
 [1] 
 
Oberammergau Passion Play departed; by 
 1840, Ludwig Steub, Guide Gorres, and 
 Baron de Roisin had written their comments 
 and impressions, and, in 1850, Eduard 
 Devrient had made further investigations. 
 The spread in interest, international after 
 a fashion, did not escape severe criticism 
 of an emotional kind, which, if it served 
 no other purpose, prevented a popular ef- 
 fort to commercialize the play by taking it 
 out of its environment and bringing it to 
 America. 
 
 Four ancient texts of the Oberammergau 
 Passion Play have been published, with a 
 carefully analyzed commentary, by Dr. Au- 
 gust Hartmann ; they indicate an interrela- 
 tion of a character reflective of the processes 
 of mediaeval growth not cyclic, but incor- 
 porative. By their evident connection they 
 point to the fact, already stated, that the 
 drama must have been in existence, and 
 most probably was performed, much earlier 
 than 1634; Holland's similar belief was 
 founded upon the rapidity with which the 
 Ammergau peasants put their vow into 
 execution. 
 
 Recollecting the importance played by 
 Augsburg in the history of Oberammergau, 
 
 [li] 
 
it is not difficult to accept Hartmann's the- 
 ory that the Ammergau people, in 1634, had 
 at hand the Augsburg text of St. Ulrich and 
 Afra, and that, with such text as a basis, the 
 play penned by the meistersinger, Sebastian 
 Wild, together with the manuscript credited 
 to " Weilheim" Johann Albl (circa 1609), was 
 incorporated, thus affecting the text of 1662, 
 which is the principal source to consider. 
 
 Should the student make a careful com- 
 parative study of the early Oberammergau 
 texts, it would be necessary for him to have 
 recourse to the many manuscripts which 
 bear evidence of repeated modification; 
 every decennial "prompt-book" contains 
 the record. At the same time that he is 
 indicating these changes, there should be 
 some official recording, other than that now 
 preserved in the expense accounts and in 
 isolated notes, of the "business" inserted 
 during rehearsals. Such editing should be 
 done, not so much for its artistic value since 
 the Passion Drama must always stand on 
 the merits of its last production as for 
 the historical interest in those details which 
 measure the demands of advancing time. 
 
 In no way has the text of the Oberam- 
 mergau Passion Play become fixed, and, as 
 
 [in] 
 
a matter of fact, the music has been sub- 
 jected to similar modifications which are 
 likely to continue for some while.* In 1750 
 and 1760, an adaptation of the drama was 
 made by Father Rosner, a Benedictine, and 
 was used by the Ammergauers ; this version 
 was simplified in 1780, by Father Magnus 
 Knipfelberger. One attempt was made (see 
 Sepp's account of 1850) to restore a mediae- 
 val tone to the play by adopting an over- 
 rhythmic verse. 
 
 The most satisfactory refinement of the 
 text was accomplished by Father Ottmar 
 Weiss (1810-1815), a version which con- 
 tained a prologue attributed to one Allioli. 
 With this to work upon, Daisenberger, who 
 was Weiss's pupil, prepared his Alexandrine 
 form, which deviated from his teacher's 
 book not so much in fundamentals as in 
 ornamental accessories. 
 
 Trautmann's declarations that the exist- 
 
 * Defenders of the Passion music believe that it has been hand- 
 icapped by an inadequate orchestra. The musical conductor, 
 Ferdinand Feldigl, has written a pamphlet, "Die Oberammergauer 
 Passionsmusik." The reader is likewise referred to a brochure en- 
 titled "Das Passionsspiel in Oberammergau von Cyrill Kistler," 
 Munich. Dedler's original score was mysteriously spirited away 
 to England. The chief source, therefore, for the present music 
 is Guziel's manuscript (1869), based on an altered Dedler score. 
 The 1900 revision was done by F. Feldigl and Ed. Lang, who 
 resorted to Dedler's church music for additional material. See 
 Diemer, p. 150. 
 
 [liii] 
 
ence of the Passion Play of Oberammer- 
 gau is due to Jesuitical influence, that in its 
 form and in the very arrangement of its stage 
 it was reflective of the Jesuit school of art, 
 are vigorously opposed by Madame Die- 
 mer, on the ground that the Passion Play is 
 the product of Germanic, national impulse. 
 This view is strictly one of research impor- 
 tance and has no direct bearing here. 
 
 It may be said of the St. Ulrich and Afra 
 text that in many respects it is typically 
 mediaeval, containing the humanism, the 
 realism, and, to a limited extent, the theology 
 of the Church drama of the period a theol- 
 ogy, however, neither learned nor systema- 
 tized. In its German, also, the philologist 
 will find sufficient proof to place the manu- 
 script in the fifteenth century, if not earlier. 
 
 An extended examination of this basic text 
 will reveal many characteristics common to 
 mediaeval drama in general. The Procla- 
 mator is a replica of the fifteenth and six- 
 teenth century prompter^ or, as the French 
 mysteries styled him, meneur du jeu. 
 Through such a role the moral significance 
 of the play was explained, largely depend- 
 ing for effect upon anticipation on one hand, 
 and upon exhortation on the other. The 
 
 [liv] 
 
later developments of this type are the Doc- 
 tour in the morality play, "Everyman," 
 and the Prologue or Chorus in such chron- 
 icle plays of Shakespeare as "Henry V." 
 
 Another distinctive feature of the St. Ul- 
 rich and Afra text is the "after-piece" which 
 depicts Christ in Hell, where His forerunners 
 the Prophet group of early dramas await 
 Him for their salvation, and in which, after 
 the Ascension, the three Maries come to the 
 grave and discover the stone rolled away. 
 
 The 1662 text begins with a modified 
 prologue taken from Wild's drama ; it then 
 leans very heavily on the St. Ulrich and 
 Afra version. It contains the character of 
 Satan, who generally figured in the Passion 
 Play previous to 1750, and who read a let- 
 ter from Lucifer a letter aimed to counter- 
 act the good effects of the Prologue. Hart- 
 mann carefully considers this 1662 text; 
 to him I would refer the student. Certain 
 scenes, as given in this manuscript (the orig- 
 inal of which is in possession of G. Lang 
 sel. Erben, Oberammergau) are preserved 
 in the present-day version.* All of this text 
 
 * Madame Diemer's analysis will be an excellent guide for the 
 English reader; in its attitude it reveals the fact that there are 
 Ammergauers not at all satisfied with the present version of the 
 Passion Play. 
 
 [Iv] 
 
evidence will some day be gathered in ac- 
 cessible variorum form. A complete critical 
 examination would point to the advisability 
 of reviving some of the ancient, effective 
 scenes which have been lost or discarded 
 during the repeated revisions the drama has 
 undergone. 
 
 In all details bearing upon the text and 
 music score of the Passion Play, the Am- 
 mergauer's dissatisfaction evinces an in- 
 nate opposition to modern influence an 
 opposition which constitutes its preservative 
 force. External dangers likewise are re- 
 garded askance; Madame Diemer deplores 
 the tendency toward the theatrical in the 
 costuming, in the acting, and in the intro- 
 duction of stage machinery ; she regards the 
 amplification of the theatre as a menace 
 which threatens the pure simplicity of the 
 performance. 
 
 By 1680, the Passion text of 1662 was well 
 defined. To quote Blondel : 
 
 " Des remaniements moins heureux furent 
 operes au cours du XVIII siecle : on imagina 
 des episodes demi-burlesques, des diableries 
 de mauvais gout. Des personnifications telles 
 que le Peche, 1'Avarice, 1'Envie, furent intro- 
 duites dans le drame ; Satan y joua un role 
 
 [Ivi] 
 
considerable; et, pour ne citer qu'un trait, 
 des entrailles de Judas pendu (sous forme 
 de mannequin) s'echappaient des saucisses 
 que des diablotins devoraient avec avidite: 
 tel etait le gout du temps." 
 
 The morality characteristics referred to 
 were inserted by Father Rosner. 
 
 If, according to Trautmann, it is difficult 
 to conceive of the Oberammergau Passion 
 Play as being enacted on the storied pageant 
 wagon, it is not so difficult to imagine the 
 early stage to have been constructed on the 
 same principle as the " stations " which, in 
 France, assumed such large proportions. 
 The 1547 Passion Play at Valenciennes, as 
 described by De Julleville (see the diagram 
 in Gayley), is a representative type. There 
 is much evidence to sustain this opinion, the 
 central " station " or stage being the only 
 one upon which scenery was moved. 
 
 So complicated and delicate have the ar- 
 rangements now become for the Crucifixion 
 scene, that an inner stage, directly behind 
 and conjoined with the central one, being 
 concealed therefrom by a drop curtain, is 
 required for the preparations which were 
 once realistically made in full view of the 
 
 audience. The role of Christus is so exact- 
 On] 
 
ing upon the actors that many have fainted 
 on the cross, overcome with exertion and 
 emotional strain. Anton Lang himself has 
 described the awful moment when one of 
 the bands giving support to his extended arm, 
 slipped, forcing him, through the long Cruci- 
 fixion scene, to hold his arm rigid by sheer 
 muscular exertion. 
 
 Bearing in mind every possible accident 
 that might befall the Christus, it is not sur- 
 prising to find, in the text-book of the Passion 
 Play for 1815, the following precautionary 
 directions : 
 
 "They now remove the rope from his 
 feet, and bind him with strips of linen round 
 the body, hands, and arms, round the breast 
 and loins, so that, should he become uncon- 
 scious, he will not fall from the cross." 
 
 The variations in the different decennial 
 texts suggest stage variations and changes 
 in costumes. There has been no systematic 
 cataloguing of these, and so the student in 
 the future will have to be given access to 
 the community account-books recording the 
 extensive details and enormous proportions 
 of the spectacle. The examination of these 
 early stage directions will throw valuable 
 light on the question as to how much actual 
 
 [Iviii] 
 
dependence Oberammergau placed upon 
 Augsburg and Nuremberg in her prepara- 
 tions until 1811. 
 
 It was then that Weiss encouraged the 
 beneficiary, Unhoch, in his planning of a 
 new theatre, for Weiss's text called for the 
 stage innovations. About the year 1815, the 
 Ammergauers purchased costumes, where 
 heretofore their chief resource had been the 
 neighbouring convents, which had loaned the 
 necessary vestments to them. The entries 
 of expense are as full of local colour as 
 one finds in the mediaeval gild records 
 and some of them are as naively ingenuous. 
 Madame Diemer, in most points antagonis- 
 tic to the critic's claim that the Passion 
 Play was subject to Jesuitical influence, in 
 respect to the costumes does grant that the 
 priest's hand is evident. The expense- 
 books, now the concern of the Town Coun- 
 cil, were once regularly subjected to a strict 
 judicial examination. 
 
 When Daisenberger was appointed pas- 
 tor of Oberammergau in 1845, he began his 
 revision of Father Weiss's text, devoting 
 himself chiefly to the lyrical interpolations. 
 In Oberarximergau history there are many 
 instances of authors submitting texts for 
 
 [lix] 
 
presentation in place of the old versions, 
 and, in 1888, the matter took official pro- 
 portions when the Government of Upper 
 Bavaria determined that the Passion Play 
 needed new text and new music, in fact, a 
 complete new setting, all to be done by 
 Munich artists, Frau v. Hillern * to prepare 
 the prose text. But the latter sensibly real- 
 ized that no change of any kind might be 
 forced upon the Ammergauers, and the 
 Government finally relinquished the idea. 
 Nevertheless, as an evident compromise, 
 the vocal text was altered and made less 
 tedious. 
 
 Nowhere has modern innovation had such 
 a marked influence as in the mechanical 
 aspects of the Passion Play. If Munich has 
 not yet been able to upset tradition and to 
 replace the old with a " made-to-order " text, 
 she has encroached on the external details 
 which, until 1880, in conception as well as 
 in manufacture, had remained almost entirely 
 in the hands of the villagers. 
 
 Munich architects and Viennese scene- 
 painters transformed the Passion stage in 
 1890, adapting to its particular needs devices 
 used in the Munich Court Theatre. In 1900, 
 
 * Mother of Madame Diemer, the author we have been quoting. 
 
 [1*3 
 
the hall of the Passion Theatre was con- 
 structed, six iron arches forming the visible 
 skeleton for an auditorium enclosed in the 
 manner of large Exposition buildings 
 stucco being replaced by a combination of 
 wood and canvas. 
 
 The guide-books contain sufficient de- 
 scriptions of the theatre to make a repetition 
 unnecessary here ; nevertheless, two special 
 items should be commented upon. The 
 seating capacity of the theatre for each 
 performance is distributed as follows: 
 
 I. 
 
 1598 seats @ 10 marks.* 
 
 II. 
 
 496 
 
 tt 
 
 8 
 
 M 
 
 III. 
 
 544 
 
 n 
 
 " 6 
 
 M 
 
 IV. 
 
 668 
 
 M 
 
 " 4 
 
 " 
 
 V. 
 
 656 
 
 M 
 
 " 2 
 
 " 
 
 VI. 
 
 14 
 
 M 
 
 Royal. 
 
 
 3976 " 
 
 On reading De Julleville, the amplitude of 
 the Oberammergau auditorium decreases 
 when one finds the statement that, in 1490 
 at Reims, a Crucifixion play was produced 
 before 16,000 people. The same authority 
 also states that at Auton, in 1516, a theatre 
 was erected by the Church and the citizens, 
 capable of seating 80,000 people. But the 
 
 * 24 cents. 
 [Ixi] 
 
record does not indicate whether this calcula- 
 tion was based on one day's attendance, or 
 included the series of days through which 
 
 /the lengthy drama was enacted. As far as 
 Oberammergau is concerned, the number of 
 seats, with three hundred standing-room 
 added, must be multiplied by the number 
 of performances. The Passion is played on 
 Sundays, from May through September; 
 sometimes, if the attendance warrants it, 
 additional dates are announced during the 
 week. In all, counting the dress rehear- 
 sal, there were twenty-eight performances 
 in 1900. 
 
 V The general details of the Passion Play 
 "barn" have now to be conducted in ac- 
 cordance with modern theatre ideas. The 
 old unconscious quaintness has been lost 
 beneath the decorative richness and the 
 mechanical perfection which centre in a 
 stage realism far from simple. The years to 
 come will witness an interesting struggle in 
 which, it is to be hoped, the deepening of 
 a community spirit in the civic body will 
 offset the threatening commercialization of 
 the performance. 
 
 From reportorial sources I quote the pro- 
 ceeds and expenditures of the 1890 Passion 
 
 [Ixii] 
 
Play, so as to suggest some idea of what 
 profits accrue from the decennial " business/' 
 as it is called : 
 
 STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE 
 BURGERMEISTER* 
 
 1890 
 RECEIPTS Marks 
 
 1. Tickets of admission . . , 665,719.50 
 
 2. Sale of Photographs 27,000.00 
 
 3. Other Sources 2,004.57 
 
 694,724.07 
 EXPENSES 
 
 1. Interest on acquired funds 6,527.60 
 
 2. Building expenses, including material . 199,668.85 
 
 3. Salaries for Play (747 members) . . . 242,830.00 
 
 4. Distribution to 238 householders, 180 m, 
 
 each 42,840.00 
 
 5. Distribution to 29 families, 100 m. each 2,900.00 
 
 6. Communal purposes : 
 
 New hospital, sewers, water supply, 
 roads, river banks, fire-engines, relief 
 of soldiers, relief of poor, etc 99397oo 
 
 7. Other communal purposes : 
 
 Fund for hospital, articles for church, 
 increase of teachers' salaries, river 
 banks, public lands, technical educa- 
 tion, canals 100,000.00 
 
 8. Reserve 560.62 
 
 694,724.07 
 
 * Published in the New York Nation. 
 [Ixiii] 
 
The Oberammergau Passion Play a 
 product of so many hands is nevertheless 
 usually identified in the mind of every true 
 Ammergauer with three names. There was 
 Father Ottmar Weiss (1769-1843), of Ettal, 
 who, when the monastic secularization 
 occurred, devoted himself to teaching in 
 Oberau, and then did his work on the 
 Passion text; there was Rochus Dedler 
 (1779-1850), schoolmaster and composer, in 
 which latter capacity his tradition domi- 
 nates Oberammergau to-day; and finally, 
 there was the beloved Geistlicher Rath 
 Joseph Alois Daisenberger (1799-1883), 
 whose priestly duties, varied and energetic, 
 did not prevent him from devoting much 
 time to literary labours.* 
 
 The preacher, the schoolmaster, and the 
 woodcarver constitute the professional fig- 
 ures in Oberammergau, for in no essential 
 should the participators in the Passion be 
 regarded as theatrical devotees, however 
 much the Judas of Gregor Lechner (1870) 
 
 * Daisenberger's other dramas, many of them given production 
 in the training theatre, are as follows : " Theodolinde," " Otto von 
 Wittelsbach," " Kaiser Ludwig der Baier ; oder, Die Stiftung des 
 Klosters Ettal." The religious dramas are: "Der Agyptische Jo- 
 seph," "Naboth," "Judith," "Genoveva," etc. His Passion Play 
 was not performed, though parts of it have been used. 
 
 [Ixiv] 
 
be remembered as the height of dramatic 
 art. These men who play their parts have 
 a large sense of the calling which forms so 
 vital a proportion of their life-work; they 
 are always keenly intent on improving the 
 community spirit in accordance with their 
 tradition rather than with the current time, 
 and in their conception, they seek true 
 feeling, which in some respects is above v 
 the subtlety of conscious art. 
 
 Daisenberger's sermons, as simple as his 
 letters, show no superiority of temper, but a 
 fervour suitable to the congregation before 
 him. His appeal to his player friends 
 shortly before the Passion Play was what 
 one might expect of a pastor to his flock 
 the same simple purpose and marked 
 sincerity which prompt the Ammergauers 
 when they hear what roles have been as- 
 signed to them by the community Council. 
 
 These appointments are usually made 
 some time before the actual period of re- 
 hearsal; the elections for 1900 were held 
 in December, 1899. One may imagine the 
 feelings of Mayr when the mantle of 
 Christus fell from his shoulders; worse 
 still the feeling of Johann Zwink, son of 
 the famous painter, when, after playing St. 
 
 [Ixv] 
 
John, he found himself cast for Judas. 
 It would sometimes appear as though 
 these electors tried not only to estimate the 
 player's ability to act the role, an ability 
 which a smaller theatre develops during 
 intermediate years between the Passion 
 decades, but likewise that they attempted to 
 strengthen individual weakness by spiritual 
 requirement. The one tremendous failing of 
 Josef Mayr was his temper, which mounted 
 to heights of ungovernable rage; imagine 
 the psychology which entered into his 
 preparation for the part of Christ! 
 
 IV 
 
 The chief charm of Oberammergau is 
 its hold upon mediaevalism in the richest 
 sense. It is unnecessary to question the 
 literary value of the play as a genre, since 
 its weight is, or rather should be, spiritual. 
 
 / The Ammergauers live to ripe old age; 
 
 V they become veritable patriarchs, physically 
 adapted to Bible roles. Such men as Sebas- 
 tian Deschler and Jakob Hett and Biirger- 
 meister Lang are purveyors of tradition ; in 
 fact, all Oberammergau draws its life from 
 tradition. That is why it is essential to 
 
 [Ixvi] 
 
realize the connection between the past and 
 present, and it is the fear that some day the 
 gap between mediaevalism and modernism 
 will become impossible to bridge that dis- 
 turbs the true lovers of the Passion Play. 
 What it means to the individual depends 
 upon the attitude of the individual; there 
 is little critical comment of a literary nature 
 to be made upon the materials which are at 
 the basis of a religion. Probably one might 
 detect in the Passion Play a determined 
 unification of events for the purpose of 
 accentuating the designs of the Jews, a 
 motivation outside of the Bible intent, 
 and a careful delineation of Judas, around 
 whom some of the most powerful stress of 
 the play centres ; otherwise the drama fulfils 
 its initial mission. It is externalized for the 
 purpose of inward effect; its art phases 
 should strive to re-create the Bible story. 
 If this is accomplished, then the Passion 
 Play, as a survival* satisfies one of the 
 essential requirements of the early religious 
 drama. 
 
 * As an offshoot of the Oberammergau Passion Play, we should 
 note the Swiss Passion Play, as given since 1890 at Selzach. Other 
 minor examples are likewise to be found, but they are sporadic efforts 
 to reproduce, rather than a growth emanating from the very life 
 of a people. 
 
 [Ixvii] 
 
In preparing this translation of the Pas- 
 sion Play, I have relied chiefly upon the 
 German of three texts : that of Daisenberger, 
 edited by Professor Brentano ; W. T. Stead's 
 stenographic reproduction of the dialogue; 
 and the Huttler, Fischer edition of 1890 
 (Munich). I wish here to take the oppor- 
 tunity of expressing my indebtedness to 
 Dr. August Hartmann's " Das Oberammer- 
 gauer Passionsspiel in seiner altesten Ge- 
 stalt" and to Walter S. Manning's transla- 
 tion of Hermine Diemer's (nee von Hillern) 
 " Oberammergau and its Passion Play." 
 It is a pleasure to acknowledge also the 
 courteous assistance given me by the New 
 York Astor Library, Harvard University, 
 Columbia University, Mr. Louis How, and 
 Mr. Samuel M. Weller. 
 
 MONTROSE J. MOSES. 
 
 [Ixviii] 
 
THE PASSION PLAY 
 
THE PASSION PLAY 
 
 FIRST DIVISION 
 
 From the entrance of Christus into Jerusalem until the 
 moment of His being taken prisoner on the Mount 
 of Olives, 
 
 I. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Prologue 
 
 CHORUS (Choragus). Bend low, bend low in 
 
 holy love, 
 
 God's curse hath bowed an humbled race. 
 Peace unto you! From Heaven above, 
 Where righteous wrath in justice reigns, 
 Yet pales before the touch of grace, 
 So saith the Lord, " Eternal pains 
 Of Death from the Sinner I release. 
 I will forgive he shall have peace ! " 
 Thus came His Son to free the world. OH, praise 
 To Thee we raise, 
 And thanks, Eternal One. 
 Thus came His Son! 
 
 i [i] 
 
TABLEAU : The Expulsion from Paradise 
 
 THE EXPULSION 
 
 This first picture serves as an introduction. Adam and 
 Eve after their temptation are driven from the Garden 
 of Eden. 
 
 CHORAGUS. Man is doomed from Eden's plains 
 
 to wander, 
 
 In darkest sin his soul to live; on death to ponder. 
 The path to the Tree of Life to him denied, 
 By the flaming sword defied, 
 Yet from the heights where hung the Crucified 
 Sifts through the gloom a morning glow! 
 Yonder the Tree of the Cross from whither softly! 
 
 blow 
 Paeans of peace to all the world below. 
 
 CHORUS. God All-Merciful, Thou Pardoner 
 
 supernal ! 
 
 Of them who scorned Thy word at every breath, 
 Exalting the Sinner to the way eternal, 
 Thou gavest Thy Son in death! 
 
 TABLEAU : The Adoration of the Cross 
 
 THE ADORATION 
 
 The second picture represents the Adoration of the Cross, 
 with tittle children dressed as Cherubim. 
 
 CHORAGUS. Hearken, Lord, unto Thy people 
 
 bending, 
 
 Even as little children who come before Thee ; 
 
 [2] 
 
To the great Sacrifice their footsteps wending, 
 In reverent awe, Thy people all adore Thee. 
 
 CHORUS. Follow now the Saviour's way, 
 Along the roughened thorn-path leading 
 
 Bearing for us in the fray, 
 Suffering, and for us bleeding! 
 
 ACT I 
 
 o 
 
 THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 
 
 Christus enters Jerusalem amidst loud rejoicing from the 
 throng, and drives the money-lenders from the Temple. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 Men, Women, and Children; then Christus and the Apostles, 
 followed By a crowd advancing from the background. 
 
 CHORUS. Hail, Son of David, we raise songs 
 
 to Thee! 
 Hail, Thy Father's throne belongs to Thee ! 
 
 To Thee belongs ! 
 
 In God's holy Name You come a light to give 
 In God's Holy Name You grant us right to live 
 To Thee, O Son of David, we raise songs. 
 
 HALF CHORUS A. Hosanna! God in Heaven 
 
 hear us ! 
 Bestow unto the Son of David grace. 
 
 HALF CHORUS B. Hosanna! Enthroned above, 
 
 yet ever near us, 
 Grant us eternally to see Thy face! 
 
 CHORUS. Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee! 
 
 [3] 
 
H. C. A. Blessed be to Him who gives once more 
 Unto the people and their kingdom trembling; 
 
 H. C. B. Bless ye the Son, exalt Him, and adore 
 The Son on high, the Lord our God resembling ! 
 
 CHORUS. Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee! 
 
 H. C. A. Hosanna to the Son, our own 
 Hearken, ye winds, and sound the song abroad! 
 
 H. C. B. Hosanna! there upon His Father's throne, 
 He will deliver the Message of the Lord! 
 
 CHORUS. Hail to Thee! Hail to Thee! 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 Christus, the Apostles, and People; Priests, Pharisees, and 
 Money-changers within the portico of the Temple. 
 
 CHRISTUS. What see I here? Thus would you 
 dishonour the abode of My Father. Is this God's 
 House? or is it naught to you but a market-place? 
 How can the Strangers who come from out the land 
 of the heathen perform their devotions here in such 
 a throng of usurers? And you who are priests and 
 guardians of the sanctuary! you see this abomina- 
 tion and yet you endure it ! Woe unto you ! He who 
 fathoms the heart well knows why you yourselves 
 sanction such outrage. 
 
 MONEY CHANGERS. Who, forsooth, is this? 
 
 THE PEOPLE. It is the great Prophet from Naz- 
 areth in Galilee. 
 
 CHRISTUS (approaching the dealers)- Away from 
 here, Servants of Mammon! I bid you go! Take 
 what is yours, and leave this holy place! 
 
 [4] 
 
RABBI. See the fire in His eye; I cannot endure 
 Him. 
 
 EPHRAIM. Come, let us depart, that His wrath 
 may not completely undo us. [Departing in awe; the 
 others hesitate. 
 
 JOSUE. Why do you interfere with these people? 
 
 EZEKIEL. This place has been specially set aside 
 for the sacrifice. 
 
 SAD OK. How can you forbid what the High 
 Council allows? 
 
 BOOZ. Shall we no longer be permitted to make 
 sacrifice here? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Outside the Temple there are many 
 places for your business. My house, so saith the 
 Lord, shall be called a House of Prayer for all! But 
 you have made it a den of thieves. (Overturning the 
 Tables.) Away with all this! 
 
 RABBI. It cannot be. You dare not do thus ! 
 KOAN (a Trader). My gold, ah, my gold! 
 
 DATHAN (a Trader). My doves! [The doves 
 fly away. 
 
 ABIRON (a Trader). Who will restore this loss 
 to me? 
 
 CHRISTUS (striking out with a lash). Hence! It 
 is my will that this profaned Temple be onre more 
 restored to the worship of the Father! [The Traders 
 withdraw, some in fear, others menacingly. 
 
 SAD OK. Tell us, by what authority do you so 
 command? 
 
 [5] 
 
AMON. Through what miraculous sign are you 
 able to show the power you have to do this? 
 
 CHRISTUS. You ask for a miracle? Verily, one 
 shall be given you. Destroy this Temple here, and 
 in three days will I have it again rebuilt. 
 
 RABBI. What boasting, what insolent speech! 
 
 AMON. Six and forty years was this Temple in 
 the building, and you would do it in three days! 
 
 CHILDREN. Hosanna! Hail to the Son of 
 David! 
 
 PEOPLE. Glory be to Him who comes in the 
 name of the Lord! 
 
 RABINTH. Hear you what these people cry? 
 DARIABAS. Forbid them! 
 
 CHRISTUS. I say unto you: If these were silent, 
 then would the very stones cry out. 
 
 CHILDREN. Hosanna to the Son of David! 
 PHARISEES. Be silent, you foolish ones! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Have you not read: Out of the 
 mouths of babes and sucklings you have made ready 
 your praise? That which is hidden from the proud 
 is revealed unto the little children. And the Scrip- 
 tures must be fulfilled : The stone which the workmen 
 rejected has become the corner-stone. The Kingdom 
 of God shall be taken from you, and it shall be given 
 unto those people who will bring forth fruit. But 
 that stone whosoever falls upon it shall be bruised, 
 and on whomsoever it falls, he shall be crushed to 
 pieces. Come, my Disciples! I have done what the 
 
 [6] 
 
Father has commanded of me. I have vindicated the 
 honour of His house. The gloom remains gloom ; but 
 in many hearts will it soon be day. Let us within the 
 Temple, and there pray to our Father in Heaven. 
 [They go. 
 
 PEOPLE. Praise be to the Anointed One! 
 Hosanna ! 
 
 PRIESTS. Be silent, you contemptible beings! 
 
 PHARISEES. You will all be ruined along with 
 Him! 
 
 PEOPLE. Blessed be the Kingdom of David, 
 which shall again shine forth! 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 Priests and People 
 
 NATHANAEL. Whoso continue true to our 
 Fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let them remain 
 with us! Upon all others fall the curse of Moses! 
 
 RABBI. He is a misleader! an enemy of Moses 
 an enemy to the Holy Law! 
 
 PEOPLE. Why then did you not lay hold on Him? 
 Is He not a Prophet? [Some of the multitude follow 
 Cbristus. 
 
 PTOLEMAUS. Away with the Prophet! 
 RABBI. He is a teacher of false doctrine! 
 SAD OK. A heretic an enemy of Moses! 
 
 JOSAPHAT. An enemy to the traditions of our 
 Fathers! A deceiver! 
 
 [7] 
 
PEOPLE (again). Why did you not seize Him? 
 
 NATHANAEL. Oh, you blind people! Would 
 you indeed follow this new One, would you forsake 
 Moses, the Prophets, and your Priests? Do you not 
 fear that the curse hurled by the Law against this 
 faithless creature will crush you? Would you will- 
 ingly cease to be Jehovah's Chosen People? 
 
 PEOPLE. Indeed, no! That is far from our 
 minds ! 
 
 NATHANAEL. Who guards the purity of the 
 Teacher? Is it not the holy Sanhedrin of the People 
 of Israel? Which would you heed us or Him who 
 has proclaimed Himself the Prophet of a new faith? 
 
 PEOPLE. We will hearken unto you, we will 
 follow you ! 
 
 SADOK. The God of our Fathers will bless you 
 for this. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Now then! This Man, so full of 
 deceit and of error, hastens to His ruin! 
 
 PEOPLE. Yes, we will stand by you! We are 
 the followers of Moses! 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 The Traders, with their chief, Dathan, enter, weeping 
 and moaning. 
 
 TRADERS. This insult must not remain unpun- 
 ished. Come, let us hasten retribution. Vengeance, 
 vengeance ! 
 
 DATHAN. He shall pay dearly for His brazen 
 manner ! 
 
 [8] 
 
BOOZ. Gold, oil, salt, doves He must pay us 
 for the loss of all ! Where is He? He shall know our 
 wrath ! 
 
 JOSUE. He is there within the Temple! 
 PRIESTS. He has gone away! 
 TRADERS. We will after Him. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Hold, friends! The followers of 
 yonder Man and His Disciples are yet too many. Your 
 meeting with them now might cause a disastrous 
 struggle which would be stopped by the sword of 
 the Roman. Trust to us. He shall not escape 
 punishment ! 
 
 PRIESTS. With us, for us that is your salvation. 
 SADOK. His downfall approaches. 
 ALL. Our triumph is near. 
 
 NATHANAEL. We go now to inform the High 
 Council of this day's happenings. 
 
 TRADERS. We will go with you; we would have 
 satisfaction. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Nay, in an hour's time come to 
 the outer court of the High Priest's house. In the 
 meanwhile I will bring your grievances before the 
 Council and will plead eloquently in your favour. At 
 the right moment you shall be called. [ The priests go. 
 
 TRADERS AND PEOPLE (moving off stage). 
 We have Moses! Down with all others! We are 
 faithful to the death unto the Law of Moses! Praise 
 be to our Fathers and to our Fathers' God! 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 [9] 
 
II. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Plot of the High Council 
 
 Prologue 
 
 CHORAQUS. Greetings be unto you all, who in 
 
 love are gathered here, 
 Gathered round the Saviour mourning, you who come 
 
 from far and near, 
 Fain to follow on the thorn-path, fain to suffer in His 
 
 doom, 
 Through the trial and the torture, from the cross unto 
 
 the tomb. 
 
 Oh, ye people now assembled, followers from sea to 
 
 sea, 
 Prompted by the love of brothers, bound as one in 
 
 unity, 
 One in faith and one in feeling, one in love for Him 
 
 who died, 
 Him who bore the cross and suffered, Christ who is 
 
 the Crucified! 
 
 Who in pity for the Sinners, chose Himself the world 
 
 to save, 
 Leaving life unto the living, for the life beyond the 
 
 grave 
 Toward Hun turn your countenances, toward Him 
 
 turn your hearts in praise, 
 Turn your hearts in deep thanksgiving, and your 
 
 countenances raise! 
 
 [10] 
 
For, behold, the Cup of Sorrow overflows the beaker's 
 
 brim, 
 While the bitter force of envy holds the bitter dregs 
 
 for Him. 
 Avaricious ones conspire, breathing hate with every 
 
 breath, 
 Hate that only breeds destruction, avarice that knows 
 
 but death! 
 
 Even as when Joseph's brothers all the bonds of 
 
 blood defied, 
 Prompted by the thoughts of murder to the verge of 
 
 fratricide, 
 Even now, the priestly Council, met to stem the 
 
 Prophet's sway, 
 Spurs itself, by false deception, to put Death within 
 
 His way. 
 
 LEADER OF THE CHORUS (Ckoragus. Recit.). 
 Intent on the blasphemous deed, they depart. 
 The mouth hath proclaimed what was hid in the heart ! 
 The sting of their consciences hastens their blunder, 
 The masks from their faces are now rent asunder! 
 
 CHORUS. Away! Let us go to reap vengeance, 
 
 they cry, 
 Our work we must do ; He must die, He must die ! 
 
 TABLEAU: The Sons of the Patriarch Jacob plot as to 
 bow their younger brother Joseph is to be put out of the 
 way. Gen. 37: 18. Joseph symbolizes the humiliation 
 and exaltation of Christ : like Jesus, he is the beloved 
 son of his father, and so his brothers would quickly 
 despatch him ; hated by them, insulted, his 'very coat 
 taken from him, he is sold to the stranger for a single 
 piece of silver. 
 
 ["I 
 
CHORAGUS. O God! we would enter the sancti- 
 fied temple of prayer; 
 Of that which occurred in the Past we are all made 
 
 aware. 
 Even as Jacob's cruel sons did conspire, 
 
 So, in blind ire, 
 
 O God, will be heard the murderous cry: 
 He must die! He must die! 
 
 SOLO (Tenor). Behold the dreamer, 
 False teacher, blasphemer, 
 
 Our King! 
 
 Away with this vision, 
 This Man of derision! 
 
 Come, fling 
 
 What we hate to the depths of yon pool, 
 And there let Him rule! 
 
 SOLO (Bass). Thus, thirst 
 
 The brood accurst! 
 He is against our people Let Him die ! 
 
 They cry. 
 The honour of our faith is in danger 
 
 Of this Stranger. 
 
 For the world is filled with those who pray 
 To follow Him; who travel not our way! 
 
 DUET. Come, let us hasten to slay Him! 
 Let us capture and flay Him! 
 No one from Death can stay Him! 
 
 Come, come ! 
 
 Away ! to our purpose stand fast. 
 Away ! for His glory is past. 
 Away! for the die is cast. 
 
 Come, come! 
 
CHORUS. O God, destroy this wanton band, 
 Which seeks to bind Thy righteous hand; 
 Which comes, with jibe and jeer, to kill, 
 To murder, to oppose Thy will! 
 
 Let them feel Thy holy wonder 
 Flash of lightning, roar of thunder 
 Of Thy power let them know 
 In Thy might, oh, bend them low! 
 
 For He came not to destroy, 
 
 God the Father, Thou above! 
 His the mission to bring joy 
 
 To the Sinner, Grace and Love! 
 
 We before Thy throne incline, 
 In humility are Thine, 
 Bless Thy passion, Thy design, 
 God, the Father, the Divine ! 
 
 ACT II 
 
 The High Council decides to take the Christus captive. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 The Assembly of the High Council 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Venerable Brothers, Fathers, and 
 Teachers of the people! An extraordinary occurrence 
 is the immediate object of this present meeting. 
 Learn of it from the mouth of our worthy brother. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Have I your permission, wise 
 Fathers, to speak? 
 
 ALL. Yes, worthy priest. 
 [13] 
 
NATHANAEL. Wonder not then that you are 
 convoked at so late an hour for deliberation. You 
 know what we to our shame have witnessed to-day 
 with our very eyes. You have seen the triumphal way 
 of the Galilean through the streets of the Holy City! 
 You have heard the Hosannas of the infatuated people ! 
 You have perceived how the haughty One arrogated 
 unto Himself the dignity of the High Priest, and 1 
 dared, as Master, to rule in the Temple of Jehovah! 
 What could more unerringly hasten the upheaval of 
 all State and ecclesiastical order? Yet, one step 
 further, and the sacred laws of Moses will be sup- 
 planted by the innovations of this false Teacher. The 
 dogmas of our Fathers will be despised, the fasts and 
 purifications done away with, the Sabbath profaned, 
 the Priests of God divested of their charges, the holy 
 sacrifices ended. Such is the situation. 
 
 ALL. True, very true, painfully true! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Yes, and still more ! Soon this Man, 
 encouraged by His success, will proclaim Himself 
 King of Israel. Then will schism and rioting flood 
 the land, then will the Romans come with troops and 
 desolate the land and people. Woe unto the children 
 of Israel! Woe unto the Holy City! Woe unto the 
 Temple of Jehovah ! Woe, indeed, if some force is not 
 set against this evil while yet there is time ! This is 
 urgent, for the vindication rests with us. We must 
 this very day frame some strong course of action, and 
 what is resolved upon must be executed regardless of 
 all else. Will you, O Fathers, by the raising of your 
 hands, signify your agreement with me? 
 
 ALL. Yes, yes, we do, we will. An end must be 
 put to this Impostor ! 
 
 [14] 
 
CAIAPHAS. Express your opinion freely as to 
 what were best to be done! 
 
 RABBI. If I may be allowed to speak frankly, then 
 I must confess that we ourselves are somewhat to 
 blame for what has come to pass. Against this danger 
 which has slowly gathered, we have put too mild, too 
 gentle remedies. How have our arguments stopped 
 Him; what does it matter whether, by our question- 
 ing, we have at times embarrassed Him? What avail 
 that we have pointed out inconsistencies in His teach- 
 ing, and His every violation of the Law? What even 
 has been the effect of the anathemas hurled by us upon 
 all who acknowledged Him as the Messiah? Our 
 trouble has been useless. They turn their backs upon 
 us, and they follow Him. If we would have peace, 
 then must we do what should indeed have been done 
 a long time ago. We must secure His person, must 
 cast Him into prison; that is the way to make Him 
 harmless ! 
 
 ALL. Yes, we are perfectly agreed ! 
 
 THIRD PRIEST. Once He is in prison, the credu- 
 lous people will no longer be held by the force of His 
 manner and the magic of His speech. When there is 
 no longer any miracle for them to gape at, then will 
 He soon be forgotten. 
 
 FOURTH PRIEST. In the depths of His dungeon 
 let His light shine; there let Him proclaim Himself 
 Messiah to the dungeon walls. 
 
 FIRST PHARISEE. Quite long enough has He 
 misled the people, and stigmatized as pretence the 
 rare virtues of the holy order of the Pharisees. 
 
 SECOND PHARISEE. Then will the enthusiasm 
 [15] 
 
of His adherents cool when He, who promised them 
 freedom, Himself lies in fetters. 
 
 ANNAS. Now indeed, venerable Priests and 
 Teachers, a ray of comfort, of hope, enters my heart 
 once more, for I note your unanimous determination. 
 Ah, what inexpressible sorrow has weighed upon my 
 soul because of the rapidity with which the false teach- 
 ings of this Galilean have spread ! Had I forsooth at- 
 tained old age, only to behold with mine own eyes the 
 destruction of the Holy Law? Yet I will not despair. 
 The God of our Fathers still lives, and is with us. If 
 you, my Friends, are thus emboldened to interpose, if 
 you stand together tried and true, and follow unswerv- 
 ingly a definite aim, then indeed is deliverance near. 
 Take courage, and save Israel! Immortal glory will 
 be yours as a reward. 
 
 ALL. We are of one intent! Our Fathers' faith 
 shall not perish! 
 
 PRIESTS. Israel must be delivered! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. All praise to your unanimous decision, 
 worthy Brothers! But now give me aid with your 
 wise counsel, how it were best to secure this Seducer 
 under our authority. 
 
 RABINTH. To take Him now, at the time of the 
 feast, might be fraught with danger. In the streets 
 and within the Temple everywhere He goes, He is 
 surrounded by a multitude of inspired adherents 
 He could easily bring about a riot. 
 
 EZEKIEL. And yet, it must be done immediately; 
 it suffers no delay. Suppose He did provoke an uproar, 
 then we might take Him on the spot, as we have de- 
 termined shall be done. 
 
 [i*] 
 
OTHER PRIESTS. No delay! No respite! 
 
 JOSUE. At present, nevertheless, we dare not 
 seize Him by open means; our work must be done 
 secretly and cunningly. We must in some way dis- 
 cover where He usually spends the night; there sud- 
 denly and without excitement might He be taken and 
 carried off in perfect safety. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Should it please the High Council 
 to offer a considerable reward for the purpose, no 
 doubt someone could be found to track the fox to His 
 lair. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. If you sanction it, holy Fathers, I 
 will, in the name of this, our august body, send forth 
 the command that anyone knowing His nightly haunts 
 should declare the same to us, and also that to the 
 informer is assured a fitting recompense. 
 
 ALL. We are quite agreed. 
 
 NATHANAEL. No doubt, some man among those 
 so grievously insulted by the Galilean when He drove 
 them from the Temple with a scourge, could inform us. 
 Once these men were firm believers in the Law, and 
 now they thirst for vengeance against this One who 
 has made such an unheard-of assault upon their 
 privileges. 
 
 ANNAS. Where may the Traders be reached? 
 
 NATHANAEL. They are already here in the vesti- 
 bule. I promised them to champion their rights before 
 the holy Sanhedrin, and they await the issue. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Worthy Priest, tell them that the 
 High Council is disposed to listen to their grievance. 
 Bring them hither. 
 
 2 [17] 
 
NATHANAEL. This will delight them, and 
 profit us! [Goes. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The God of our Fathers has not yet 
 withdrawn His hand from us. Still does Moses watch 
 over us. If we succeed in drawing to us the flower 
 of manhood among the people, then need we have no 
 further fear. Friends and Brothers, let us take courage 
 our Father, from out the bosom of Abraham, watches 
 over us. 
 
 PRIESTS. God bless our High Priest! [The 
 Traders are led in. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 
 NATHANAEL. High Priest and chosen Teachers 
 of the People, these men, deserving of our blessing, 
 appear before this Assembly in order to lodge com- 
 plaint against the infamous Jesus of Nazareth, who 
 has to-day insulted them beyond reason in their 
 Temple and has wrought them harm. 
 
 DATHAN. We beseech the High Council to ob- 
 tain satisfaction for us. The High Council should 
 favour our lawful demands. 
 
 PRIESTS AND PHARISEES. You shall have 
 justice done you, we promise that. 
 
 BOOZ. Is it not granted us by the High Council 
 to place on sale in the portico all things necessary 
 for the Feast? 
 
 SAD OK. In truth, we do allow that. Woe unto 
 anyone who disturbs you in that right! 
 
 [18] 
 
BOOZ. But the Galilean has driven us out with a 
 scourge ! 
 
 ABIRON. And He has overturned the money 
 tables ! 
 
 DATHAN. And He has emptied my dove-cots! 
 TRADERS. We demand recompense! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The Law grants you satisfaction. 
 Meanwhile, your loss shall be restored to you from the 
 Temple treasury. But in return, that the Transgressor 
 Himself may be punished in proper measure, we need 
 your help. What can we do to Him so long as He is 
 not in our power? 
 
 ESRON. You know, He goes daily to the Temple; 
 there He could be easily caught and carried away. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. That would not do. He always has 
 around Him a passionate crowd, which might begin a 
 dangerous riot. It must be done silently. 
 
 BOOZ. The night time is best. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. If you could but reconnoitre, and 
 ferret out where He hides under cover of darkness, 
 then, without any disturbance, He would soon be in 
 our hands. Afterwards, not only would the pleasure 
 of seeing Him punished be yours, but also you would 
 have share in a considerable reward. 
 
 NATH ANAEL. So ! And furthermore, you will be 
 rendering a great service to the Law of Moses, if you 
 aid therein. 
 
 TRADERS. We shall not fail. 
 
 EPHRAIM. Nor shall we spare ourselves trouble. 
 [19] 
 
DATHAN. I know one of His Disciples. Through 
 him I may learn something, especially if I offer him a 
 suitable reward. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. If you find such a one, make him 
 every necessary promise in our name. Only, waste 
 no time, for we must reach our goal before the Feast. 
 
 ANNAS. And be sure to observe strict silence. 
 TRADERS. We swear it! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. But, my men, if you would satisfy 
 your thirst for revenge entirely, then take good care 
 that you kindle in others the same holy ardour which 
 burns in you. 
 
 EPHRAIM. Since to-day 's disaster, we have made 
 use of every moment; already we have brought to 
 our side many of our friends and relatives. 
 
 RABBI. We will not rest until everyone is against 
 Him. 
 
 ANNAS. In return, you will gain the rare thanks of 
 the High Council. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Publicly shall you then be honoured 
 before the people, even as you have just been openly 
 insulted by this arrogant Man. 
 
 KOAN. We dedicate our lives to the Law of Moses 
 and to the holy Sanhedrin. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The God of Abraham be with you! 
 
 TRADERS. Long live Moses, long live the High 
 Priest and the Sanhedrin. [ They go. 
 
 KOAN. To-day, maybe, the Galilean has played His 
 r61e for the last time ! [Goes. 
 
 [20] 
 
FOURTH SCENE 
 
 CAIAPHAS. As though by sweet slumbers strength- 
 ened, I live again. With such men as those, we can 
 accomplish everything. Now we shall see who con- 
 quers : He with His followers to whom, without cessa- 
 tion, He preaches Love, a Love which embraces sinner 
 and publican alike, even the heathen or we, with 
 this multitude of His enemies, filled with a desire for 
 vengeance, whom we are sending forth against Him. 
 There can be no doubt on which side the victory 
 will be. 
 
 ANNAS. The God of our Fathers grant us victory! 
 Such joy in my old age will make me young again! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Let us adjourn and confidently await 
 success. Praise be to the Fathers ! 
 
 ALL. Praise be to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob! 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 III. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Parting at Bethany 
 Prologue 
 
 CHORAGUS. He who glances in the future with 
 
 a penetrating eye, 
 He who has the gift prophetic feels a violent storm is 
 
 nigh 
 Which with menace is approaching, which obtains 
 
 about His head 
 
 A menace which approaches and which gathers and 
 will spread. 
 
 [21] 
 
There He tarries in a circle of His people who 
 
 believe ; 
 He has said the word of parting, He has made the heart 
 
 to grieve. 
 Ah ! a word which wounds to utter and a word which 
 
 brings no rest 
 Only sorrow to the Mother, only pain within her 
 
 breast. 
 
 See the mother of Tobias, how she wept with every 
 
 sigh, 
 As she saw her son departing, as the grievous time 
 
 drew nigh 
 How her sorrow and her grieving broke the floodgate 
 
 of her tears, 
 When she saw her son departing as fulfilment of her 
 
 fears. 
 
 Even so, thus weeps the Mother of the Son of God who 
 
 goes 
 Thus she gazes at her Loved One, knowing all the 
 
 grief He knows 
 Through His love He seeks atonement, for the world 
 
 ordained to die, 
 To destroy the sin of Sinners, even though they 
 
 crucify. 
 
 TABLEAU: Young Tobias takes leave of fits home. 
 Tob. 4:1. We picture suggests the departure of 
 Christus from His Mother, as He leaves for Jerusalem. 
 
 SOLO. Friends! what bitter pain is this, 
 Torturing a Mother's bliss? 
 Hearken to the Lord's command 
 Yonder Raphael by the hand 
 Leads Tobias from the land. 
 
 [22] 
 
Woe! Alas, a thousand woes! 
 Thus she calls to him who goes 
 Come thou, tarry not for long, 
 Comfort thou, and right the wrong 
 But return, and make me strong! 
 
 Ah, Tobias, ah, my son! 
 Come to me, beloved one! 
 For my arms are opened wide 
 Fain to hold thee by my side 
 Thus to make me satisfied! 
 
 CHORUS. Mournful she, and comfortless. 
 Neither joy nor happiness 
 Till one moment, doubly blest, 
 Finds her son held to her breast! 
 
 SOLO. A Bride there was, you know the song 
 Of her lamenting loud and long. 
 'T was Solomon in all his glory, 
 Told in lofty words the story ! 
 
 Greater the pain in Mary's heart, 
 Which pierces like a cruel dart; 
 And yet submission is a rod 
 Aiding her to walk with God. 
 
 TABLEAU : The beloved bride bewails the loss of her 
 bridegroom. S. of S. 5:J. In a wonderfully beau- 
 tiful flower- garden, we see the Bride of the Sublime 
 Song ; she stands in a rose arbour, surrounded by her 
 trusted women clad in white and adorned 'with blos- 
 soms. An allusion is here made to the Church as a 
 maidenly bride ; or to Mary's grief over the depar- 
 ture of ber Son, her one great joy. For the lament, 
 cf. Canticles. 
 
 [23] 
 
SOLO. Whither, whither has He departed? 
 For I, alas, am broken-hearted! 
 Beloved One, my soul is yearning ! 
 Beloved One, my tears are burning! 
 
 Whither, whither art Thou hiding? 
 Speak, oh, speak, one word confiding! 
 Dost Thou tarry Dost Thou wait 
 Have I lost Thee am I late? 
 
 My heavy eyes are searching still 
 From path to path, from hill to hill 
 Beloved, in the early morn, 
 I think of Thee and Hope is born! 
 
 CHORUS. Beloved, ah, Beloved, woe is me 
 The pain I feel for Thee ! 
 
 Friends, be ye comforted, and learn 
 Thy Beloved will return! 
 
 Behold the Bridegroom on His way 
 Tarry thou, and for Him stay 
 No longer any cloud shall dim 
 The joy to thee of meeting Him! 
 
 Oh, come, my eyes are opened wide! 
 Oh, rest, Beloved, by my side! 
 No longer any cloud shall be, 
 To dim the joy of meeting Thee ! 
 
 [34] 
 
ACT III 
 
 Christus is anointed by Mary Magdalene in Bethany, where 
 Judas complains. He then fakes leave of His Mother 
 and of His friends. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 Cbristus and the Twelve Disciples 
 
 CHRISTUS. Know you, my dear Disciples, that the 
 Passover is in two days' time. Therefore, let us now 
 make a last visit to our friends in Bethany, and then 
 go to Jerusalem; there, in these days to come, all will 
 be fulfilled which has been written by the Prophets of 
 the Son of Man. 
 
 PHILIP. Has the day then truly arrived when you 
 will again restore the Kingdom to Israel? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Then shall the Son of Man be handed 
 over to the Gentiles, and He shall be ridiculed and spat 
 upon, and they will crucify Him. But on the third 
 day He will rise again. 
 
 JOHN. Master, what dark and terrible meaning for 
 us in your words! How shall we understand you? 
 Make it clear to us! 
 
 CHRISTUS. The hour has come when the Son of 
 Man will be glorified! Verily, verily, I say unto you: 
 If the grain of wheat does not fall to the ground and 
 die, then it remains alone ; but if it dies, then it brings 
 forth abundant fruit. Now the judgment goes forth 
 over the earth : The Prince of this world will be cast 
 out. And I, if I be raised, will draw all men unto me. 
 
 05] 
 
THADDEUS. What does He mean by such speech? 
 
 SIMON. Why does He liken Himself to a grain of 
 wheat? 
 
 ANDREW. Lord, you mention shame and victory 
 in one breath, and yet I know not how to reconcile 
 these in my thoughts. 
 
 CHRISTUS. What to you now is dark as night 
 will soon be as clear as day. Thus have I said unto 
 you, so that whatever happens you may not lose cour- 
 age. Believe and hope ! For when the turmoil is over, 
 then shall you see and understand. 
 
 THOMAS. I cannot grasp what it is you say of 
 suffering and of death. Have we not then learned 
 aright of the Prophets, that the Messiah shall live 
 eternally? 
 
 PETER. What can your enemies do to you? A 
 word from you would crush them all. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Thomas! reverence the decree of God, 
 which you cannot fathom. For a short while still is 
 the Light with you. Walk so long as you have the 
 light, lest darkness overtake you. 
 
 DISCIPLES. Lord! Remain with us! Without 
 you we will be as sheep without a shepherd. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 The preceding. Simon, then Lazarus, Martha, 
 Mary Magdalene 
 
 SIMON. Best of Teachers, greetings unto you! 
 Oh, what joy! how you bless my house with your 
 presence. (To the Disciples.} Be there welcome unto 
 you all, friends. 
 
 [26] 
 
CHRISTUS. Simon, for the last time do I lay claim 
 upon your hospitality I, with my Disciples here. 
 
 SIMON. Speak not so, my Master. Many times 
 shall Bethany still afford you resting place for brief 
 repose. 
 
 CHRISTUS (Lazarus approaching). Behold our friend 
 Lazarus. 
 
 LAZARUS. Oh, Conqueror of Death! Benefactor 
 of Life! Master! I see you again, and I hear again 
 the voice which called me from the grave! [Conceal- 
 ing his face on the breast of Christus. 
 
 MAGDALENE. Rabbi! 
 MARTHA. Greetings to you! 
 CHRISTUS. God's blessing rest upon you. 
 
 MAGDALENE. Will you have from me a token of 
 love and gratitude? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Yea, do what you purpose doing. 
 
 SIMON. Enter, Master, beneath my roof; let you 
 and yours be refreshed. [They all go in. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 The Guest-room in Simon's House 
 CHRISTUS. Peace be unto this house! 
 DISCIPLES. And to all who dwell therein! 
 
 SIMON. Master, everything is ready. Be seated 
 at the table, and bid your followers do likewise. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Let us then, my dear Disciples, with 
 thanks enjoy the gifts which our Father in Heaven 
 
 [27] 
 
grants us through Simon, His servant. (After they 
 are all seated.) O Jerusalem! Would that to you 
 my coming were as dear as it is to these, my friends ! 
 But, alas, you are stricken with blindness! 
 
 LAZARUS. Beloved Master ! Dangers there await 
 you. In expectation, the Pharisees abide your com- 
 ing to the Great Feast. Eagerly they watch for your 
 destruction. 
 
 SIMON. Remain here with us where you are safe. 
 
 PETER. Here indeed it were best to be beneath the 
 portals of this house, served by true love here until 
 the storm which will arise has spent itself. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Get thee behind me, Satan ! You have 
 no thought for that which is of God, but only for that 
 which is of Man. Should the Reaper be permitted 
 to rest in the shadow while the ripe harvest beckons 
 Him? The Son of Man came not into this world that 
 He might be served, but that He might serve and give 
 His life as ransom for the many. 
 
 JUDAS. But, Master, what would become of us if 
 you should lose your life? 
 
 APOSTLES. Alas! All our hopes would then be 
 ruined ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Calm yourselves! I have the power 
 to give up my life, and I have the power to bring it 
 back again. This has the Father granted me. 
 
 MAGDALENE (comes and pours ointment upon the 
 head of Christus). Rabbi. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Maria! 
 
 THOMAS. What delicious odour! 
 
 [28] 
 
BARTHOLOMEW. That is costly it is rare 
 spikenard oil. 
 
 THADDEUS. Such honour has never before fallen 
 to our Master. 
 
 JUDAS. To what purpose such wastefulness? One 
 could better employ the gold it cost. 
 
 THOMAS. Thus it almost seems to me. [Mag- 
 dalene kneels and anoints the feet of Christtts. 
 
 CHRISTUS. What is it that you whisper one 
 to the other? Why do you censure what is done out 
 of grateful love alone? 
 
 JUDAS. Thus to use such precious, such costly 
 ointment! What prodigality! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Friend Judas! Look on me! Is it 
 waste on me, your Master? 
 
 JUDAS. But I know you care not for such useless 
 extravagance. One might have sold the ointment, 
 and the poor could have profited thereby. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Judas, your hand upon your heart! 
 Is it only compassion for the poor which moves 
 you so? 
 
 JUDAS. At least three hundred pieces could have 
 been got for it. A loss indeed to the poor and to us ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. The poor have you always with you, 
 but me have you not always. She has done good 
 work; let her be! For inasmuch as she has poured 
 this oil upon my body, so has she in advance prepared 
 me for my burial. Verily, verily, I say unto you: 
 Wheresoever the Gospel is preached throughout the 
 world, there also will the memory of what she has 
 
 [29] 
 
done be preserved. Let us rise. ( To Simon, after they 
 have risen.) Thank you, kind friend, for your enter- 
 tainment. The Father will reward you. 
 
 SIMON. Say naught of thanks, Master. I am aware 
 what I owe to you. 
 
 CHRISTUS. The time has come to depart from 
 here. Farewell, inmates of this hospitable house ! My 
 Disciples, follow me ! 
 
 PETER. Master, where you will, only not unto 
 Jerusalem ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. I go whither my Father calls me. 
 Peter, if it so please you to remain here, then remain ! 
 
 PETER. My Lord and Master, where you stay, 
 there will I stay also, and where you go, there also will 
 I go. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Then come! [They go. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 CHRISTUS (to Magdalene and Martha}. Stay, 
 dearly beloved ! Once more, farewell ! Peaceful Beth- 
 any! Never again shall I tarry in thy restful vale. 
 
 SIMON. Then, Master, will you, in truth, leave 
 here forever? 
 
 MAGDALENE. Oh, I have forebodings of most 
 terrible things. Friend of my soul! My heart, alas, 
 my heart, I cannot let you go! [Falls at the feet of 
 Christus. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Arise, Mary! The night approaches 
 and the winds of winter are raging near. Still, be of 
 
 [30] 
 
good hope ! In the early morn, in the Garden of Spring, 
 you shall see me again! 
 
 LAZARUS. My Friend! My Benefactor! 
 
 MARTHA. Joy of my heart ! My strength ! Alas, 
 you go to return no more? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Our Father wills it, dear one! 
 Wherever I am, I will carry you always in my heart, 
 and wheresoever you are, my blessing be upon you. 
 Farewell ! [As He turns to go, Mary, the Mother, comes 
 with her companions. 
 
 FIFTH SCENE 
 
 MARY. Jesus, dear Son, with yearning have I and 
 my friends hastened after you, to see you once more, 
 ere you go, alas, from hence! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Mother, I am on my way to Jerusalem. 
 
 MARY. To Jerusalem! 'T is there, in the Temple 
 of Jehovah, I once carried you in my arms to offer 
 you unto the Lord. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Mother! The hour has come when I 
 shall offer myself, even as our Father has ordained. 
 I am ready to fulfil that which the Father exacts of 
 me. 
 
 MARY. Alas ! I have a fear of what the sacrifice 
 will be! 
 
 MAGDALENE. O dearest Mother, how ardently 
 we have wished to keep our beloved Master here 
 with us! 
 
 SIMON. But He is resolved! 
 
 [31] 
 
CHRISTUS. My hour has come. 
 
 ALL THE DISCIPLES. Beseech the Father to 
 absolve you. 
 
 ALL THE WOMEN. He will as ever hearken 
 unto you. 
 
 CHRISTUS. My soul is indeed cast down. Yet 
 what .is it I should say : Father ! save me from this 
 hour? Was it not for this very hour I came into the 
 world? 
 
 MARY. Simon, Simon, you worthy old man, now 
 will it come to pass that which you once prophesied 
 to me : " A sword shall pierce thy heart ! " 
 
 CHRISTUS. Mother! the Father's will has ever to 
 you been held in sacredness. 
 
 MARY. Even now is it so. I am a hand-maiden of 
 the Lord. What He imposes upon me, that in patience 
 will I bear. But one thing I beseech you, Son! 
 
 CHRISTUS. What do you crave, my Mother? 
 
 MARY. That I may go with you into the midst 
 of your suffering, yea, even unto death ! 
 
 JOHN. What love! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Mother! Indeed you will suffer with 
 me, you will bleed with me in my death agony, but 
 then you will rejoice with me in my victory. There- 
 fore, take comfort! 
 
 MARY. Ah, God, give me strength that my heart 
 may not break ! 
 
 THE HOLY WOMEN. Mother of mothers, we 
 weep for you! 
 
 [32] 
 
MARY. My Son, with you I go to Jerusalem. 
 THE WOMEN. Mother, we go with you! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Later, you may unto the city; but 
 now remain with our friends in Bethany. ( To Simon, 
 Martha, etc. ) Unto you, trusted souls, I commend my 
 Mother, together with these, her companions. 
 
 MAGDALENE. After you, there is no one dearer 
 to us than your Mother. 
 
 LAZARUS. If only you, Master, could remain! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Comfort you one another! In two 
 days you may proceed together on your way, so as to 
 reach Jerusalem for the great Feast. 
 
 MARY. As you will, my Son. 
 
 WOMEN. Alas! how sadly the hours will pass 
 with you far off! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Mother, Mother! For all the tender 
 love and care you have shown me these three and 
 thirty years of my life, receive the thanks of your Son ! 
 The Father calls me. Farewell, best of Mothers! 
 
 MARY. My Son, where shall I see you again? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Yonder, beloved Mother, where the 
 Scriptures shall be fulfilled : He was led as a Lamb to 
 the sacrifice, and He opened not His mouth. 
 
 MARY. Jesus! Your Mother alas! O God! 
 my Son 
 
 WOMEN (hastening to Mary, the Mother, to support 
 her). Oh, dearly beloved Mother! 
 
 DISCIPLES (departing). We cannot bear it. How 
 will it end? 
 
 ALL. What great affliction threatens us? 
 
 3 [33] 
 
CHRISTUS. Give not up in the first struggle! 
 Have faith in me ! [Goes. 
 
 LAZARUS, THE WOMEN (looking after Christus). 
 Oh, our dear Teacher! 
 
 SIMON. Benefactor of my house! (To Mary.) 
 Mother, come with me and deign to enter. 
 
 MAGDALENE. One consolation there is, even in 
 the midst of our trial. 
 
 MARTHA. How fortunate to have our Master's 
 Mother with us ! 
 
 LAZARUS (to the 'women). You also, beloved ones, 
 come with us! We will share together our sorrow 
 and our tears. [ They go into the house. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 IV. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Last Journey to Jerusalem 
 
 Prologue 
 
 People of God! Thy Saviour is near thee. Behold! 
 He has come, He has come as the Prophets foretold! 
 Hearken His voice, and follow His leading, 
 Grace has He brought thee, and Life for thy sins 
 
 interceding ! 
 
 Yet blind is the faith of Jerusalem, deaf is the land 
 She will turn from the hope of Salvation, and thrust 
 
 back His hand! 
 
 [34] 
 
And soon will the Saviour no longer give heed to her 
 
 call, 
 On the day of Jerusalem's fall ! 
 
 Vashti in scorn the royal feast disdained, 
 
 The king in anger spurned her from his side 
 
 Vashti in scorn complained, 
 
 The king turned from her to a nobler bride. 
 
 Thus will the Synagogue be in time forsaken ! 
 
 Thus will God's Kingdom from the Synagogue be 
 
 taken ! 
 To other righteous Nations that in fruitfulness have 
 
 thriven, 
 God's Kingdom will be given ! 
 
 CHORAGUS (3?ec). Jerusalem, awake! Thy 
 
 slumbers cease! 
 
 Awake, Jerusalem, while there is peace ! 
 The hour of woe is coming as you wait, 
 Unhappy one, behold your fate 
 Soon it will be too late ! 
 Awake ! 
 
 CHORUS. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 
 Behold thy Father's face! 
 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 
 
 Let not hate replace 
 
 The touch of grace, 
 Lest, unhappy one, some day 
 The Lord of Hosts from thee should turn away ! 
 
 TABLEAU : King Ahasuews casis Vashti from him an<f 
 exalts Esther. Esther 1-2. Queen Vashti, the proucf, 
 symbolizes Jerusalem and Judaism, while Esther typifies 
 Christianity. As Vashti is discarded by the king, even 
 so is Christus rejected by the Jews. 
 [35] 
 
CHORAGUS (9?ec&). Behold, of Vashti's fate 
 
 we tell ! 
 
 Such fate the Synagogue befell! 
 " Away, proud woman, from my throne 
 Unworthy one, I thee disown ! " 
 
 Thus spake Ahasuerus in his ire: 
 " Come, Esther, to my side, 
 Through life abide 
 As Queen unto thy sire." 
 
 " The time of grace has passed 
 
 Away," saith the Lord, " I cast 
 From me the faithless, and unto me I bring 
 Even as Esther came unto the King 
 A better people in their faith supernal, 
 To whom my love will be eternal ! " 
 
 CHORUS. Jerusalem, Jerusalem! 
 Ye sinners, unto God give heed ! 
 The leaven of your sins replace, 
 By opening your heart to grace 
 
 That is your greatest need ! 
 
 Jerusalem, give heed ! 
 
 ACT IV 
 
 Christus goes with His Disciples toward the city of Jerusa- 
 lem, is sore grieved at the signs of sin, and sends 
 before Him two of His Disciples to make ready the 
 Paschal Lamb. Judas conceives the idea of betraying 
 his Master. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 Christus and the Twelve on their Way toward Jerusalem 
 
 JOHN. Master, look yonder, what a glorious view 
 toward Jerusalem! 
 
 [36] 
 
MATTHEW. And the majestic Temple what a 
 noble pile ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Oh that thou 
 couldst but know even now in thy day what were best 
 for thy peace! But it is hidden from thine eyes. 
 [Weeps. 
 
 PETER. Master, why do you grieve so sorely? 
 
 CHRISTUS. My Peter! The fate of this unfortu- 
 nate city hurts me to the heart ! 
 
 JOHN. Lord, tell us what that fate will be. 
 
 CHRISTUS. The day shall come when the enemy 
 will undermine her walls, and close her in, spreading 
 alarm on all sides. She and her children will be dashed 
 to pieces, and there shall not be left one stone upon 
 another. 
 
 ANDREW. Why such a sad fate for this city? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Because she hath not known the time 
 of her visitation. Alas ! The murderer of the Prophets 
 will even kill the Messiah Himself. 
 
 ALL. What a horrible deed! 
 
 JAMES THE ELDER. God forbid that the Holy 
 City should bring upon herself such a curse! 
 
 JOHN. Beloved Master, for the sake of the Holy 
 City and of the Temple of Jehovah, I beg of you to 
 go not thither. Let there be no occasion for the evil- 
 doers to perpetrate their deed. 
 
 PETER. Or go forward, Master, and reveal your- 
 self to them in all your excellence, so that the good 
 may rejoice and the wicked tremble. 
 
 [37] 
 
ALL. Yea, do so ! 
 
 PHILIP. Strike down your enemies! 
 
 ALL. And establish the Kingdom of God among 
 men! 
 
 CHRISTUS. My children, what you desire shall 
 come to pass in time. But my ways have been or- 
 dained by my Father for so saith the Lord: My 
 thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not 
 my ways. Peter ! 
 
 PETER. What would you, Master? 
 
 CHRISTUS. It is now the first day of the Unleav- 
 ened Bread, a day on which the Law exacts that the 
 paschal meal be kept. Both you and John proceed 
 ahead of us and make ready the Paschal Lamb, that we 
 may eat of it at the evening hour. 
 
 PETER AND JOHN. How, Master, would you 
 have us do this? 
 
 CHRISTUS. When you come unto the city, you 
 will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Go 
 with this one unto his house, and say unto the 
 head therein: Our Master would know of you: 
 Where is the room in which I with my Disciples may 
 partake of the Passover? He will show you a guest- 
 chamber, made ready for our coming: there set forth 
 the meal. 
 
 PETER. Your blessing, Master. [Both John and 
 Peter kneel 
 
 CHRISTUS. God's blessing be with you both. 
 [The two Apostles go. 
 
 [38] 
 
SECOND SCENE 
 
 CHRISTUS. You who remain, come with me for 
 the last time to the House of my Fathers! To-day, 
 thither will you go with me, but to-morrow 
 
 JUDAS. Yet, Master, if you are really to leave us, 
 at least grant us some assurance of our future main- 
 tenance. See (pointing io a parse) , this cannot suffice 
 much longer. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Judas, be not more anxious than is 
 needful ! 
 
 JUDAS. The value of yon wasted oil how much 
 better if the money lay herein (holding up the purse). 
 Three hundred denare ! what days we could have lived 
 upon it without want or care ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Till now you have wanted for naught, 
 and, believe me, you at no time in the future will be 
 in need. 
 
 JUDAS. Still, Master, when you are no longer 
 amongst us, then will our good friends draw back, 
 and 
 
 CHRISTUS. Friend Judas! See to it that the 
 Tempter does not overtake you! 
 
 THE OTHER DISCIPLES. Judas! Trouble not 
 the Master so. 
 
 JUDAS. Who would have thought of this, if I did 
 not trouble? Am I not appointed by the Master as 
 keeper of the purse? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Verily you are, but I fear 
 [39] 
 
JUDAS. I also fear that it will soon be empty 
 and that empty it will remain. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Judas! Forget not my warning! 
 Now let us proceed onward! I desire to be in my 
 Father's House. [He leaves with all of His ^Disciples, 
 save Judas > 'who remains behind. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 
 JUDAS (alone). Shall I follow Him further? I am 
 of little mind to do so. The Master's way is unac- 
 countable to me. His wonderful works gave us hope 
 that He would restore the Kingdom of Israel, but He 
 does not seize the opportunities which offer them- 
 selves, and now indeed He speaks repeatedly of sepa- 
 ration from us, and of death, consoling us feebly with 
 mysterious words about a future too dim, too far away. 
 I am tired of waiting, of hoping. With Him, I well 
 can see there is naught in view but this continued 
 poverty and lowliness. Life shall drag along, and in- 
 stead of sharing in His glorious Kingdom, we shall 
 be persecuted, and with Him thrown into prison. I 
 will withdraw. Fortunately, I have always been pru- 
 dent and cautious, and now and then have laid aside 
 from the purse a trifle in case of necessity. How use- 
 ful at this moment would be the three hundred pieces 
 that heedless woman wasted as an empty mark of es- 
 teem. If the company breaks up, as it seems to me it 
 will, then would I have had three hundred denare in my 
 hands which would have served me a long while! 
 But as it is, I have to consider the problem where 
 and how I may find a livelihood. [Remains standing 
 in reflection. 
 
 [40] 
 
FOURTH SCENE 
 
 Judas. The Trader Dathan 
 
 DATHAN (entering). Ha, Judas! The time is fa- 
 vourable, he is alone! He appears to be in deep per- 
 plexity. I must exert every means to win him over to 
 our cause. Friend Judas! 
 
 JUDAS. Who calls? 
 
 DATHAN. A friend. Has some sad happening be- 
 fallen you? You are so deep in thought. 
 
 JUDAS. Who are you? 
 
 DATHAN. Your friend, your brother. 
 
 JUDAS. My brother, my friend? You? 
 
 DATHAN. At least, I wish so to become. How 
 is it with the Master? I, too, would like to be of His 
 company. 
 
 JUDAS. You? . . . His company? 
 
 DATHAN. Have you then truly forsaken Him? 
 Are things so unwell with Him? Tell me, so I may 
 act accordingly. 
 
 JUDAS. If you could be silent, I might tell you . . . 
 DATHAN. Assuredly I can, friend Judas. 
 
 JUDAS. Then things are no longer well with Him. 
 He Himself confesses that His last hour has come. I 
 shall leave Him, for He will yet bring us all to ruin. 
 I am Treasurer see here how it stands with us ! 
 
 DATHAN. Friend, then I remain as I am. 
 [40 
 
FIFTH SCENE 
 
 Dathan's companions steal hither. 
 JUDAS. Who are these? I will not speak further. 
 
 KORE. Remain, friend. You will have no cause 
 to regret it. 
 
 JUDAS. Why have you come here? 
 
 KORE. We would return to Jerusalem, and if it 
 so please you, will keep you company. 
 
 JUDAS. Probably you also would follow the 
 Master? 
 
 ABIRON. Has He gone to Jerusalem? 
 JUDAS. For the last time, so He says. 
 
 RABBI. For the last time? Will He then never 
 again leave Judaea? 
 
 ABIRON. Where in Jerusalem does He abide at 
 night? 
 
 JUDAS (suspiciously). Why do you ask so eagerly? 
 Would you become His followers? 
 
 TRADERS. Why not, if the prospects be good? 
 JUDAS. I see naught of the brilliant prospects. 
 
 D ATH AN. Explain, Judas what do you mean by 
 what you said a short while ago that He would 
 bring you all to ruin? 
 
 JUDAS. He always says to us: Be not anxious 
 [4*] 
 
for the morrow. But if perchance aught should happen 
 to Him to-day or to-morrow, we should all be desti- 
 tute. Is it thus a Master cares for His own? 
 
 ABIRON. Under such circumstances the outlook 
 is truly a sorry one. 
 
 JUDAS. Moreover, only to-day He allowed the 
 most absurd waste, committed by a silly woman in His 
 honour; and when I disapproved of it, I encountered 
 reproachful glances and reproachful words. 
 
 DATHAN. And yet you still can be on friendly 
 terms with Him? 
 
 BOOZ. Will you remain with Him any longer? 
 
 DATHAN. Friend, you should look after your own 
 future. It is about time. 
 
 JUDAS. I am thinking of that but where to find 
 immediately a good living that is the difficulty! 
 
 DATHAN. There you have not far to seek. The 
 best of opportunities offers itself. 
 
 JUDAS. Where? How? 
 
 EPHRAIM. Have you heard naught of the High 
 Council's proclamation? 
 
 JUDAS. About what? 
 
 EPHRAIM. Never again in your lifetime will you 
 meet with such an excellent chance to make your 
 fortune. 
 
 JUDAS. Tell me what proclamation? 
 
 DATHAN. Whosoever reveals the nightly haunt 
 
 [43] 
 
of Jesus of Nazareth shall be granted a considerable 
 reward. 
 
 KORE. Mark you ! a considerable reward ! 
 JUDAS. A reward! 
 
 EPHRAIM. Who better than you could earn it so 
 easily? 
 
 DATHAN (aside). We are nearing the goal. 
 ABIRON. Brother, do not trifle with your fortune! 
 
 JUDAS. Indeed, a rare opportunity shall I let it 
 slip me? 
 
 DATHAN. Bethink you further : the reward is not 
 all. The High Council will in addition look after you. 
 Who knows what may yet be in store for you as a 
 result of this? 
 
 KORE. Speak, friend! 
 
 TRADERS. Give us your hand upon it. 
 
 JUDAS. Well, so be it! 
 
 DATHAN. Come, Judas, we will lead you forth- 
 with to the High Council. 
 
 JUDAS. Nay, for the present, I must after the 
 Master. First of all, let me reconnoitre, so as to be 
 on the safe side. 
 
 DATHAN. In the meanwhile we will go to the 
 High Council and announce your intent. But when 
 and where shall we meet again? 
 
 JUDAS. Three hours hence, you will find me in the 
 street of the Temple. 
 
 [44] 
 
DATHAN. Brother, your word! 
 
 JUDAS. My word of honour. [The Traders go. 
 
 SIXTH SCENE 
 
 JUDAS (alone). The word is given I will not re- 
 gret it. Shall I forsooth avoid the good fortune at my 
 very hand? Would I not be foolish to let such a pretty 
 little sum escape me, when I can earn it with no 
 trouble? My fortune is made! It cannot fail. I will 
 do what I promised, but let me be paid in advance. 
 Then, if the Priests succeed in imprisoning Him, if all 
 is indeed at an end with Him, my own prospects are 
 assured, and, moreover, I shall have acquired fame 
 throughout Judaea as the one who did most to save the 
 Law of Moses, and thus further praise and recompense 
 will be given me. But should the Master triumph in- 
 stead then I will throw myself repentant at His feet ! 
 Surely He is good ; never have I seen Him drive away 
 a contrite being. He will take me unto Himself again, 
 and I may even claim for myself the credit of having 
 brought about the outcome. No, I will not entirely 
 cut myself aloof, or pull down the bridges behind me 
 for I would return if I cannot go forward. Judas, 
 you are a prudent man! But now I fear to meet the 
 Master, for His searching look will be hard to stand, 
 and my comrades will see by my expression that I fear, 
 that I am a No ! I am not, I will not be a traitor ! 
 Then, what is it I am doing but notify these Jews 
 where the Master is to be found? Yet that is not be- 
 trayal; a traitor's work requires more. Away with 
 these crotchets! Courage, Judas, your future welfare 
 depends upon yourself ! [He goes. 
 
 [45] 
 
SEVENTH SCENE 
 
 A City Lane. Baruch. Immediately afterwards, Peter and 
 John. Then Mark 
 
 BARUCH (proceeds with a water-jug to the welt). 
 My! but this day is a busy one. Work is not scarce 
 this Passover. To judge by the crowds of pilgrims, it 
 cannot be otherwise. My master must expect many 
 guests, for he bustles about the house continually. 
 {Draws water. 
 
 JOHN (coming on with Peter from the opposite side of 
 the stage) . See, here is some one at the well ! 
 
 BARUCH (still drawing water). There must be 
 something of moment this Passover, for the Priests 
 of the High Council go hither and thither. [Turns 
 with the jug toward his house. 
 
 PETER. This must be he. He carries a water-jug, 
 which the Master bade us take as a sign. 
 
 BARUCH (at the door of his house and turning around). 
 What would you, friends? Be you welcome! 
 
 JOHN. We would speak with your master. 
 
 BARUCH. Perhaps you come to keep the Passover 
 with us? 
 
 PETER. Yea, our Master bade us make this request 
 of your master. 
 
 BARUCH. Come with me! For it will please my 
 master to receive you in his house. Look, there he is 
 himself. (Mark enters.) Behold, master, I bring 
 guests. 
 
 MARK. Welcome, Strangers ! In what way may I 
 serve you? 
 
 PETER. Our Master bade us say to you : My time 
 is near. Where is the room, that I may partake of the 
 
 [46] 
 
Paschal Lamb I with my Disciples? With you will 
 we keep this Passover. 
 
 MARK. Oh the happiness! Now do I recognize 
 you the followers of the Worker of Miracles who 
 restored my sight to me! How have I deserved 
 that, among all houses in Jerusalem, He should choose 
 mine in which to partake of the Holy Meal! How is 
 it I am so fortunate? Indeed blessed is this house 
 which He honours with His presence! Come, dear 
 friends, I will immediately show you the guest- 
 chamber. 
 
 PETER AND JOHN. Good man, we follow you. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 V. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Lord's Supper 
 
 Prologue 
 
 Before the Friend of Heaven above 
 
 Unto His Passion goes 
 He turns unto the call of love, 
 Nor Death can haste the fall of love, 
 His sacrament the all of love 
 
 The earthly pilgrim knows. 
 
 The sacrificial meal He takes, 
 
 Forever and a day! 
 Behold, this is a sign He makes; 
 'T is Life from bread and wine He makes ; 
 And Life from Death divine He makes; 
 
 Nor Love shall pass away! 
 
 He came to them in desert wide 
 To ancient Israel! 
 [47] 
 
With manna them He satisfied, 
 With Canaan's grapes them gratified 
 Thus did the Lord beatified 
 And all to them seemed well. 
 
 But now in blood and body trace 
 
 A mystery, a sign! 
 
 'T is Christ who came to save the race, 
 Whose spirit in the change took place, 
 Who works through sacrament His grace 
 
 Our Saviour, Christ Divine! 
 
 SOLO (Recit.). The hour is nigh 
 
 When He shall die 
 The Prophets thus did prophesy! 
 
 The truth was told 
 
 To them of old 
 And now the awful truth behold! 
 
 " The ancient race 
 
 I will efface, 
 Their offering shall now give place, 
 
 For lo ! in them 
 
 And woe ! in them 
 No better love will grow in them! 
 
 " I consecrate, 
 
 I dedicate 
 Unto myself a Son's estate ! " 
 
 The Lord thus spake 
 
 " I now forsake 
 
 The old and this new Symbol make, 
 Of which the whole Earth will partake ! " 
 
 TABLEAU : The Lord gives manna unto the people. 
 2 Mos. [Exodus] J6:3t. The manna is ihe symbol 
 of the holiest of altar sacraments. As God gave aid 
 
 [48] 
 
unto the Israelites in their irksome course through the 
 wilderness, so Jesus with His holy love aids the 
 Christians through the wilderness of this life. 
 
 The mystery in the wilderness of sin 
 Is measure of the spirit here within, 
 The Covenant which Christ at His Last Supper did 
 begin. 
 
 TABLEAU : The hunch of grapes from Canaan. 4 Mos. 
 [Numbers] 13: 23. The same as in the foregoing picture 
 a beautiful allegory of the bread and wine of the 
 new Covenant. 
 
 The Lord is good ! The Lord is wise ! 
 The Lord His people satisfies! 
 
 The Lord is good, 
 
 For this new food 
 He brings to us in wondrous wise. 
 
 Oh, death has swept the wilderness! 
 To Israel food was comfortless, 
 
 Nor filled the wand'rers in their grief! 
 But see the holy bread we break ; 
 If we in humbleness partake, 
 
 'Twill bring our souls relief! 
 
 The Lord is good! The Lord is kind! 
 The Israelites He bore in mind! 
 And brought the fruit of wine to them, 
 And brought from Canaan's vine to them! 
 
 But all the fair fruit of the field 
 Can naught but to the body yield; 
 The soil instilled it so ! 
 
 4 [49] 
 
Yet this new Covenant begun, 
 Shall be the blood of God's own Son ; 
 The Lord has willed it so ! 
 
 The Lord is good ! The Lord is just ! 
 He gives the wine and breaks the crust, 
 As pledge of Life beyond the dust; 
 And flesh and blood is in its place, 
 And Salem's hall is warm with grace ! 
 
 ACT V 
 
 Christus 'with His Disciples partakes of the last Passover, 
 and establishes the New Covenant to His memory. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 The Guest-chamber. Christus and the Twelve, standing 
 at the Table 
 
 CHRISTUS. Most anxiously have I longed to take 
 this Passover meal with you ere I suffered. For I 
 say unto you : Henceforth I will no longer eat thereof, 
 until all be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Father! 
 I thank Thee for this potion of the vine. ^Drinks, and 
 passes the cup to His THsdptes.) Take this, and di- 
 vide it among yourselves, for I say unto you : Hence- 
 forth will I no longer partake of the fruit of the vine 
 until the Kingdom of God shall be. 
 
 THE APOSTLES. Ah, Master, is this then the 
 last Passover? 
 
 CHRISTUS. A potion will I drink with you in the 
 Kingdom of God the Father ; as it is written : From the 
 stream of happiness will you make them drink. 
 
 [50] 
 
PETER. Master, when this Kingdom comes, how 
 will our positions be meted out to us? 
 
 JAMES THE ELDER. Who will have precedence 
 among us? 
 
 THOMAS. Will each one of us, perchance, be 
 granted the lordship of a separate land? 
 
 BARTHOLOMEW. That would be much the best 
 way; for then no dispute would arise among us. 
 
 CHRISTUS, Thus long have I been with you, 
 and still are you most concerned in earthly matters. 
 Verily, for you, who have with me borne my trials and 
 temptation, I assure the Kingdom which my Father 
 has made ready for me ; that therein you may eat and 
 drink at my table, and, seated upon thrones, judge the 
 twelve tribes of Israel. But mark: the kings of the 
 people rule over them as dictators, and the dictator it 
 is whom they call benefactor. But thus shall it not 
 be with you. For the greatest among you, let him be 
 the least, and the master be as your servant ! For who 
 is greater, he who sits at the table or he who serves? 
 What say you, my Disciples? I am in the midst of 
 you as one who serves. (He lays aside His upper gar- 
 ment, girds Himself around tvith a white linen towel, 
 and pours 'water in a basin.) Now, be seated, beloved 
 Disciples. 
 
 THE APOSTLES. What will He do now? 
 CHRISTUS. Peter, reach me forth your foot! 
 PETER. Lord, would you wash my feet? 
 
 CHRISTUS. What I do, you may not now under- 
 stand, but afterwards will it all be plain to you. 
 
 [SO 
 
PETER. Master! Never will I let you wash my 
 feet! 
 
 CHRISTUS. If I do not wash you, then will you 
 have no share with me. 
 
 PETER. Master, if such be the case, not only my 
 feet, but also my hands, my head! 
 
 CHRISTUS. He who is washed already, need but 
 bathe his feet, for he is quite clean. (Washes the feet 
 of each < Disdple ; afterwards He replaces His outer gar- 
 ment, and, standing in their midst, looks around.} Ye 
 are now clean, but not all. (Seats Himself.) Know 
 you what I have done unto you? You call me Mas- 
 ter and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If 
 now, I, your Master, have washed your feet, so should 
 you also do likewise unto each other. For I have 
 given unto you an example, that you may so do as I 
 have done. Verily, verily, the servant is not greater 
 than He who sent him. If you know these things, 
 blessed are you if you do them. (Rising again.) Chil- 
 dren, not much longer shall I be amongst you. But 
 that my memory may never die, I shall leave behind 
 me an everlasting symbol of my eternal presence. 
 The Old Covenant between my Father and Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob is at an end. And I say unto you: 
 A New Covenant now begins, which I consecrate with 
 mine own blood, as God the Father commanded of 
 me. And this shall endure until all is fulfilled. (He 
 takes the bread, blesses and breaks it.) Take and eat ! 
 This is my body, which will be sacrificed for you. 
 (Gtves each Disciple a small piece.) This do in re- 
 membrance of me! (Lifts the chalice of wine and 
 blesses it.) Take this and drink therefrom, for it is 
 the cup of the New Testament in my blood which is 
 shed for you and others shed for the forgiveness of 
 
 [52] 
 
sin. (Hands the cap to each one.) So often as ye do 
 this, do it in remembrance of me. [Seats Himself. 
 
 Angel Chorus during the Holy Supper* 
 
 Oh, the humble ! oh, the loving ! 
 See the Saviour kneeling there, 
 At the feet of His Disciples, 
 Serving humbly and with care. 
 
 Oh, such lowly grace remember, 
 Love as He has loved so true! 
 Unto others service render 
 Such as He has done to you! 
 
 JOHN. Best of Teachers, never will I forget your 
 love. You know that I love you. [Bows his head upon 
 the breast of Christus. 
 
 THE APOSTLES (with the exception of Judas). O 
 Thou who art so full of love, eternally will we be 
 bound to Thee. 
 
 PETER. This holy meal of the New Testament 
 shall be perpetuated forever in conformity with Thy 
 will. 
 
 MATTHEW. And so often as we celebrate it, will 
 we think on Thee ! 
 
 ALL. Beloved Teacher! O Divine One! O best of 
 friends ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. My children, abide in me, and I will 
 abide in you. Even as the Father has loved me, so 
 have I loved you. Remain in my love ! But, alas ! 
 
 * Given by Stead ; not in Daisenberger. 
 
 [53] 
 
must I say it? The hand of my betrayer is here with 
 me at this table. 
 
 DISCIPLES (severally). How, a betrayer amongst 
 us? 
 
 PETER. Is it possible? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Verily, verily, I say unto you: One 
 among you shall betray me. 
 
 ANDREW. Master, one of us twelve? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Yea, one of the twelve ! one who 
 has dipped his hand into this very dish with me, shall 
 betray me. The Scriptures will be fulfilled: Whoso 
 eats bread with me, his foot against me shall be raised. 
 
 THOMAS AND SIMON. Who can this faithless 
 creature be? 
 
 MATTHEW. Master, you can look into all hearts. 
 You know it is not I. 
 
 THE TWO JAMESES. Declare him openly, the 
 infamous traitor! 
 
 JUDAS. Master, is it I? 
 
 THADDEUS. Rather my life than such a step ! 
 
 BARTHOLOMEW. Rather would I sink into the 
 earth for shame ! 
 
 CHRISTUS (to Judas). Thou hast said it. (To all) 
 The Son of Man now goeth as it is prophesied; but 
 woe unto him through whom the Son of Man is be- 
 trayed ! Better for him had he never been born ! 
 
 PETER (leaning toward John). Of whom does He 
 speak? 
 
 [Ml 
 
JOHN (leaning toward Christus) . Master, who is it? 
 
 CHRISTUS (to John). It is he to whom I give the 
 bread that I have soaked. 
 
 MANY APOSTLES. Who might that be? 
 
 CHRISTUS (after He has passed the bread to 
 Judas'). What you do, do quickly! [Judas hastens 
 from the room. 
 
 THOMAS (to Simon). Why does Judas leave so 
 suddenly? 
 
 SIMON. Probably the Master has sent him to buy 
 something. 
 
 THADDEUS. Or to distribute alms among the 
 poor. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 CHRISTUS. Now will the Son of Man be glorified, 
 and through Him, God the Father also. If God through 
 Him is glorified, then will God glorify Him in Himself. 
 Little children of mine! But yet awhile am I among 
 you. You would seek me, but, as I have said unto the 
 Jews: Whither I go, there can you not come. Thus 
 say I now unto you. 
 
 PETER. Master, whither do you go? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Whither I go, there can you not now 
 follow me; but later shall you come. 
 
 PETER. Why not now? For you would I fain 
 give my life! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Would you give up your life for 
 me? Simon, Simon, Satan would claim you, that he 
 
 [551 
 
might sift you as wheat is sifted. But I have inter- 
 ceded, that your faith may not fail you. And when 
 you are saved, then strengthen your brothers. This 
 night will you all be offended by me, for it already 
 stands written: I will smite the Shepherd, and the 
 sheep of His flock will be scattered. 
 
 PETER. Even though others be offended, I will 
 not. Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison, 
 yea, even unto death! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Verily, verily, I say unto you: Peter! 
 to-day, even this night before the cock crows twice, 
 will you three times deny me. 
 
 PETER. Though I should die with you, yet would 
 I never deny you! 
 
 ALL. Master, everlastingly will we remain true 
 unto you* None amongst us shall betray you. 
 
 CHRISTUS. When I sent you forth without purse 
 or pouch or shoes, were you lacking aught? 
 
 ALL. No, nothing! 
 
 CHRISTUS. But now take each one his own 
 purse, and likewise his pouch. And whosoever has 
 no sword, let him sell his coat and buy one. For there 
 begins a time of trial, and I say unto you : In me must 
 be fulfilled that which stands written: He was reck- 
 oned among the transgressors. 
 
 PETER AND PHILIP. Behold, Lord, here are 
 two swords! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Enough ! Let us arise and pronounce 
 thanksgiving. (With His Disciples.) Praise the Lord, 
 
 [56] 
 
all you people! Praise Him, all the Nations of the 
 earth ! for His compassion is established over us. The 
 truth of the Lord is everlasting. (Goes to the fore- 
 ground, and remains standing for a while with His face 
 raised toward heaven. The Apostles stand on either side, 
 with troubled took upon Him.) My children, why are you 
 so sad, and why look upon me thus grieved? Trouble 
 not your hearts. You believe in God; believe also in 
 me. In my Father's house are many mansions, and I 
 go even now to make ready a place for you ; then I will 
 come again, and take you unto myself, that you also 
 may be where I am. I leave you not as orphans. I 
 leave with you peace ; yea, mine own peace do I give 
 unto you, but not as the world bestows it. Keep this 
 my commandment: That you love one another, as I 
 have loved you! Thereby shall all know you as my 
 Disciples. Hereafter will I not hold much speech with 
 you. For the Prince of the World cometh, although 
 he hath naught to seek in me. But that the world may 
 know I love the Father, thus will I do even as the 
 Father has commanded me. Let us depart from this 
 place. [They go. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 VI. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Betrayer 
 Prologue 
 
 His foes have bereft Him! 
 False friend, thou hast left Him 
 For silver thou turnest away to thy ruth ! 
 
 [57] 
 
Thy conscience will cloy thee, 
 Thy error destroy thee, 
 The heart of a fool never holds to the truth. 
 
 Ungrateful you leave Him, 
 
 In shame you deceive Him, 
 You traffic in souls for your profit and gain! 
 
 For silver betray Him, 
 
 For silver you slay Him, 
 A traitor's reward is your price for His pain! 
 
 'T was thus that a brother 
 
 Was sold to another 
 His value was weighed in the scales of the mart ! 
 
 No love could withhold them, 
 
 No mercy enfold them, 
 These wild sons of Jacob were hardened in heart ! 
 
 Let silver but bind you, 
 
 Let gold ever blind you! 
 
 Then honour and love and man's word have an 
 end! 
 
 The idol will claim you 
 
 Nor conscience will shame you 
 For silver or gold you would barter your friend ! 
 
 SOLO. Oh, Judas, art thou blinded quite? 
 Is gold so loving to thy sight 
 That thou wouldst sell thy Master so, 
 Without a shudder let Him go? 
 Thy doom is laid upon thy head. 
 Already has the Master said: 
 " Amongst you one shall me betray." 
 Thus spake He thrice. And yet, oh, stay, 
 Is there no fervour in thy trust? 
 Art thou so deeply dyed in lust? 
 [58] 
 
CHORUS. Ah, Judas, Judas, do not sin; 
 
 Bethink the crime thou wouldst be in! 
 Yet no! By greed turned deaf and blind, 
 He goes to serve the Council's mind! 
 The self-same evil is their plan, 
 Which once took place in far Dathan ! 
 
 TABLEAU: For twenty pieces of siher the sons of 
 Jacob sett their brother Joseph. Gen. 37 : 28. This 
 scene typifies the treachery of Judas, e who unto the 
 Pharisees delivers his Master for thirty pieces of silver. 
 
 SOLO. " What am I bid," the brothers cry, 
 " For this fair boy you seek to buy? " 
 The life and blood of Jacob's son 
 They fain would sell to anyone 
 And now for twenty silver pence, 
 They would for that commit offence. 
 "What will you give? and how reward 
 If I to you betray the Lord? " 
 Iscariot spake, and then agreed 
 To serve the Council's bloody need 
 They gave him silver for the deed! 
 
 CHORUS. Behold, this picture to our eyes, 
 Reminds us we are worldly wise, 
 And often sell our friends like this 
 Betraying with a traitor's kiss! 
 Ye curse the sale of Jacob's son, 
 And him who sold the holy One, 
 And yet for envy, hate, and greed, 
 Destroy the peace and joy you need! 
 
 [59] 
 
ACT VI 
 
 Judas comes before the Sanhedrin, and promises for thirty 
 pieces of stiver to hand over his Master to the Phar- 
 isees : these latter determine on the death of Jesus. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 The High Council 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Welcome tidings, assembled Fathers, 
 have I to impart unto you. The would-be Prophet out 
 of Galilee, I hope, will soon be in our hands. Dathan, 
 the zealous Israelite, has won over to our cause a most 
 trusted companion of the Galilean, who has consented 
 to serve as guide for our night attack. Both of them 
 are already here, and only await the summons of this 
 august assembly. 
 
 MANY VOICES. Some one call them in. 
 JOSUE. I will do so. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Yes, call them. (Exitjosue .) And now 
 I would learn your will, holy Brothers, as to the price 
 which shall be given for the deed. 
 
 NATHANAEL. The Law of Moses instructs us 
 thereon: a slave shall be valued at thirty pieces of 
 silver. 
 
 PRIESTS. Yes, yes, such a slave's price is the false 
 Messiah worth! 
 
 [60] 
 
SECOND SCENE 
 
 Dathan and Judas come before the High Council. 
 
 DATHAN. Most learned Council! Herewith my 
 errand is complete, for I present to you, Fathers, a 
 man who, in return for a suitable reward, is willing 
 to deliver our enemy which we have in common into 
 your authority. He is an intimate associate of yon 
 Galilean, and knows His ways and His secret haunts. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (to Judas). Know you the man whom 
 the High Council seeks? 
 
 JUDAS. For a long while have I been of His com- 
 pany; yea, I know Him and also where He is wont 
 to stop. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What is your name? 
 
 JUDAS. I am CeJled Judas, and am one of the 
 Twelve. 
 
 PRIESTS. Truly, we have seen you often with 
 Him! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Are you now fully determined to aid 
 us in conformity with our will? 
 
 JUDAS. I give you my word thereon. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Will you not repent of it? What has 
 moved you to this step? 
 
 JUDAS. The friendship between Him and me has 
 been cooling for some time, and now have I quite 
 broken with Him. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What has caused you to take this 
 step? 
 
 [61] 
 
JUDAS. There is naught more to be had from Him, 
 and upon the whole I am resolved to conform to lawful 
 authority, which is assuredly the best. What will you 
 give me if I deliver Him over to you? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Thirty pieces of silver shall be yours, 
 and that immediately. 
 
 DATHAN. Hear, Judas, thirty pieces of silver! 
 What profit ! 
 
 NATHANAEL. And mark, Judas, that is not all. 
 If you accomplish your work well, then further con- 
 sideration will be made you! 
 
 EZEKIEL. You may become a rich and distin- 
 guished man. 
 
 JUDAS. I am satisfied. (To himself.) Now, indeed, 
 rises my true star of hope. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Rabbi, bring the thirty pieces of silver 
 from the Treasury, and, in the presence of the entire 
 Council, pay them over. Is this your will? 
 
 PRIESTS. Indeed it is ! [Rabbi departs. 
 
 NICODEMUS. How can you conclude such a 
 wicked bargain? (To Judas.) And you, base wretch, 
 do you not blush to sell your Lord and Master, you 
 godless, perfidious creature whom the earth shall 
 swallow up? For thirty pieces of silver you would 
 betray your most loving Friend and Benefactor? Stay, 
 ere it is too late! this blood money will cry unto 
 Heaven for vengeance, and will burn into your avari- 
 cious soul some day like hot iron! [Judas stands trem- 
 bling and undone. 
 
 JOSUE. Be not annoyed, Judas, by the speech of 
 this zealot. Let him be a disciple of this false Prophet. 
 
 [62] 
 
But you do your duty as a follower of Moses, and at 
 the same time you serve the lawful authorities. 
 
 RABBI (arrives with the silver). Come, Judas, take 
 the thirty pieces of silver and play the man ! [Counts 
 oat the money to him, ringing each piece upon the table, so 
 that it sounds lustily ; Judas pockets the coins greedily. 
 
 JUDAS. My word upon it, you may depend on me. 
 SARAS. Before the Feast the work must be done. 
 
 JUDAS. At this moment the most perfect oppor- 
 tunity offers itself. He shall be in your hands to-night ! 
 Give me an armed guard so that He may be well 
 surrounded, so that every way of flight may be shut 
 from Him. 
 
 ANNAS. Let us send the Temple watch. 
 EZEKIEL. Yes, yes, order them to go forthwith! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. It would seem also advisable to dis- 
 patch some members of the holy Sanhedrin. 
 
 ALL. We are all ready. 
 
 EZEKIEL. The High Priest must choose. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Be that the case, then I select Nathan, 
 Josaphat, Salomon, and Ptolemaus. [The four stand up. 
 
 THE PRIESTS. We are ready. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. But, Judas, how will the Master be 
 recognized in the dark? 
 
 JUDAS. The soldiers shall come with torch and 
 lantern, and besides, I will give them a sign. 
 
 PRIESTS. Excellent! Excellent! 
 
 [63] 
 
JUDAS. Now, I must hasten ahead and spy upon 
 everything, then return for the armed force. 
 
 DATHAN. I will accompany you, Judas, and never 
 leave your side until the work is done. 
 
 JUDAS. At the Gate of Bethphage I shall await 
 your men. [Judas goes with Dathan and the four delegates. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 The High Council 
 
 CAIAPHAS. All moves excellently well, worthy 
 Fathers. But now it were best for us to consider the 
 leading question: What shall we do with this Man, 
 once He is delivered into our hands? 
 
 SADOK. Let Him be thrown into the deepest, the 
 darkest dungeon, and kept there, loaded down with 
 chains and well guarded! There, let Him go through 
 a living death! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Who among you can guarantee that 
 His friends would not provoke a riot and set Him free, 
 or that the guard might not be bribed? By means of 
 His atrocious magic, could He not break through His 
 chains? (The Priests are silent.) I see clearly you 
 neither know nor understand. Hear then the High 
 Priest. It is better that one man die than that a whole 
 nation go to ruin. He must die ! Until He dies there 
 is no peace in Israel, no safety for the Law of Moses, 
 no hour of rest for us ! 
 
 RABBI. God hath spoken through His High Priest ! 
 Only by the death of Jesus of Nazareth can the people 
 of Israel be delivered! 
 
 [6 4 ] 
 
NATHANAEL. For a long while have the same 
 words been upon my lips. And now have they been 
 spoken. Let Him die, this enemy of our Fathers! 
 
 PRIESTS (excitedly). Yes, He must die! In His 
 death is our salvation! 
 
 ANNAS. By these gray hairs of mine, I swear: I 
 will not rest until our insult is wiped out in the blood 
 of this Seducer. 
 
 NICODEMUS. May I be allowed a word, O 
 Fathers? 
 
 ALL. Yes, speak, speak! 
 
 NICODEMUS. Thus far has the judgment upon 
 this Man been spoken without a hearing, an examina- 
 tion, or a gathering of witnesses. Is this a proceeding 
 worthy the priests of the people of God? 
 
 NATHANAEL. What! dare you accuse the Coun- 
 cil of injustice? 
 
 SADOK. Know you the holy Law? Compare 
 
 NICODEMUS. I know the Law; and therefore do 
 I also know: Before all testimony is examined, the 
 judge is not allowed to render judgment. 
 
 JOSUE. What need is there now for further wit- 
 nesses? We ourselves have heard His speech and 
 have noted His acts whereby He has outraged the 
 Law. 
 
 NICODEMUS. You are all accusers, witnesses, and 
 judges in one. I have listened to His sublime teaching 
 and have seen Him perform His miraculous deeds ; they 
 deserve belief and admiration, not contempt and 
 punishment. 
 
 5 [65] 
 
C AIAPH AS. What ! this scoundrel, Jesus of Naza- 
 reth, deserves admiration? Admiration? You believe 
 in the Law of Moses, and yet will justify what the 
 Law condemns? Ha, Fathers, up, the Law demands 
 vengeance ! 
 
 PRIESTS. Out from our midst if you persist in 
 such speech! 
 
 JOSEPH OF ARIMATH^A. I agree with Nico- 
 demus. Naught has been proven against Jesus which 
 makes Him deserving of death. He has done nothing 
 but good. 
 
 C AIAPH AS. You also? Is it not everywhere 
 known how He desecrated the Sabbath, and misled the 
 people by His false speech? In His deception has He 
 not performed His so-called wonders through Beelze- 
 bub? Has He not set Himself up as a God, He who 
 is merely a man? 
 
 THE PRIESTS. Do you hear that? 
 
 JOSEPH OF ARIMATH^A. Yea, envy and 
 malice have wrongly construed His words and attrib- 
 uted base motives to His worthiest deeds. That He 
 is from God, His godlike acts bear witness. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Ha! we know you! For a long 
 time you have been a secret follower of this Galilean! 
 Now you have fully unmasked yourself. 
 
 ANNAS. So, even in our very midst have we trai- 
 tors to the holy Law even thus far has the Deceiver 
 cast His net! 
 
 C AIAPH AS. What do you here, you Apostates? 
 Return to your Prophet, hasten after Him, ere His 
 hour strikes when He shall die! That is irrevocably 
 said! 
 
 [66] 
 
PRIESTS. Yes, He must die ! Such is our decree ! 
 
 NICODEMUS. I deplore this resolve; no part 
 whatsoever will I have in this infamous proceeding. 
 
 JOSEPH OF ARIMATH^EA. Likewise will I for- 
 swear the place where the innocent are murdered. I 
 swear to God : My soul is clean ! [Exit Nicodemus and 
 Joseph. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 The High Council 
 
 JOSUE. At last we are rid of these traitors. Now 
 may we speak freely among ourselves. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Brothers, it will certainly be neces- 
 sary for us to sit in formal judgment on this Man ; yea, 
 and to examine Him, else the people may believe we 
 persecuted Him out of hate and malice. 
 
 JACOB. The Law requires at least two witnesses. 
 
 SAMUEL. We shall not be lacking as to witnesses; 
 I myself shall take care of that. 
 
 DARIABAS. Our sentence stands as at first de- 
 termined, but in order to satisfy the timid we must 
 observe the legal forms. 
 
 EZEKIEL. Should these not be sufficient, then 
 must our force of mind and will supply the rest. 
 
 RABBI. What matter if He be guilty, more or less? 
 The public weal demands once and for all that He be 
 removed. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Moreover, in the fulfilment, it would 
 be far safer if we could bring it about that the Gov- 
 
 [67] 
 
ernor of the Province condemn Him to death then 
 would all responsibility, all blame, be removed from us. 
 
 NATH ANAEL. This we might try. And if it does 
 not succeed, there is always left us to have our sen- 
 tence carried out by our representatives during the 
 excitement of a riot ! This could we do, without being 
 openly concerned in the matter. 
 
 RABBI. And in the case of dire failure on our part, 
 we assuredly could find some hand which, in the silence 
 of the dungeon-keep, would rid the Sanhedrin of its 
 enemy. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Time will show us. And now, let us 
 adjourn. But be ready at any hour of the night. I 
 may have to call you, for there is no time to lose. Our 
 resolve is : He dies ! 
 
 ALL (vehemently). He dies, He dies this enemy 
 of our holy Law ! 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 VII. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Chrisius on the Mount of Olives 
 Prologue 
 
 The weight of sin rests on the Saviour now, 
 As once on Adam fell the bitter strife 
 His strength exhausted, sweat upon his brow 
 Who fought to expiate his guilt in life. 
 
 [68] 
 
The Saviour's head is bowed, His face is white, 
 With bloody drops of silent anguish found ; 
 There, on Gethsemane He fights His fight, 
 Heartweary in a sea of sadness bound. 
 
 But hark, the leader of the band draws near 
 Iscariot, the faithless, the untrue 
 In shameless profanation, and with sneer, 
 Intent upon the work he has to do ! 
 
 J T was thus that Joab with unfeigned guile, 
 Amasa's hand held fast in friendly part, 
 And kissed him on the lips with cunning smile, 
 And pressed the dagger's blade into his heart! 
 
 SOLO. Lo, Judas took the bit of broken bread, 
 Which, at the Sacrament, the Master blessed! 
 All doubts within him on the moment fled, 
 And thoughts of Satan welled within his breast ! 
 
 Then spake the Lord, " Oh, Judas, wicked one ! 
 What thou wouldst do, let it be quickly done." 
 Then Judas turned, and hastened from the room, 
 And pledged himself unto the Saviour's doom! 
 
 The deed accomplished and the aim achieved! 
 What terror in the thought, the world dismayed ! 
 The Christ by Judas pledged to be deceived! 
 The Christ by Judas kissed and thus betrayed ! 
 
 CHORUS. Now come, ye people, and with Jesus go, 
 To see Him suffer on the cross, and die ! 
 The night descends, yet in the evening glow, 
 The sign of hope draws nigh! 
 [69] 
 
TABLEAU: Adam in bitterness must eat his bread. 
 Gen. 3 : 17 . Like Adam, who for his sin toiled in 
 sweat for his punishment, so Christus shall on the 
 Mount of Olives be drenched in the cold sweat of 
 agony, and expiate the sins of Mankind. 
 
 SOLO. Consuming heat and bitter dread, 
 In weight descend on Adam's head 
 The sweat of anguish and disgrace, 
 Like drops of blood upon his face ! 
 
 CHORUS. Behold, the fruit of sin is there, 
 God's curse on Nature made aware! 
 For racking pain and toilsome gain 
 But little fruit can Nature spare! 
 
 SOLO. Thus our Saviour, sorely yearning, 
 Bitter anguish in Him burning, 
 Adam's sin upon Him weighing, 
 On Gethsemane is praying! 
 
 CHORUS. 'Gainst sin He struggles for the world, 
 
 'Gainst sin His strength the Lord has hurled 
 He quivers, trembles, yet is brave, 
 And drinks the sorrow of the grave ! 
 
 TABLEAU : Joab, pretending to give a friendly kiss to 
 Amasa, thrusts a dagger into his body. 2 Sam. 20 : 9. 
 The picture recalls the kiss bv which Judas betrayed 
 the Saviour. 
 
 CHORAGUS (9?ec#.)- The scene, once famed in Gib- 
 eon's land, 
 Repeats itself at Judas' hand! 
 
 [70] 
 
Ye rocks of Gibeon, cry aloud! 
 Ye rocks, which mists of night enshroud, 
 Ye once could boast, ye once were proud! 
 But now, dishonoured, do ye stand 
 Ye rocks once famed in Gibeon's land! 
 Yea, speak that we may understand! 
 
 CHORUS (in the distance}. Away, ye wanderer, away 
 
 from here! 
 
 This blood-stained spot, accursed and drear, 
 Is where Amasa's life was spilled, 
 In friendly guise by Joab killed. 
 Oh, cursed be, oh, cursed be! 
 The curse of curses rest on thee ! 
 
 CHORAGUS. The rocks complain! 
 
 Revenge the stain! 
 
 The blood-soaked earth revenge hath ta'en! 
 Ye rocks of Gibeon, silence while we tell 
 What at Gethsemane befell! 
 
 Ye rocks of Gibeon, Judas thither came, 
 Dissembling, lying, restless without shame 
 Upon the Master sealed a kiss, and turned 
 Unto the silver such a deed had earned! 
 
 CHORUS. Accursed they 
 
 Whom friends betray, 
 Who love pass by 
 With lie on lie! 
 Who kiss in guile, 
 With cunning smile. 
 Curse ye such souls that thus dissemble ! 
 Curse those whom Judas doth resemble! 
 [71] 
 
ACT VII 
 
 Christus suffers the bitter death-agony; is betrayed by 
 Judas with a kiss into the hands of the soldiers 'who 
 lead Him captive away. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 In the Neighbourhood of the Mount of Olives. Judas, 
 Nathan, Josue, Ptolomaus, Salomon, the Traders, 
 Selpha, Malchus, the Soldiers 
 
 JUDAS. Now take care! We are drawing near to 
 the place where in retirement the Master rests. In 
 this lonely spot for the last time He spends the night. 
 
 SALOMON. It would be well to avoid having the 
 Disciples spy us too soon. 
 
 JUDAS. They are unconcerned and suspect naught 
 of an attack. Hence we need fear no resistance. 
 
 SOLDIER. And should they attempt it, they would 
 soon feel the strength of our arms ! 
 
 JUDAS. Rest easy. You will capture Him without 
 the use of a sword. 
 
 JOSAPHAT. But how will we recognize Him in 
 the dark, so as not to take another instead of the one 
 we desire? 
 
 JUDAS. Mark the sign I will give to you. As soon 
 as we enter the garden, then pay close attention ! For 
 I will hurry up to Him, and whomsoever I kiss, that is 
 He. Him you must bind. 
 
 [7*] 
 
KORAH. Good ! with such a sign we could not go 
 astray. 
 
 PTOLOMAUS (to the Solders). Do you hear? By 
 the kiss shall you know the Master. 
 
 SOLDIER. Indeed! We will not mistake Him! 
 
 JUDAS, Make haste! The time has come; we are 
 not so far away from the garden. 
 
 JOSAPHAT. Judas, if all goes well with us this 
 night, then shall you reap rich profit from your work. 
 
 TRADERS. We also will give you a large reward. 
 
 SOLDIERS. Beware, you Stirrer up of the people! 
 Soon will your deserts overtake you ! [ They exit. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 The Mount of Olives 
 
 Chrisius and His Disciples come forward slowly from the 
 background. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Verily, verily, I say unto you: You 
 shall weep and lament, but the world will shout for 
 joy. You shall be sad, but your grief will be turned 
 into exultation. For I will see you again, and your 
 heart will be glad, yea, and your joy no one can take 
 from you. I forsake the world, and enter unto my 
 Father. 
 
 PETER. Behold, you speak clearly unto us, and no 
 longer in parables. 
 
 JAMES THE ELDER. Now we realize you know 
 all things and need ask of no one. 
 
 [73l 
 
THOMAS. Hence we believe that you are come 
 from God. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Do you now have faith? But behold! 
 The hour is coming, yea, is already come, when you, 
 each to his own, shall be scattered, and shall leave me 
 alone. Yet still am I not alone, for our Father is with 
 me. Yea, Father! The hour has come! Exalt Thy 
 Son, so that He may glorify Thee ! I have fulfilled the 
 work Thou hast put upon me to do; I have disclosed 
 Thy name to men, whom Thou gavest me. Holy 
 Father, receive them in Thy name. Hallow them, con- 
 secrate them in the Truth. Not alone do I beg for 
 them, but also for those who through Thy word shall 
 believe in me that all may be one, even as Thou, 
 Father, art in me, and I in Thee. Father ! I would that 
 wheresoever I am, they may be also those whom 
 Thou hast given me, that they may behold my splen- 
 dour which Thou hast bestowed upon me. For Thou 
 didst love me before the beginning of time. (Reaching 
 the entrance to Gethsemane, Christus turns to the Dis- 
 ciples ^ith infinite sadness.) Children, rest here, 
 while I go within and pray. Pray also that you 
 do not fall into temptation. But you, Peter, James, 
 and John, follow me ! [Enters with the three Disciples. 
 
 DISCIPLES (who remain behind). What has oc- 
 curred to our Master? 
 
 BARTHOLOMEW. Never have I seen Him so 
 sad. 
 
 JAMES THE LESS. My heart also is full of 
 anguish. 
 
 MATTHEW. Oh, that this night were over, with 
 its fateful hours. 
 
 [74] 
 
A DISCIPLE. Not without cause has the Master 
 prepared us for this. 
 
 PHILIP. Dear Brothers, let us here settle ourselves 
 until He returns. 
 
 THOMAS. Yes, I am quite weary and weak. [.All 
 sit down. 
 
 CHRISTUS (in the foreground, to the three Apostles'). 
 Oh, beloved Children, my soul is troubled, even unto 
 death. Remain here and watch with me! (After a 
 pause.) I will go hence a little ways, that I may 
 strengthen myself through communion with my 
 Father. [Moves toward the grotto slowly and with fal- 
 tering steps. 
 
 PETER (gazing after him). Ah, best of Masters! 
 
 JOHN. My soul suffers with the soul of our 
 Teacher. 
 
 PETER. I am so downcast, so anxious. 
 
 JAMES. Why does the good Master thus separate 
 us now from one another? 
 
 JOHN. AJas, we are to be witnesses. 
 
 PETER. You remember, Brothers, we were wit- 
 nesses of His transfiguration on the mountain. But 
 now what is it we must see ? [ They gradually fall 
 asleep. 
 
 CHRISTUS (near the grotto). In such manner shall 
 the hour come upon me the hour of darkness! For 
 this, indeed, I was sent into the world. (Reaching the 
 grotto, He throws Himself upon His knees.) Father! 
 My Father! If it is possible and with Thee all 
 
 [75] 
 
things are possible then let this cup pass from me. 
 (Falls upon His face and remains awhile, rising to His knees 
 once more.) Yet, Father, not as I would, but as Thou 
 wouldst, shall it be done! (Stands, gazes to heaven, 
 then returns to His three Disciples.) Simon! 
 
 PETER (as in a dream). Alas, my Master! 
 CHRISTUS. Simon, are you asleep? 
 PETER. Master, see, here am I! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Could you not watch with me an 
 hour? 
 
 PETER. Master, forgive me ! 
 
 JOHN AND JAMES. Rabbi, sleep overcame us. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Alas, watch and pray, that you fall 
 not into temptation. 
 
 THE THREE APOSTLES. Yea, Master, we will 
 pray and watch. 
 
 CHRISTUS. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is 
 weak. (Returns to the grotto.) My Father, Thy de- 
 mand is just ! Thy decrees are holy. Thou askest this 
 sacrifice (Falls on His knees.) Father, the battle is 
 difficult! (Bends low and then raises Himself.) Still, if 
 the cup cannot pass me, without I drink, then, Father, 
 Thy will be done. (Stands up.) Holy One, by me shall 
 all be worthily accomplished. (Turns toward the sleep- 
 ing Disciples.) Are your eyes then so heavy that you 
 cannot watch with me ? Oh, my trusted followers, even 
 in you I find no consolation ! ( Taking a few steps toward 
 the grotto, He pauses.) Alas, how dark is everything 
 around me ! The pangs of death overwhelm me ! The 
 burden of godly judgment rests upon me. Oh, the 
 
 [76] 
 
sins, the sins of mankind ! they weigh me down ! Oh, 
 the fearful burden! Oh, the bitterness of this cup! 
 (Reaches the grotto.) My Father! (On His knees,) If 
 this hour may not be taken from me, then Thy will be 
 done, Thy most holy will ! Father, Father Thy 
 Son hear Him! 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 An Angel appears. 
 
 THE ANGEL. Son of Man! Hallow Thy Father's 
 will! Contemplate the eternal bliss which will come 
 out of Thy Passion! The Father has put upon Thee, 
 and Thou hast freely taken it upon Thyself, to atone 
 for the sins of Mankind. Do what Thou hast set out 
 to do. The Father will glorify Thee. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Yea, most Holy Father! I reverence 
 Thy will and by me shall it be consummated to 
 reconcile, to save, to bless. (Stands up.) Fortified 
 through Thy word, O Father, I go joyfully to the 
 fate ordained me as hostage for the sins of the world. 
 ( To the three Disciples.) Sleep on and rest ! 
 
 PETER. What is it, Master? 
 
 THE THREE. Behold, we are ready. 
 
 CHRISTUS. The hour has come. The Son of Man 
 will be delivered into the hands of the sinners. Arise, 
 and let us go. [A clank of weapons is heard; the other 
 Disciples waken. 
 
 DISCIPLES (in the background). What is that 
 uproar? 
 
 PHILIP, Come, let us gather around the Master. 
 We will not leave Him. [ They hasten toward Christus. 
 
 [77] 
 
CHRISTUS. Behold! He who shall betray me 
 draws near. 
 
 ANDREW. What means this multitude? 
 ALL. Alas ! we are undone ! 
 JOHN. And see, Judas at their head! 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 JUDAS (hastening toward Christus). Rabbi, greet- 
 ings be unto you. [Kisses Him. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Friend, why do you come? Judas, 
 with a kiss you betray the Son of Man! ( Advances 
 toward the crowd.) Whom seek you? 
 
 SOLDIERS. Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 CHRISTUS. I am He. [ The leaders bow down. 
 
 SOLDIERS. Woe unto us! What is this? [They 
 fall to the ground. 
 
 DISCIPLES (joyfully). One word from Him upsets 
 them! 
 
 CHRISTUS (to the Soldiers). Fear not! Stand up! 
 
 DISCIPLES. Lord, cast them down, that they may 
 nevermore arise. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Whom seek you? 
 SOLDIERS. Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 CHRISTUS. I have already said that I am He. If 
 then you seek me, let these others go. 
 
 SELPHA. Seize Him! 
 
 [78] 
 
PHILIP. Master, shall we strike with our swords? 
 [Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus. 
 
 MALCHUS. Woe! I am hurt! Alas, my ear is 
 cut off! 
 
 CHRISTUS (to the Disciples). Leave off! No 
 more of this! (To Malchus.) Be comforted, for you 
 shall be healed ! ( Touches the ear of Malchus f then turns 
 to Peter.) As for you, put up your sword into its sheath, 
 for all who lay hold on the sword, by the sword shall 
 perish. Shall I not drink from the cup which the 
 Father has given me? or think you not that if I prayed 
 to the Father he would not send to my help many 
 legions of angels? Yet how, then, would the Scrip- 
 tures be fulfilled? (To the Pharisees.) Am I a thief 
 that you come to take me with swords and clubs? 
 And I sat with you daily in the Temple and taught, 
 yet you did not stretch forth your hand and seize me! 
 But this is your hour! Behold, here I am! 
 
 SELPHA. Surround Him, and bind Him fast, so 
 that He may not possibly escape ! 
 
 NATHAN. You will be answerable to the High 
 Council. [The Disciples slip away. 
 
 SOLDIERS. Ha! He shall not escape from our 
 hands ! 
 
 OBIRON (to the Traders). Now, Brothers, let us 
 satisfy our revenge! 
 
 DATHAN. Remember what He did to us in the 
 Temple ! 
 
 JOSAPHAT (to the Pharisees). We will hasten in 
 advance into the city. The Sanhedrin anxiously awaits 
 our arrival. 
 
 [79] 
 
TRADERS. But we will not for an instant leave 
 the side of this Scoundrel ! 
 
 NATHAN. First, we must to the High Priest, 
 Annas. Thither lead Him! 
 
 SELPHA. We follow! 
 
 JOSAPHAT (to Judas). Judas, you are a Man! 
 
 SALOMON. You have kept your word! 
 
 JUDAS. Indeed, I said to you that this very day 
 you would have Him. 
 
 PTOLOMAUS. The entire High Council have you 
 made bounden unto you. [Going. 
 
 SOLDIERS (urging Christus before them). Away 
 with you to Jerusalem! There will the sentence upon 
 you be spoken. 
 
 SELPHA. Let us hasten ! Watch Him carefully. 
 
 SOLDIERS. Ha! run now as in the land of Judaea 
 you were wont to run! 
 
 SELPHA. Drive Him on. Spare Him not! 
 
 SOLDIERS. On with you, else we will drive you 
 with our clubs. 
 
 TRADERS. Ha, ha! does Beelzebub then no longer 
 aid you? [They all exit. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 END OF FIRST DIVISION 
 
 Usually an interval of an hour and a half ensues. 
 [80] 
 
SECOND DIVISION 
 
 From the Arrest on the Mount of Olives to the 
 Condemnation hy Pilate 
 
 VIII. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Jesus hefore Annas 
 
 Prologue 
 
 Oh, night of fear! From place to place, 
 From judgment seat to judgment seat, 
 
 Abused to His very face, 
 The Saviour with contempt they treat! 
 
 He spake to Annas but a word 
 
 A rough hand was against Him raised! 
 
 The blow received nor look demurred 
 The hand that struck besought and praised! 
 
 Micaiah, too, was treated so, 
 When he to Ahab truth proclaimed; 
 
 A lying prophet struck the blow, 
 With jealous wrath inflamed. 
 
 For truth most often genders Hate, 
 
 Yet naught may break its constant light; 
 
 To those who purely contemplate, 
 The truth will flood the darkest night! 
 
 CHORUS. Oh, Sinners, in your hearts retain 
 The mern'ry of the Saviour's pain, 
 Upon Gethsemane begun, 
 And suffered by the Holy One ! 
 
 6 [81] 
 
For you He suffered in despair! 
 
 For you His Passion and His Care ! 
 
 Upon Him rested Sorrow's crown, 
 
 By terror torn, with head bowed down; 
 
 The sweat of anguish through Him coursed, 
 
 Like blood, from Him the sweat was forced ! 
 
 TABLEAU: Micaiah, the Prophet, receives a blow in 
 
 the face because be speaks the truth of King Ahab. 
 
 1 Kings 22 : 24. An allusion to the first trial of 
 
 Christus by Annas, the High Priest, where the Saviour 
 
 suffers a blow in the face. 
 
 SOLO. Whoso the truth in freedom deals, 
 The sting of hate he later feels ! 
 Micaiah dealt in truth, and lo! 
 Upon his face was struck a blow. 
 "Oh, King!" he said, "should Ramoth fight, 
 He will overcome thee with his might. 
 
 " To save thyself from Baal's seer 
 
 Unto false prophets lend no ear ! " 
 
 'T was thus Micaiah spake the word 
 
 No flattery by Ahab heard ! 
 
 In fury on him rushed a liar, 
 
 And smote him, such his hate, his ire ! 
 
 CHORUS.* Thus hypocrites and liars too, 
 Pluck laurel leaves without ado! 
 'Tis truth alone must yield its pride, 
 For truth no flattery can bide! 
 
 * A slight deviation from Daisenberger is found. 
 [82] 
 
ACT VIII 
 
 Christus is led before Annas, and is struck in the face. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 Annas, Esdras, Sidrach, Misael 
 
 ANNAS. I can find no rest tonight until I learn 
 that this Disturber of our peace is in our hands. Oh, 
 were He only safe in chains ! Full of anxiety I await 
 my servant with the welcome news. 
 
 ESDRAS. They cannot tarry much longer, for 
 ample time has passed since they went away. 
 
 ANNAS. In vain has my troubled gaze wandered 
 up and down the street of Kidron. Naught could I 
 see or hear. Go, my Esdras, hasten to the Gate of 
 Kidron and see whether they do not approach. 
 
 ESDRAS. Thither will I quickly go! [Exits. 
 
 ANNAS. It would indeed serve as a thunderclap 
 upon the Sanhedrin if this time the outcome were 
 unsuccessful. 
 
 SIDRACH. High Priest, leave your grieving! 
 MISAEL. There is truly no doubt of our success. 
 
 ANNAS. They have perchance changed their way 
 and are returning by Siloa Gate. I must keep an eye 
 on that place also. 
 
 SIDRACH. If the High Priest so wishes it, I will 
 to the Siloa Gate 
 
 [83] 
 
ANNAS. Yes, do so! Yet see first whether any- 
 one comes by way of Sanhedrin Street ! 
 
 SIDRACH. I will not delay. '[Exits. 
 
 ANNAS. The night advances, and still no certainty. 
 Every minute of this anxious delay seems more than 
 an hour to me. I think hark! some one comes! 
 Yes, yes, some one comes ! Surely there will be good 
 news. 
 
 SIDRACH (hastening in). My Lord, yonder Esdras 
 comes in haste. I saw him running, fleet of foot, along 
 the street. 
 
 ANNAS. He must bring gladsome tidings, since he 
 thus makes such haste. I have, indeed, no more doubt 
 as to the death of this Malefactor. 
 
 ESDRAS (rushing in). Hail to the High Priest! 
 I have myself seen the Fathers chosen to go with Judas. 
 Everything has occurred in accordance with your de- 
 sire. The Galilean is in fetters! I have spoken with 
 them, and hurried ahead quickly, so as to bring you 
 instantly the joyful news. 
 
 ANNAS. Heavenly intelligence ! Blissful hour ! A 
 weight is lifted from my heart, and I feel myself born 
 again. For the first time indeed, I, with pride and joy, 
 call myself the High Priest of the Chosen People. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 The four delegates of the High Council appear with Judas 
 on the balcony. 
 
 THE FOUR PHARISEES. Long live our High 
 Priest! 
 
 [84] 
 
NATHAN. The wish of the High Counsel is 
 fulfilled! 
 
 ANNAS. Oh, I must embrace you for very joy! 
 So then our planning has prospered. Judas ! you will 
 receive an honourable place in our chronicles of the 
 year. Even before the Feast, shall the Galilean die ! 
 
 JUDAS (terrified). Die? Die? 
 ANNAS. His death is determined upon. 
 
 JUDAS. I will not be held responsible for the life 
 and blood of the Master! 
 
 ANNAS. Nor is it necessary. He is now in our 
 power! 
 
 JUDAS. I did not deliver Him to you for this! 
 
 PTOLEMAUS. You have done your part; the 
 rest is our concern. 
 
 JUDAS. Woe is me! What have I done! Shall 
 He die? No, no ! I did not wish that, I will not have 
 it! [Goes away. 
 
 THE PHARISEES (laughing). Whether you will 
 or no, He still shall die ! 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 
 The former, without Judas. Directly after, Christus is ltd 
 on, followed hy the leader of the hand, Selpha, the 
 Servants, Balhus. All are on the balcony. The 
 soldiers remain helow. 
 
 ESDRAS. High Priest! The Prisoner is at the 
 threshold. 
 
 [85] 
 
ANNAS. Let Selpha with the necessary guard 
 bring Him up. The others must wait for Him below. 
 \Selpha appears <with Christus. 
 
 SELPHA. High Priest! According to your com- 
 mand, the Prisoner stands here before your judgment 
 bar. 
 
 ANNAS. Have you brought only Him captive? 
 
 BALBUS. His adherents scattered like frightened 
 sheep. 
 
 SELPHA. We did not find it worth the trouble to 
 catch them. However, Malchus came near losing his 
 life. 
 
 ANNAS. How so? What happened? Speak 
 quickly ! 
 
 BALBUS. A Disciple struck at him with a drawn 
 sword, hitting his ear, and it was cut off. 
 
 ANNAS. How? But it has left no mark. 
 
 BALBUS (mocking). The Miracle-worker, through 
 His magic, put it back again. 
 
 ANNAS. What say you to this, Malchus? Speak. 
 
 MALCHUS (earnestly). I cannot explain it a 
 miracle has indeed happened to me. 
 
 ANNAS. Has the Deceiver forsooth bewitched 
 you also? ( To Christus. ) Say, by what power have 
 you done this? [Christus remains silent. 
 
 SELPHA. Answer, when your Judge questions 
 you! 
 
 ANNAS. Speak! Give an account of your Dis- 
 ciples, and of your teaching which you have spread 
 
 [86] 
 
through all Judaea, and by which you have misled the 
 people. 
 
 CHRISTUS. I have spoken openly before the 
 world. I have always taught in the Temple and in the 
 Synagogue, and naught have I said secretly. Why 
 do you ask me? Question those who have heard me. 
 They know what I have said. 
 
 BALBUS (striking Christus). Is it thus you answer 
 the High Priest? 
 
 CHRISTUS. If I have spoken evil, then show that 
 it is evil! But if I have spoken truth, why do you 
 strike me? 
 
 ANNAS. Do you even thus now defy us, when the 
 very power of life and death is in our hands? Take 
 Him away ! I am weary of the Impostor ! 
 
 BALBUS (to Jesus, as He is led away). Just wait! 
 Your pride will soon falter ! 
 
 ANNAS. I will now rest me for a while, or rather 
 reflect in silence as to how this fortunate commence- 
 ment may be brought to as fortunate an end. I shall 
 undoubtedly be called to the Sanhedrin very early in 
 the morning. [They exit. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 Christus in the midst of the Crowd 
 
 CROWD. Ha, the deuce, is His business already 
 over? 
 
 SELPHA (who leads Jesus). Yes, His vindication 
 has ended badly. 
 
 [87] 
 
B ALDUS. Nevertheless, it brought Him a sound 
 slap in the face. 
 
 SELPHA. Men, take Him now, and let us hasten 
 with Him to the palace of Caiaphas. 
 
 CROWD. Away with Him! Hurry up, you! 
 
 BALBUS. Be of cheer ! From Caiaphas you will re- 
 ceive a much better reception. 
 
 CROWD. There, no doubt, the ravens will sing 
 about your ears! (Chrisius is led through ihe streets.) 
 You will become a laughing stock, an example for the 
 entire nation ! 
 
 BALBUS. Hurry! Your Disciples are all ready! 
 They would proclaim you King of Israel ! 
 
 SOME SOLDIERS. Is it not true that you have 
 often dreamed of this? f 
 
 SELPHA. Caiaphas, the High Priest, will now ex- 
 plain this dream to you. 
 
 BALBUS. Do you hear that? Caiaphas will pro- 
 claim your exaltation to you. 
 
 SOLDIERS (with laughter). Yes, in truth your 
 elevation between heaven and earth ! 
 
 SELPHA. Listen, you fellows! Yonder through 
 the palace of Pilate is our nearest way to the house 
 of Caiaphas. There place yourselves in the courtyard 
 until further orders. 
 
 SOLDIERS (in the mob). Your commands shall be 
 fully obeyed!* 
 
 * The other German version omits this scene ; Trench gives in 
 Act VII, Sc. 5, dialogue between Peter and John, who both determine 
 to follow Christus to Annas. Daisenberger omits this also. 
 
 [88] 
 
FIFTH SCENE 
 Peter and John before the House of Annas. A Priest 
 
 PETER. Alas! How has it befallen our Master! 
 John, I am so anxious about Him! 
 
 JOHN. I fear to approach the place, for undoubt- 
 edly He will receive ridicule and have abuse heaped 
 upon Him. 
 
 PETER. It is so still about here. 
 
 JOHN. Inside the palace not even a human voice 
 can be heard. Could they have taken Him away 
 again? 
 
 ESDRAS (stepping out). What would you here at 
 this time of night before the palace? 
 
 JOHN. Forgive us. We saw a crowd of people 
 from afar; they came hither through the Gate of 
 Kedron, and so we have come to see what has 
 happened. 
 
 ESDRAS. They brought a Prisoner, but He has 
 already been sent to Caiaphas. 
 
 JOHN. To Caiaphas? Then we will leave im- 
 mediately. 
 
 ESDRAS. 'T is well, for otherwise I must have you 
 taken up for night brawlers. 
 
 PETER. We will raise no disturbance and will go 
 away silently. [They exit. 
 
 ESDRAS (.looking after them). Perhaps they arc 
 Disciples of the Galilean. If I but knew! Still, they 
 
 [89] 
 
are not against our people, since they hasten to the 
 palace of Caiaphas. The whole band must be de- 
 stroyed, otherwise the people will never be brought 
 to obedience! [Extt. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 IX. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Jesus before Caiaphas 
 
 Prologue 
 
 His enemies are judges, and before them now He 
 
 stands, 
 The Lord in silence, patiently, behold, with folded 
 
 hands! 
 He hears the words condemning, and the lies on every 
 
 breath, 
 While the rod of accusation thrusts Him nearer unto 
 
 death! 
 
 As did Naboth in his goodness meet the persecutor's 
 
 rod, 
 Heard false witnesses proclaim him a blasphemer of 
 
 his God, 
 So the Lord, whose fault is goodness, finds a like sad 
 
 recompense 
 For His truth and for His love and for His kind 
 
 beneficence ! 
 
 Soon, before you, to your sorrow, will you see Him 
 
 bent and bound 
 While the servants set to guard Him, His dear person 
 
 will surround. 
 
 [90] 
 
Oh, the cries of sharp derision, and the blow that 
 
 cometh after! 
 Oh, the harsh and bitter jeering, and the wild, inhuman 
 
 laughter ! 
 
 Thus did Job bow 'neath affliction in the days of long 
 
 ago, 
 Laden down with heavy sorrow, every friend become 
 
 his foe; 
 He foreshadowed in his anguish what was later to take 
 
 place, 
 And in him proclaimed the likeness of the Saviour's 
 
 patient face! 
 
 CHORAGUS (Redt.). In pity bleeds my heart 
 For Him who stands before the judgment seat! 
 He bears the sinner's part, 
 Betrayed and scorned and dragged from street to 
 
 street. 
 
 Oh, men, your faces hide ! 
 
 The Christ is touched by hands that desecrate! 
 He will be crucified! 
 Behold the scene which shadows forth His fate ! 
 
 TABLEAU : The innocent Naboth is condemned to death 
 hy false witnesses. 1 Kings 21 : 8, 13. As Naboth 
 was, so will the innocent Saviour be condemned to 
 death before the High Priest, Caiaphas, through false 
 testimony. As on patient Job all imaginable scorn was 
 heaped, so will the same be done unto the Saviour* 
 
 CHORUS. " Naboth, O King, shall die! 
 
 He dared his God blaspheme, and thee abuse. 
 Let him effaced be from Israel ! " 
 Thus was proclaimed the lie 
 Bribed were the Jews 
 By the wicked Jezebel ! 
 [91] 
 
SOLO. Upon the innocent revenge they take! 
 Upon the innocent their thirst they slake 
 Their thirst for vengeance in unrighteous cause! 
 False rogues who scorn the sacredness of laws ! 
 Deceit and Hate against the Christ are bent, 
 While Malice seeks to crush the Innocent! 
 
 CHORUS. Lords of the earth, beware, beware 
 Of worldly rule ye have your share ! 
 Forget not, in your regal dower, 
 A higher Judge, a greater Power. 
 The rich, the poor, the peasant-bred, 
 The nobly born, the underfed, 
 Are one to Him who rules above 
 In justice measured by His love! 
 
 TABLEAU : The suffering Job is affronted By his wife 
 and relatives. Job 2 : 9. 
 
 Ah, what a man! 
 A Job in pain, 
 
 In ridicule, in mockery to judgment ta'en, 
 Thence to be slain! 
 
 Ah, what a man! 
 
 Beneath the burden of a cross He bends, 
 Scorned by His friends, 
 Yet His trust in God never ends 
 
 Ah, what a man! 
 
 No noise of grief, 
 
 No supplication to be brief, 
 Amidst the mockery of unbelief; 
 
 Ah, what a man! 
 All ye whose hearts in pity break, 
 Shed tears of love for His dear sake ! 
 
 Ah, what a man! 
 [92] 
 
ACT IX 
 
 Cbristus is taken to Caiaphas f before whom He is tried, and 
 upon Him the sentence of death is imposed. He is de- 
 nied by Peter, and is scoffed at as well as maltreated 
 by the servants. [Some versions begin with the fol- 
 lowing scene : 
 
 CROWD. Ha, let us go forward merrily! You 
 must move on, so we may proclaim you King of 
 Israel! 
 
 BALBUS. Your subjects joyfully await you. They 
 have ready for you a crown and a sceptre. 
 
 MELCHI. You have often dreamed of this, have 
 you not? 
 
 CROWD. Now it shall be fulfilled. 
 
 SELPHA. We will take Him to Caiaphas, who 
 shall on the instant interpret this dream for Him. 
 
 BALBUS. Do you hear? Caiaphas will proclaim 
 your elevation! 
 
 CROWD. Yes, yes, your elevation, high up be- 
 tween heaven and earth. Ha, ha, ha ! 
 
 SELPHA. You people, mark well ! Here through 
 these streets is the nearest way to Caiaphas. Stay 
 you in the outer court yonder, while I go before the 
 judge with this Evil-doer between these two thieves. 
 
 CROWD. Good, we will obey you in all things. 
 [Other versions begin with 
 
 [93] 
 
FIRST SCENE 
 Caiaphas in his Bedroom. The Priests and Pharisees 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Our fortunate beginning portends 
 the happiest realization of our wishes. I thank you, 
 noble members of the Sanhedrin, for your zealous 
 and wise co-operation! 
 
 JOSAPHAT. Our greatest gratitude is due the 
 High Priest. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Now, let us proceed without delay! 
 All is ready. The Council shall immediately be as- 
 sembled. Samuel has already brought hither the 
 necessary witnesses. The trial of the Prisoner will 
 be taken in hand without delay. Then shall judgment 
 be rendered, and careful provision made for its exe- 
 cution. The quicker we are, the surer our success. 
 
 NATHAN. It would be best were the thing done 
 before our adversaries have given much thought to 
 the matter. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. That is my idea. Trust me, my 
 friends, I have a plan which I hope to carry out. 
 
 SAD OK. The wisdom of our High Priest deserves 
 our fullest trust! 
 
 ALL. The God of our Fathers bless his steps! 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 The foregoing. The Soldiers bring in Christus. The 
 False Witnesses 
 
 SELPHA (who is the leader of the guard). Most 
 exalted High Priest! Here is the Prisoner! 
 
 [94] 
 
CAIAPHAS. Bring Him nearer, that I may look 
 Him in the face and question Him. 
 
 SELPHA (to Christus). Step forward, and respect 
 the head of the High Council. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. So, you are He who would attack our 
 Synagogue, and would bring about the fall of the Law 
 of Moses? You stand accused of inciting the people 
 to disobedience, of scorning the sacred traditions of 
 the Fathers, of repeatedly violating the divine regula- 
 tions of the Sabbath, and of allowing yourself many 
 times to utter blasphemous speeches and to do blas- 
 phemous deeds. Here stand some trusty men who are 
 ready to vouch for the truth of these accusations with 
 their evidence. Listen to them, that you may an- 
 swer them if you can! 
 
 FIRST WITNESS (Nun). I testify before God that 
 this Man has incited the people, openly denouncing 
 the members of the Council and the Scribes as hypo- 
 crites, as hungry wolves in sheep's clothing, as blind 
 leaders of the blind, and, moreover, has proclaimed that 
 no one should follow their decrees. 
 
 SECOND WITNESS (Etiab). I also agree to this, 
 and, furthermore, can add that He has warned the 
 people not to pay tribute to the Emperor. 
 
 FIRST WITNESS (Nun). Such ambiguous speech 
 have I also heard Him utter ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (to Chrisius). What say you to this? 
 Are you silent? Have you naught to say in return? 
 
 THIRD WITNESS (Gad). I have often noted 
 how He, with His Disciples, in defiance of the Law, 
 
 [95] 
 
has gone to the table with unwashed hands ; how He 
 has had friendly intercourse with the publicans and 
 sinners, and has even entered their houses and eaten 
 with them. 
 
 THE OTHER WITNESSES. We have also seen 
 this. 
 
 THIRD WITNESS (Gad). I have heard from trust- 
 worthy sources that He even has spoken with Samari- 
 tans, and has dwelt with them for days at a time. 
 
 FIRST WITNESS (Nun). I also have been witness 
 to what He has done on the Sabbath without fear 
 though forbidden by the Law of God. He has healed 
 those seized with sickness, with the pest; He has 
 urged others to desecrate the Sabbath; He even 
 ordered a man to carry his bed to his house. 
 
 SECOND WITNESS (Eliab). I have seen that 
 too! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (to Chrisius). How can you refute 
 this? Have you nothing to say? 
 
 THIRD WITNESS (Gad to Ckrtstus). You have 
 for I was present, taken unto yourself the power to 
 forgive sins a power belonging only to God. You 
 have thus blasphemed God! 
 
 FIRST WITNESS (Nun). You have called God 
 your Father, and have dared to name yourself as one 
 with the Father. You have thus made yourself equal 
 to God. 
 
 SECOND WITNESS (Eliab). You have raised 
 yourself above our Father Abraham, and have dared 
 to assert that you were, before Abraham was. 
 
 [96] 
 
FOURTH WITNESS (Raphim). You have said: 
 " I can destroy the Temple of God, and in three days 
 build it up again/' 
 
 FIFTH WITNESS (Eliezer). You have said: "I 
 will destroy this Temple built by the hand of man, and 
 in three days will I set up another which is not built 
 by the hand of man." 
 
 CAIAPHAS. You have thus boasted of a super- 
 human, divine power! These are hard accusations; 
 and they are lawfully attested. Contradict them if 
 you can! I see, you believe by your silence you will 
 be able to save yourself! You dare not admit before 
 the Fathers of the people and before your Judge what 
 you have taught. Or do you dare? Then hear: I, the 
 High Priest, adjure you by the living God! Tell us, 
 are you the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God 
 are you divine? 
 
 CHRISTUS. You have said it, and it is so. But 
 I say unto you : From now on it will come to pass that 
 the Son of Man shall sit upon the right hand of God 
 in power and shall come out of the clouds of Heaven. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. He has blasphemed God! What need 
 we further with witnesses? Behold, you yourselves 
 have heard the blasphemy! What think you? 
 
 ALL. He deserves death! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. He is thus declared unanimously to 
 be deserving of death. Still, neither I nor the High 
 Council, but the holy Law itself, pronounces the sen- 
 tence of death upon Him. You teachers of the Law! 
 I bid you give me answer! What says the holy Law 
 of him who is disobedient to the ordained authorities 
 of God? 
 
 7 [97] 
 
JOSUE (reads) . " Whosoever is presumptuous and 
 does not hearken to the commandments of the High 
 Priest, or to the opinions of the Judges, shall die, and 
 the evil be uprooted from Israel." (Deut*17:12. Some 
 of the German versions are almost literal in their 
 transcription. ) 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What does the Law prescribe for him 
 who profanes the Sabbath? 
 
 EZEKIEL (reads). "Keep thou my Sabbath, for 
 it is holy! Whoso profanes it shall be put to death! 
 Whoso does any work thereon, that soul shall be cut 
 aloof from the people." 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What punishment does the Law im- 
 pose upon the blasphemer? 
 
 NATHANAEL (reads}. " Say unto the children of 
 Israel: He who blasphemes his God shall carry his 
 offence! And whoso slanders the name of the Lord 
 shall be put to death. The whole congregation shall 
 stone him, be he born in the land or a stranger. Whoso 
 blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to 
 death!" 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Accordingly is the sentence spoken 
 over this Jesus of Nazareth, in conformity with law, 
 and it shall be carried out as soon as possible. In the 
 mean time let the condemned be guarded. Away with 
 Him, watch Him well, and in the early morning bring 
 Him before the great Sanhedrin! 
 
 SELPHA. Then come, you Messiah! We will 
 show you to your Palace! 
 
 B ALBUS. There will you receive befitting homage ! 
 [ They lead Him away. 
 
 [98] 
 
THIRD SCENE 
 
 CAIAPHAS. We are nearing our goal! But now, 
 the matter demands resolute proceedings! 
 
 ALL. We shall not rest until He is brought to 
 death! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. At the break of day we will gather 
 together again. Our intention must be secretly an- 
 nounced to the High Priest, Annas, and to the others. 
 ( Cries of: "It shall be done without delay 1") Then shall 
 the judgment be confirmed by the whole Assembly, 
 and the Prisoner immediately thereafter led before 
 Pilate, in order that he may sanction our act and allow 
 its execution. 
 
 ALL. Grant that the hour will soon come when we 
 are rid of our enemy ! God hasten the hour! [They 
 all depart. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 JUDAS (atone).* Fearful presentiments drive me 
 hither and thither! Those dreadful words: He shall 
 die! Oh, the thought pursues me everywhere! It is 
 terrible ! No, it must not come to that ! They cannot 
 go so far ! It would be horrible if they my Master 
 No and I I guilty of it all ! No ! Here in the 
 house of Caiaphas, I shall probably find how it goes 
 with Him. Shall I enter? I can no longer bear this 
 doubt, and yet it terrifies me to know the truth ! My 
 heart is breaking with anguish still the truth must 
 be some time! [Enters. 
 
 * The several texts differ in wording rather than in spirit. 
 [99] 
 
FIFTH SCENE 
 
 Hall. Agar, Sara., Melchi; then Panther, Arphaxad, 
 Abdias, Levi; later, John, Peter; finally, Christus, led 
 by Selpha, Malcbus, and Balbus 
 
 AGAR (to Mekbi, outside). You men, come in here. 
 SARA. It is more comfortable inside ! 
 
 MELCHI. True, good children! (Calls out.) What 
 ho, comrades, come in here! It is better for us to lie 
 down in the hall. [ The men-at-arms enter. 
 
 ARPHAXAD. This pleases me! Would, though, 
 we had come in sooner! How foolish! We always 
 stand outside in the open and freeze. But where is 
 there any fire? 
 
 PANTHER. Go, Sara, fetch us fire, and wood to 
 lay thereon. 
 
 AGAR. Surely! 
 
 SARA. That shall you have ! [ They both go. 
 
 SOLDIERS. Will the trial soon come to an end? 
 
 MELCHI. It may last longer, until all the witnesses 
 are heard! 
 
 PANTHER. And the Accused will no doubt resort 
 to a flow of rhetoric so as to free Himself. 
 
 ARPHAXAD. Still, that would be of no help to 
 Him; He has offended the priesthood too deeply. 
 {Agar and Sara re-enter. 
 
 AGAR. Here is fire for you. 
 SARA. And wood and tongs. 
 
 [100] 
 
SOLDIERS. Thank you, girls! 
 
 PANTHER. Ah, that is good! Now let us see to 
 it that the fire does not go out ! [Some sit around the 
 fire, while others stand in groups. Sara brings them 
 bread and drink. 
 
 AGAR ( to John f who appears on the threshold) . John, 
 do you come hither also in the middle of the night? 
 Enter ! Here you may warm yourself at the fire ! Is it 
 not so, you men, that you would not grudge a place for 
 this young man? 
 
 SOLDIERS. To be sure! Come on! 
 
 JOHN. Good Agar! There is also with me a trav- 
 elling companion. May he not be allowed to enter too? 
 
 AGAR. Where is he? Let him come in also ! Why 
 does he stand outside in the cold? (John steps aside, but 
 returns alone.) Well, where is he? 
 
 JOHN. He waits on the threshold; but he does 
 not trust himself inside. 
 
 AGAR. Come hither, good Friend, have no fear! 
 
 SOLDIERS. Yea, Comrade, come amongst us and 
 warm yourself! [Peter timidly draws nigh to the fire. 
 
 ARPHAXAD. Still do we see naught and hear 
 naught of the Prisoner. 
 
 ALL. How long must we wait? 
 
 PANTHER. Probably He will return from His 
 trial a man doomed to death. 
 
 ARPHAXAD. I am curious to know whether His 
 Disciples will not also be sought after. 
 
 [101] 
 
SOLDIERS. That were indeed a pretty piece of 
 work, if we had to capture all ! 
 
 PANTHER. It would not be worth the trouble. 
 Once the Master is safely away, then will these Gali- 
 leans take flight, and they will never again show them- 
 selves in Jerusalem. 
 
 ARPHAXAD. At all events, one of them shall re- 
 ceive severe punishment he who in the Garden took 
 a weapon and cut off the ear of Malchus. 
 
 SOLDIERS.* Yes, it should be as ordained: An ear 
 for an ear, ha, ha, ha! [Peter, restless, goes away from 
 the fire. 
 
 PANTHER. A good idea! But the application is 
 of no value here. Malchus' ear is whole again. 
 
 AGAR (to Peter)- I have been looking at you for 
 some time. If I mistake not, you are one of the Dis- 
 ciples of the Man from Galilee. Yes, yes, you were 
 with Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 PETER. No, woman, I was not. I do not know 
 Him, neither do I by any chance understand what you 
 say. [He draws back, and comes near Sara. 
 
 SARA. Look, this one was also with Jesus of 
 Nazareth. 
 
 SEVERAL. Perhaps you are one of His Disciples? 
 LEVI. Yes, you are one I 
 
 PETER. I am not, on my soul ! I know naught of 
 them. [The cock crows. 
 
 * " Rotte" is used in the sense of a mixed crowd. 
 
 [102] 
 
ABDIAS (to the others in his circle). Look at yon- 
 der man. Truly, he was also with Him! 
 
 PETER. I know not what you would with me. 
 What does He mean to me? 
 
 SEVERAL. Yes, yes, you are one of them ; indeed, 
 you are a Galilean. Your speech betrays you. 
 
 PETER. God be my witness that I do not know the 
 Man of whom you speak. [The cock crows a second 
 time. 
 
 MELCHI. What ! Did I not see you with Him in 
 the Garden, when my cousin Malchus had his ear cut 
 off? 
 
 SOLDIERS (standing by the fire). Ha! See! They 
 bring in the Prisoner ! [Selpha enters <with Christus. 
 
 PANTHER (to them as they advance). How has it 
 gone? 
 
 SELPHA. He is condemned to death. 
 
 SOLDIERS (jeering). Oh, poor King! \Christus 
 looks upon Peter sorrowfully. 
 
 SELPHA. Forward, Comrades ! Until the dawn of 
 to-morrow we must keep watch over Him. 
 
 SOLDIER. Come, He shall help us pass the time 
 away! 
 
 SIXTH SCENE 
 In the Proscenium. Peter and afterwards John 
 
 PETER. Alas, my Master! Oh, how far have I 
 fallen ! Oh, woe is me, a weak and wretched man ! My 
 
 [103] 
 
dear Friend and Protector, I have denied you thrice! 
 I do not understand how I could have so far forgotten 
 myself! A curse upon my faithlessness! My best 
 Master! Have you still grace for me? My heart will 
 repent of this contemptible cowardice! Oh, Lord, if 
 you feel mercy toward me a perfidious one then 
 show it me now! This once, hear the voice of a con- 
 trite soul ! Oh, my sin is done ! I cannot undo it ! But 
 ever and ever more will I regret it and expiate it. 
 Never again shall I leave you, O most kind I 
 At least, you will not reject me; you will not scorn 
 my bitter remorse! No, the kind, compassionate look 
 which you cast upon your deeply fallen Disciple bids 
 me hope : you will forgive me ! Dearest Teacher, this 
 comfort I have from you, and the whole love of my 
 heart from this moment I dedicate to you. I shall 
 fast, I shall cling to you ah, naught shall ever again 
 have the power to take me from you ! [ Exits. 
 
 JOHN (coming from the other side). Where can Peter 
 have gone? In vain I searched for him in the crowd. 
 Surely naught of ill could have befallen him. Perhaps 
 I might yet meet him on the way. I will now go 
 toward Bethany. But ah, dearest Mother, how will 
 your heart feel, when I tell you of the terrible scenes 
 the Innocent wronged and by the miscreant con- 
 demned! What will your soul go through! Judas, 
 Judas, what a frightful deed is thine! [Exits. 
 
 SEVENTH SCENE 
 
 Christus, surrounded by servants and guards, is seated on 
 
 a stool. 
 
 LEVI. Is not this too poor a throne for you, great 
 King? 
 
 [104] 
 
PANTHER. Hail, new-born Ruler! 
 
 MELCHI. But sit steadier, otherwise you might 
 fall off. [Pressing Christus down. 
 
 LEVI. Truly you are a Prophet, so they say. We 
 would test your craft. 
 
 MELCHI (striking Him in the face). So tell us, 
 great Elias, who has struck you? 
 
 ABDIAS (striking Him). Was it I? 
 
 MELCHI. Do you not hear? (Shaking Christus.) I 
 almost believe you are asleep. He is deaf and dumb 
 a pretty Prophet! [Strikes Him from the, stool, so that 
 He, falls at full kngth. 
 
 LEVI. Oh, woe, woe, our King has been upset 
 from His throne! 
 
 ABDIAS. Oh, woe, woe, what is now to be done? 
 We have no more King ! 
 
 MELCHI. You are surely to be pitied so great 
 a Magician and now so powerless and weak ! 
 
 PANTHER. What is now to be done with Him? 
 ALL. We will help Him again to His throne. 
 
 PANTHER (lifting Christus). Raise yourself, O 
 mighty King, and receive anew our homage! 
 
 MESSENGER (Dan, one of Caiaphas's men, entering) . 
 Now, how goes it with the new King? 
 
 ALL. He neither speaks nor makes a sign. We 
 can do nothing with Him. 
 
 DAN. The High Priest and Pilate will soon make 
 Him speak. Caiaphas has sent me to fetch Him. 
 
 [105] 
 
SELPHA. Up, comrades! 
 
 LEVI (taking Chrtstus by the ropes). Stand up, 
 you! You have been King long enough. 
 
 ALL. Away with you! Your kingdom has come 
 to an end! [All exit. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 X. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Despair of Judas 
 
 Prologue 
 
 Why wanders Judas in the tortures of despair? 
 
 Alas, an evil conscience on him turns! 
 The blood-guilt in his soul he has to bear, 
 
 While the awful flame of sin within him burns. 
 
 Weep, Judas, for the deed that thou hast done! 
 
 Oh, let repentant tears blot out thy sin! 
 Implore for mercy from the Holy One ! 
 
 Salvation's door is open. Go thou in ! 
 
 Alas, alas, in woe though deeply bowed, 
 No ray of hope doth over Judas shine ! 
 
 " Too great my sin," the sinner cries aloud, 
 As Cain once cried, " too great this sin of mine ! 
 
 Impenitent and unconsoled like Cain, 
 A mighty fear o'er hapless Judas falls ; 
 
 The just reward of sin is racking pain, 
 Toward such a fate we hasten when it calls! 
 
 [106] 
 
SOLO. " Oh, woe to the man who betrays me," 
 Cried the Lord, " to the traitor who slays me ! 
 'T were better for him he had never been born 
 Than wander in terror and tremble 'neath scorn ! " 
 Such words follow Judas in tortuous pain, 
 Pursuing his footsteps, beclouding his brain. 
 
 CHORUS. Vengeance falls on Judas' head, 
 He shall not go unpunished! 
 By frenzy torn, by conscience cowed, 
 By furies scourged, in madness bowed 
 He wanders, and his peace is o'er ; 
 He knows no rest forever more, 
 Until despair his being rends 
 Until his worthless life he ends! 
 
 TABLEAU: The brother-murderer, Cain, tortured with 
 remorse, wanders a fugitive on the face of the earth. 
 Genesis 4 : 10-17 . Abel is the symbol of the dying 
 Messiah. Abel, the upright, c was hated by his brother, 
 Cain, even as Christus was despised by His brothers, 
 the Jews. Even as Cain became a fugitive, so the 
 Jewish Nation shall be expelled from its kingdom, 
 and dispersed over the whole earth. 
 
 SOLO. 'Twas thus that Cain, ah, whither sped! 
 To drown his thoughts, ah, whither fled! 
 You cannot from your conscience hide 
 The shadow trembles at your side ; 
 And though you hasten here and there, 
 The pains of Hell you have to bear! 
 The scourge will fall, the wound will bleed, 
 You cannot now escape the deed! 
 Ah, Judas! 
 
 [107] 
 
CHORUS. Behold, this picture you shall see, 
 It will the sinner's mirror be ! 
 Though vengeance cometh not to-day, 
 It yet will come, and so repay 
 In double-fold upon the morrow 
 Full vengeance on the Man of Sorrow! 
 
 ACT X 
 
 The assembled High Council confirms the deaih sentence 
 pronounced upon Christus. Judas appears in remorse 
 before ihe Assembly, throws do c wn ihe thirty pieces 
 of silver, departs in anguish, and hangs himself. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 JUDAS (alone). My anxious foreboding has be- 
 come a horrible certainty! Caiaphas has condemned 
 the Master to death, and the Council has sanctioned 
 his judgment. It is all over no more hope of rescue ! 
 Had the Master wished to save Himself, He would 
 have made them feel the force of His power a second 
 time in the Garden of Gethsemane. As He did not do 
 it then, He will not do it now. What am I able to do 
 for Him, I, the most wretched, who have delivered 
 Him into their hands? They shall have the blood- 
 money back and in return they must set my Master 
 free! I will go instantly and let them know my de- 
 mand. Yet will He be saved thereby? Oh, vain, 
 empty hope! They will ridicule me, I know it! Ac- 
 cursed Synagogue! You tempted me through your 
 agents, you deceived me, and concealed from me your 
 bloody purposes until you had Him in your clutches ! 
 Unjust judges that you are, I will heap upon you my 
 
 [108] 
 
bitter reproaches. I will know naught of your devilish 
 design. No part will I have in the blood of this inno- 
 cent One! Oh, the anguish of Hell racks my innocent 
 being! [Exits* 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 The High Council 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Assembled Brethren, I thought we 
 could not wait until morning to send the Enemy of the 
 Synagogue to His death. 
 
 ANNAS. I also could find no moment's rest, so 
 eager was I to hear the sentence of death pronounced. 
 
 ALL. It is decided. He must, He shall die ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Last night I did not think it neces- 
 sary to have all the members of the Sanhedrin come 
 hither. There was the required number of judges to 
 pass sentence in conformity with the regulation of the 
 law. The Accused was unanimously declared worthy 
 of death, for all present heard with their own ears 
 how this Man slandered God in the most horrible 
 manner, daring to set Himself up as the Son of God ! 
 
 PRIESTS AND PHARISEES (who were present 
 at the former gathering). Yes, we were witness to 
 what was said. We indeed heard the blasphemy 
 against God from His own mouth. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Once more will I have the Criminal 
 brought before you, that you yourselves may be con- 
 vinced of His being worthy of death. Then the whole 
 Council assembled may pass judgment upon Him! 
 
 [109] 
 
THIRD SCENE 
 
 JUDAS (rushing in). Is it true? Have you con- 
 demned my Master to death? 
 
 RABBI. Why come you, unbidden, into the As- 
 sembly? Get out! We will call you if we need you. 
 
 JUDAS. I must know. Have you sentenced Him? 
 ALL. He must die! 
 
 JUDAS. Woe, woe, I have sinned! I have be- 
 trayed the Righteous! Oh, and you, you bloodthirsty 
 judges, you condemn and murder the Innocent! 
 
 ALL. Judas, peace! or 
 
 JUDAS. No longer any peace for me! And none 
 for you! The blood of the Innocent cries aloud for 
 vengeance ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What troubles your soul? Speak, 
 but speak with reverence, for you stand before the 
 High Council. 
 
 JUDAS. You would deliver this One up to death, 
 Him who is guiltless of every fault? You dare not do 
 it ; I protest against it ! You have made me a traitor. 
 Your accursed pieces of silver 
 
 ANNAS. You yourself offered to do it, and con- 
 cluded the bargain. 
 
 JOSAPHAT. Bethink you, Judas! You have ob- 
 tained what you most desired. And if you bear your- 
 self properly, you may still 
 
 JUDAS. I will have no more of it! I cut loose 
 from your infamous bargain! Give me back the 
 Innocent ! 
 
 [no] 
 
ALL. Clear out, you mad one! 
 
 JUDAS. I demand the Innocent back! My hands 
 shall be clear of blood. 
 
 RABBI. What, you infamous traitor! Will you 
 forsooth dictate laws to the High Council? Know, 
 your Master must die, and it is you who have deliv- 
 ered Him up to death! 
 
 ALL. He must die! 
 
 JUDAS (with wild and frightened took). Die? I 
 am a traitor? He must die? I have delivered Him 
 over to die ? ( Breaking forth. ) Then may ten thou- 
 sand devils from Hell rend me to pieces crush me! 
 Here, you bloodhounds, take back your accursed blood- 
 money ! [ Throws down the bag of silver. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Why did you allow yourself to be 
 made use of in a transaction which you had not before- 
 hand well weighed? 
 
 ALL. That was your lookout! 
 
 JUDAS. Thus shall my soul be damned, my body 
 rent asunder, and you 
 
 ALL. Silence and away from here ! 
 
 JUDAS. You shall sink with me to the lowest 
 Hell! [Rushes out. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 CAIAPHAS (after a pause). A fearful man! 
 ANNAS. I suspected something of the kind. 
 
 ALL. It is his fault. 
 
 [in] 
 
CAIAPHAS. He has betrayed his Friend, we have 
 condemned our Enemy. I remain steadfast in my re- 
 solve, and if there be any one here who is of another 
 opinion, let him come forward. 
 
 ALL. No! What has been determined on shall be 
 carried out! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What shall we do with this silver? 
 As blood-money, we dare not lay it back in the sacred 
 coffers. 
 
 ANNAS. If it is agreeable to the will of the High 
 Council, it might be put to some useful end. 
 
 SARAS. True! A burial place for strangers is 
 needed. With this a field might be purchased for such 
 a purpose. 
 
 ALL. We agree with you! 
 CAIAPHAS. Is such a field to be had? 
 
 SARAS. A potter in the city has for sale a piece of 
 ground at just this price. [Pointing io the bag. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Then close the bargain. Now, let us 
 delay no longer in passing final sentence on the 
 Prisoner. 
 
 RABBI. I will immediately have Him brought in. 
 [Erte. 
 
 ANNAS. I will now see whether the obstinacy 
 which He showed toward me has not somewhat 
 abated. A real satisfaction will it be for me to hear 
 the death sentence: He dies! 
 
 [112] 
 
FIFTH SCENE 
 Christus before the High Council 
 
 SELPHA (leading Christus in). Show better re- 
 spect to the High Council than you did before ! Ven- 
 erable Fathers, here we bring the Prisoner, as we were 
 ordered. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Lead Him forward into our midst. 
 BALBUS. Step forth. [Pushes the Prisoner. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Jesus of Nazareth, do you still hold 
 to the words you spake before your judges during the 
 night ? 
 
 ANNAS. If you be the Anointed One, tell us so? 
 
 CHRISTUS. If I tell you, still will you not believe 
 me, and if I ask you, you will neither give answer nor 
 set me free. But henceforward the Son of Man shall 
 sit on the right hand of Almighty God. 
 
 ALL. You are then the Son of God? 
 CHRISTUS. You say it, and so I am. 
 
 ANNAS. That is enough ! Why do we need further 
 witnesses? 
 
 PRIESTS AND PHARISEES (who had attended 
 the night session). Now we have heard it again from 
 His own mouth. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Fathers of the People of Israel! It 
 now rests with you to pronounce the final legal verdict 
 as to the guilt and punishment of this man. 
 8 
 
ALL. He is guilty of blaspheming God! He de- 
 serves death! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Therefore we will lead Him before 
 the judgment seat of Pilate. 
 
 ALL. Yes, away with Him ! Let Him die ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. But Pilate must be prepared before- 
 hand, so that he may issue the verdict before the Feast. 
 
 RABBI. Should not some one from amongst us go 
 before in order to sue for speedy audience? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. You yourself, Rabbi, together with 
 Dariabas and Rabinth, you go ahead, and we will 
 immediately follow. ( The three exit. ) This day shall 
 rescue the religion of our Fathers, and exalt the honour 
 of the Synagogue so that the echo of our glory will 
 be transmitted to later generations. 
 
 ALL. Men will speak of us for centuries to come! 
 CAIAPHAS. Now lead Him away! We follow! 
 ALL. Death to the Galilean! [Extt. 
 
 SIXTH SCENE 
 
 Proscenium 
 
 The three Ambassadors of the High Council before the 
 House of Pilate 
 
 RABBI. Now we may breathe again more freely. 
 We have been insulted quite enough! 
 
 DARIABAS. It is indeed high time for the Syna- 
 gogue to put an end to it. His following was very 
 large. 
 
RABBI. Now there need be no further fear of Him 
 or His followers. The Traders have, these past days, 
 displayed the most commendable activity; they have 
 won over a crowd of most resolute folk. You shall 
 see : if it amounts to anything, these will set the tone 
 for the others. The waverers will accord with them, 
 while the followers of the Nazarene will find it to their 
 advantage to be silent, yea, even to recant. 
 
 RABINTH. How shall we bring our suit before 
 Pilate? We dare not enter the house of the Gentile 
 to-day, else we shall become unclean for the Passover. 
 
 RABBI. We will send our petition through one of 
 his people. I am known in the house; let me knock 
 at the gate. ( Does so. ) Certainly some one is within. 
 Yes, some one is coming. 
 
 QUINTUS (opens}. Welcome, Rabbi! Just step in! 
 
 RABBI. We are not allowed to do so to-day be- 
 cause of our Law. 
 
 QUINTUS. Indeed? Can I, perchance, do the 
 errand for you? 
 
 RABBI. We are sent hither by the High Priest to 
 lay a petition before the noble representative of Caesar, 
 requesting that he receive the High Council, who will 
 bring before him a criminal for the confirmation of the 
 death sentence. 
 
 QUINTUS. I will immediately notify my Lord. In 
 the mean time wait here. [Exits. 
 
 RABINTH. It is disgraceful that we must knock 
 at the door of a Gentile in order to have the sentence 
 of the holy Law ratified. 
 
 RABBI. Be of good courage! When once yonder 
 
Enemy is removed from our path, then, who knows 
 whether we may not also very soon free ourselves from 
 this stranger? 
 
 RABINTH. Oh, may I yet live to see the day 
 which will bring freedom to the Children of Israel! 
 
 QUINTUS (returning). The Governor greets you! 
 Will you inform the High Priest that Pilate is ready 
 to receive the petition of the Sanhedrin? 
 
 RABBI. Our thanks for your kindness! Now let 
 us hasten to inform the High Priest of the outcome of 
 our visit. 
 
 RABINTH. Will Pilate agree to the demand of the 
 Sanhedrin? 
 
 RABBI. He must. How can he oppose it when 
 the Sanhedrin and the people unanimously clamour 
 for the death of this man? 
 
 DARIABAS. What does the life of one Galilean 
 mean to the Governor? Were it only to please the 
 High Priest, who is worth much to him, he would not 
 hesitate to approve of the execution. [The three exit. 
 
 SEVENTH SCENE 
 The End of Judas. Woodland 
 
 JUDAS. Where shall I go to hide my shame, to 
 escape the torture of my conscience? No dark forest 
 is deep enough quite, no cavern black enough. O 
 Earth, open up and devour me ! I can no longer exist. 
 Alas, my Master, the best of all men, I have sold 
 you, given you up to every abuse, to the martyr's 
 painful death! I, the abominable traitor! Oh, where 
 
 [116] 
 
exists a man on whom such blood-guilt rests! Alas, 
 nevermore shall I be able to appear before the Dis- 
 ciples as a brother! An outcast, everywhere hated, 
 everywhere abominated; even by those who led me 
 astray, branded as a traitor, alone I wander here and 
 there, with this burning fire in my soul. Ah, could I 
 but once more gaze upon His countenance I would 
 cling fast to Him, the only anchor! But He lies in 
 prison, and is perhaps already slain through the mad- 
 ness of His enemy. Alas, by my fault, my fault ! I 
 I am the infamous being who sent Him to prison and 
 have brought Him to death! Woe is me the out- 
 cast! For me there is no hope, no more deliverance. 
 My crime is too great; through no atonement can it 
 be expiated. He is dead ! and I I am His murderer ! 
 Unhappy hour when my mother brought me into the 
 world! Must I drag on for much longer this mar- 
 tyr's life, and bear these torments fleeing from men 
 as one who is tainted shunned and despised by all 
 the world? No, never will I suffer this! Not a step 
 further shall I go! Here, accursed life, will I put an 
 end to thee. On this branch let hang the accursed 
 fruit! (Tearing off his belt.) Ha, come, thou serpent, 
 grip me, strangle the traitor! [Makes all preparations to 
 hang himself, as the curtain falls. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 XL REPRESENTATION 
 
 Christtts before Pilate 
 Prologue 
 
 " Death to the foe of Moses! " The cry is heard, 
 Echoed by many voices. " Death " is the word ! 
 
 ["7] 
 
For the blood of the guiltless they thirst, 
 With a wild desire accurst! 
 
 Impatiently for the sentence they cry: 
 " Pilate, heed us, for He must die, must die ! " 
 Before the judge their grievances they bring 
 In eloquence; accusation on accusation fling! 
 
 A thousand-voiced sound 'gainst Daniel rose, 
 
 " Great Baal hath he destroyed a thousand woes ! 
 
 Away with him, unto the lions' den ! 
 
 Let him be food for beasts accurst of men ! " 
 
 Ah, when deceit hath entered in the heart, 
 Man of himself destroys the better part. 
 Injustice lurks a virtue in his eyes, 
 While sin disports as truth in dark disguise ! 
 
 CHORAGUS (Redi.). " God hath He blasphemed in 
 
 blindness, 
 
 So no other witness need we! 
 Condemned He is by holy Law, 
 
 His crucifixion speed we ! " 
 The priest-band thus His death demanded, 
 
 And then away to Pilate came they. 
 What accusations do they utter? 
 Hark, what legal judgment claim they? 
 
 TABLEAU: The Governor of ihe Province impeaches 
 Daniel before King Darius, and urges that he be thrown 
 into the lions' den. Dan. 6 : 4, 13. Even as Daniel 
 was accused without foundation, so in the same way 
 the High Priest brought forward before Pilate the most 
 preposterous accusations against Jesus and demanded 
 His death on the cross. 
 
 [118] 
 
CHORUS. Behold this picture, every one. 
 Falsely accused was God's own Son, 
 As Daniel once in Babylon. 
 " Let us, O King, our grievance tell ! 
 The foe of God is Daniel 
 He hath destroyed the mighty Bel; 
 The priests and dragon slain as well ! " 
 " O King, before thy person stand they 
 All Babylon enraged; demand they 
 That if from ruin yourself would save, 
 Then haste this Man unto the grave. 
 For God whom He by deed defiled, 
 Through death alone is reconciled." 
 
 SOLO. The holy Council passionately cry, 
 As to the throne of Pilate they draw nigh ; 
 The blood of Jesus vehemently demand. 
 What blinds them that they take this awful stand? 
 What is it that their arguments presage, 
 So dark their passion and so wild their rage? 
 
 CHORUS. Envy which no pity knows! 
 Fire of Hell that inward glows, 
 Hath a brand in fury burned, 
 Goodness into evil turned! 
 Naught is holy in its sight, 
 Right is wrong, and wrong is right! 
 Woe to those whom Envy trips ! 
 Woe to those whom Envy grips! 
 
 Guard the way unto your soul 
 Let not Envy's strength control! 
 For 't is Satan's joy in part, 
 To set evil in the heart ! 
 
 C"9] 
 
ACT XI 
 
 Christus is led before Pilate and is accused by the Priests* 
 Pilate declares Him innocent, but allows Him to be led 
 before Herod. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 Before the House of Pilate. To the left, the High Council 
 the Traders, and Witnesses; to the right, the Guards 
 with Jesus 
 
 ABDIAS (to Christus). Ha! Know you where you 
 are going? 
 
 CROWD. Away with you to death, false Prophet ! 
 Ha! Are you afraid, that you do not go forward? 
 
 LEVI. Soon you will have your merited reward. 
 SELPHA. Push Him on! 
 
 MELCHI (striking Him}. Go on! The way is not 
 much more. Shall we have to carry you? 
 
 LEVI. This is your last journey. 
 
 CROWD. Only on to Calvary. There you may rest 
 comfortably on the cross. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (at the Palace of Pilate). Be quiet. 
 We must announce ourselves. [Rabbi advances to the 
 gate and knocks. 
 
 QUINTUS (comes out). What does this crowd want 
 here? 
 
 RABBI. The High Council has come. 
 
QUINTUS. I will immediately announce you. 
 [Exits. 
 
 RABBI (to the Council members). Do you hear! 
 He will not delay announcing our presence. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Members of the High Council! If 
 you have at heart your holy tradition, your honour, 
 the peace of the whole land, then ponder well this 
 moment. It holds us and this Deceiver in the balance. 
 If you are men in whose veins flows any of the blood 
 of your Fathers, then stand firm in your resolve! 
 An immortal monument will be raised to your memory. 
 
 MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. Long live our 
 Fathers! Death to the Enemy of the people! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Do not rest until He has been re- 
 moved from the quick until He is on the cross ! 
 
 AXL. We will not rest! We demand His death, 
 His blood! 
 
 CROWD. Do you hear that you King you 
 Prophet? 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 Pilate appears on his balcony with attendants. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (bowing). Viceroy of the great Em- 
 peror at Rome ! 
 
 ALL. Happiness to you blessing on you. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. We have a man, whose name is Jesus, 
 and whom we have brought hither to your judgment- 
 seat, that you may ratify the death sentence pro- 
 nounced upon Him by the High Council. 
 
 [121] 
 
PILATE. Lead Him forth! What accusations 
 have you against this Man? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Were He not a great evil-doer, then 
 would we not have handed Him over to you; rather 
 would we have punished Him ourselves according to 
 the regulations of our Law. 
 
 PILATE. Now, of what evil deed has He been 
 guilty? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. In various ways He has grievously 
 violated the sacred Laws of the people. 
 
 PILATE. Then take Him away and judge Him 
 according to those Laws! 
 
 ANNAS. He has already been judged by the holy 
 Sanhedrin, and has been declared worthy of death. 
 
 PRIESTS. For, according to our Law, He has de- 
 served death. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. But we are not allowed to execute 
 the death sentence on any one. Therefore we come to 
 the Governor of the Emperor with the request that the 
 sentence be sanctioned. 
 
 PILATE. How can I condemn a man to death 
 without knowing his offence and before I have been 
 convinced that his crime is deserving of death? What 
 has He done? 
 
 RABBI. The sentence of the High Council against 
 this Man was unanimously given, and was based upon 
 a close examination of His crimes. For that reason 
 it does not seem necessary for the Governor to take 
 upon himself the annoyance of another examination. 
 
 [122] 
 
PILATE. What, you dare to suggest to me the 
 representative of the Emperor that I become a blind 
 instrument for the working of your decree! Far be it 
 from me ! I must know what law He has broken, and 
 in what way He has overstepped it 
 
 CAIAPHAS. We have a law; and according to 
 it He must die. For He has represented Himself as 
 the Son of God. 
 
 ALL. We have every one of us heard the blas- 
 phemy from His own mouth. 
 
 ANNAS. Therefore we must insist that He suffer 
 the awful punishment of death. 
 
 PILATE. On account of such speech, which at best 
 is only the fruit of a fanciful imagination, a Roman 
 can find no one guilty of death. Who knows whether 
 this Man may not be the Son of God? If you have 
 no other crime to lay to His charge, then do not think 
 that I will perform your desire. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. This Man has been guilty of dreadful 
 offence, not only against our Law, but also against the 
 Emperor himself. We have found Him to be an agi- 
 tator of the people. 
 
 ALL. He is a misleader, an insurgent ! 
 
 PILATE. I have indeed heard of one Jesus, who 
 goes hither and thither through the land, teaching and 
 performing extraordinary deeds. But never have I 
 heard aught of any riot provoked by Him. If anything 
 had occurred of such a nature, I should assuredly have 
 learned of it before you, I who am the justice of 
 peace in the land and who am apprised of every move- 
 
 [123] 
 
ment, every deed of the Jews. Yet tell me, when and 
 where has He stirred up a disturbance? 
 
 NATHANAEL. He assembled around Him hosts 
 by the thousands, and not so very long ago He gath- 
 ered together just such a crowd to make a solemn 
 entrance into Jerusalem. 
 
 PILATE. I know it, but nothing of a seditious 
 nature occurred. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Is it not treachery when He forbids 
 the people to pay tribute to the Emperor? 
 
 PILATE. What proof have you? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Sufficient evidence, indeed, for He 
 proclaims Himself the Messiah, the King of Israel. 
 Is not that a challenge threatening the downfall of the 
 Emperor? 
 
 PILATE. I admire your suddenly awakened zeal 
 for the authority of the Emperor! (To Christus.) Do 
 you hear what severe accusations these people bring 
 against you? What have you to say? [Christus remains 
 silent. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. See, He cannot deny it. His silence 
 is a confession of His guilt. 
 
 ALL (in an uproar). Now, condemn Him! 
 
 PILATE. Patience ! There is time enough ! I will 
 examine Him alone. (To his attendants.) Perhaps, 
 when He is no longer overawed by the crowd and by 
 the anger of His accusers, He will speak and give me 
 answer. Lead Him here. (To the servants.) Go, my 
 guards will take charge of Him. (To the members of the 
 Council.) And you once more reflect well the foun- 
 
 [124] 
 
dation or the falsity of your grievances, and decide 
 carefully whether these grievances are not born of an 
 ignoble source. Then let me learn your intention. 
 [He turns from them. 
 
 JOSUE. Everything has already been thought over 
 and proven. The Law deems Him worthy of death! 
 
 RABBI (to the others). This is an unfortunate 
 delay ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Do not lose courage! Victory belongs 
 to the resolute ! [Exits. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 
 Pilate and his attendants. Christus is brought on to 
 the balcony. 
 
 PILATE (to Christus). You have heard the accu- 
 sations of the Council lodged against you. Give me 
 answer as to them! You have, so they say, named 
 yourself the Son of God. Whence are you? (Christus 
 is silent.) Do you not even speak to me? Do you not 
 know that I have the power to crucify you as well as 
 to set you free? 
 
 CHRISTUS. You could have no power over me, 
 if it were not given you from on high. Hence he who 
 has delivered me unto you has done a greater sin. 
 
 PILATE (aside). A candid word! Are you the 
 King of the Jews? 
 
 CHRISTUS. Say you thus to me of your own ac- 
 cord, or because of what others have said to you of me? 
 
 [125] 
 
PILATE. Am I a Jew? Your people and your 
 priests have handed you over to me. They have ac- 
 cused you of wishing to be the King of Israel. What 
 causes them to do so? 
 
 CHRISTUS. My kingdom is not of this world. For 
 if my kingdom were of this world, then truly would my 
 subjects have fought for me, that I might not have 
 fallen into the hands of the Jews. But my kingdom is 
 not here. 
 
 PILATE. Then you are a king? 
 
 CHRISTUS. You say so. I am a king and I came 
 for that purpose into the world, that I might be evi- 
 dence of the truth. Whoso lives in truth always, he 
 shall hear my voice. 
 
 PILATE. What is truth? 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 Quintus, the servant of Pilate, enters quickly. 
 
 QUINTUS (excitedly). My Lord, your servant 
 Claudius is here. He has urgent news to impart to 
 you from your wife. 
 
 PILATE. Let him come! Lead him hither at once ! 
 (To Claudius, <who enters, after Christus is led away.) 
 What news have you from my beloved wife? 
 
 CLAUDIUS. My Lord, your wife greets you, and 
 begs you earnestly, for her sake as well as for your 
 own, have naught to do against the just and innocent 
 Man who before your judgment-seat has been accused. 
 
 [126] 
 
On His account, in the past night, she has suffered the 
 anguish and fear of a terrible dream. 
 
 PILATE. Go back to her, and tell her that she may 
 rest without uncertainty. I personally will have naught 
 to do with the machinations of the Jews, but instead 
 shall exert every means to save Him. [Claudius exits. 
 
 FIFTH SCENE 
 
 PILATE (io his companions). I would that I had 
 nothing to do with this business. What do you think, 
 my friends, of these accusations of the Jewish priests? 
 
 MELA. It seems to me that envy and jealousy alone 
 have driven them to do this. The consuming hate 
 tells in their words, and in the very expressions of their 
 faces. 
 
 SYLVIUS. The hypocrites act as though the au- 
 thority of the Emperor lay close to their hearts, 
 whereas it is only because they believe their own 
 authority is endangered by this Teacher among the 
 people. 
 
 PILATE. I believe you. I cannot imagine that this 
 Man has any criminal plans in mind. He possesses so 
 many lofty qualities in His features, in His bearing, 
 and His speech is such evidence of His lofty frankness 
 and high talents that, to me, He seems much more a 
 wise Man. Perhaps too wise indeed for these evil men 
 to tolerate the light of wisdom! And the ominous 
 dream of my wife on His account ! If He were really 
 of divine origin? No, I will positively refuse to meet 
 the demands of the priesthood ! ( To his servants.) Let 
 
 [127] 
 
the High Priest come hither again; and lead forth 
 the Accused once more from the Judgment Hall. [Ser- 
 vants exit. 
 
 SIXTH SCENE 
 
 The former. Members of the High Council beneath the 
 Balcony 
 
 PILATE. Here again you have your Prisoner. He 
 is without blame ! 
 
 ANNAS. We have the Emperor's word that our 
 Law shall be upheld. How is He guiltless who rides 
 roughshod over this very Law? 
 
 ALL. He is worthy of death ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Is He not also punishable by the 
 Emperor, when He wantonly violates that which 
 through the will of the Emperor has been granted us? 
 
 PILATE. I have already told you : If He has trans- 
 gressed your Law, then punish Him according to that 
 Law, as far as you are empowered to do so. I cannot 
 pronounce the death sentence over Him, because I 
 find nothing in Him which, according to the law by 
 which I am to judge, is deserving of death. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. If any one proclaims himself a king 
 in the provinces of the Emperor, is he not a rebel? 
 Does he not merit the punishment of a rebel the sen- 
 tence of death? 
 
 PILATE. If this Man has called Himself a king, 
 even then can I not through such ambiguous claims 
 
 [128] 
 
bring myself to condemn Him. It is generally taught 
 among us in Rome that every wise man is a king. But 
 you have not brought forward any evidence, further- 
 more, which points to His having claimed sovereign 
 power for Himself. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Is there not sufficient evidence in 
 the facts that through Him the people have been 
 thrown into turbulence, and that He has carried His 
 teaching through all Judaea from Galilee, where He 
 first drew to Him His disciples, even here to Jerusalem? 
 
 PILATE. Is He from Galilee? 
 ALL. Yes, He is a Galilean. 
 
 RABBI. His home is in Nazareth, in the province 
 of King Herod. 
 
 PILATE. Ah, if that be so, then am I relieved of 
 judging Him. Herod, the King of Galilee, has come 
 hither for the Feast : he may now render judgment on 
 his subject! Take Him away, and fetch Him before 
 His King. My own bodyguard shall lead Him thither. 
 [Exits, 'with his attendants. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Away, then, to Herod! Through 
 him, who himself holds the belief of our Fathers, shall 
 we find better protection for our holy Law ! 
 
 ANNAS. And if a thousand hindrances presented 
 themselves, still must the punishment be measured out 
 to the Offender ! 
 
 ALL (to Christus). An hour sooner or later, still 
 must you come to the end, and at that, this very day! 
 [All exit. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 9 [ 129 ] 
 
XII. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Christus before Herod 
 Prologue 
 
 New anguish falls upon the One we love ; 
 
 To Herod brought, to that vain worldly prince, 
 
 His miracles and second-sight He will not show. 
 
 The wisest oft by fools are badly treated! 
 
 In garments white, exhibited to view, 
 
 This One is sneered at by King H erod's men. 
 
 In such wise Samson stood the youthful hero, 
 Bereft of sight, and fettered and despised, 
 Because of weakness scorned by Philistines! 
 
 But He who now seems weak, will yet be strong ! 
 And He who humble stands, will yet be King! 
 And He who now is scorned, will yet be loved ! 
 
 CHORUS. In vain the High Priests show consuming 
 
 hate, 
 
 Demanding judgment from the heathen's throne ; 
 Yet Herod sits unmoved by all their threats! 
 
 SOLO. Ah, see them drag the Christ to Herod's 
 
 throne ! 
 
 The Saviour seems to them a heedless jest ! 
 Alas, His anguish is most terrible ! 
 
 TABLEAU: Samson, imprisoned and ridiculed by the 
 Philistines, rends asunder the pillars to which he is 
 chained. The Philistine princes are entertained by 
 Samson. Judges 16 : 25. This picture symbolises the 
 insults and ridicule heaped on Christus by Herod. 
 [130] 
 
CHORUS. Yonder is Samson, see how strong his 
 
 hand, 
 
 Yet chains of slavery is he forced to wear ! 
 This hero Samson once a thousand slew, 
 But suffers now the stigma of a slave. 
 
 Once dreaded by his enemies, he serves 
 As target, now, for all their bitter scorn! 
 The Philistines upon him turn their ire, 
 Make merry of his weakness and his pain! 
 
 'T is thus that Jesus stands, the Son of God! 
 To haughty foes a pleasing sight He seems, 
 With insults heaped, and clad in garments white, 
 Derided and weighed down and sore abused ! 
 
 ACT XII 
 
 Herod treats Christus with ridicule and disdain, sending 
 Him back to Pilate. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 Fall of Herod. Herod, Naasson, Manasses, Courtiers; 
 Zabulon, Servant 
 
 HEROD. What? Is it the famous Man from Naza- 
 reth whom they bring here a prisoner to me? 
 
 ZABULON. Certainly, my Lord! I have seen 
 Him, and on the instant recognised Him. 
 
 HEROD. For a long time I have wished to see this 
 Man, about whose acts the whole land speaks so loudly, 
 
 [131] 
 
to whom the people, as if won by magic stroke, flock in 
 thousands. (Seats himself.) Could He not very easily 
 be John raised from the dead? 
 
 NAASSON. Oh, no! John performed no miracles. 
 But of this One they relate deeds truly wonderful, if 
 the tales be not magnified. 
 
 HEROD. Since I have so unexpectedly come to see 
 Him, I am most eager to test His magic art. 
 
 MANASSES. He will be very willing to satisfy you 
 therein, in order to gain your favour and protection. 
 
 HEROD (to Zabulon). Tell the priests that they 
 may come in with the Prisoner. [Zabulon exits. 
 
 MANASSES. They will likely come with com- 
 plaints against this Man, since they have been deserted 
 by the people. 
 
 HEROD. They must lodge such before Pilate: 
 here I have naught to do, naught to judge. 
 
 MANASSES. Perhaps they have been refused by 
 the Governor, and now seek another outlet. 
 
 HEROD. I will not meddle in their quarrels ; I will 
 only see Him and test His miraculous powers. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 The foregoing. Caiaphas, Annas, Rabbis. The four 
 Priests. Christus, led by the Soldiers of Herod 
 
 CAIAPHAS. O most mighty King! 
 
 THE PRIESTS. Peace and blessings to thee from 
 on high! 
 
 [132] 
 
CAIAPHAS. We have brought you here a prisoner 
 from the Council a criminal, that you may inflict 
 upon Him the penalty of the Law. 
 
 NATHANAEL. The Law demands His death. 
 
 ANNAS. May it please the King to countenance 
 the sentence of the Synagogue. 
 
 HEROD. How can I be judge in a foreign land? 
 Take Him before your Governor; he will render you 
 justice. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Pilate sent Him hither, because, being 
 a Galilean, He is your subject. 
 
 HEROD. Is this Man from my district? Who is 
 He? 
 
 PRIESTS. He is Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Hence, Pilate said: Go to King 
 Herod; let him pronounce sentence upon his own 
 subject. 
 
 HEROD. And did Pilate speak thus? Wonderful! 
 (To his courtiers!) Pilate sends this Man to me? 
 Grants me judicial power in his own territory? 
 
 NAASSON. It would seem that he wishes to draw 
 nigh unto you again. 
 
 HEROD. This shall be evidence of his renewed 
 friendship! (To Christus.) Much, very much have I 
 heard of you through report, and for some while have 
 I wished to see a man over whom the entire land seems 
 astounded. 
 
 RABBI. He is a deceiver, an enemy to the holy 
 Law! 
 
 [133] 
 
HEROD. I have heard that you can solve the mys- 
 tery of man, and perform deeds exceeding the bounds 
 of nature. Give us proof ; let us have evidence of your 
 knowledge, of your high art! We will then believe 
 in you with the people, and likewise we will honour 
 you. 
 
 SADOK. O King! Do not allow yourself to be 
 led astray. He is in league with Beelzebub. 
 
 HEROD. That is all one to me. Hear you : I had 
 a wonderful dream last night. Can you tell me what 
 it was I dreamed? If so, I will exalt you as a profound 
 interpreter of hearts. ( Christus remains silent. ) You 
 are not able to go so far? Well, then, perhaps you 
 will explain the dream if I tell it you. I dreamt: I 
 stood on the battlements of my palace at Herodium, 
 and saw the sun go down. Suddenly before me stood 
 a man who stretched out his hand and, pointing to the 
 evening glow, said : " Behold ! yonder in Hesperia is 
 Thy bedroom ! " Scarcely had the words been spoken, 
 when his form melted away in the mist. I was startled 
 and awoke. If you are inspired as Josephed when he 
 stood before the King of the Egyptians, explain this 
 dream now to your King. (Christus remains silent, 'with 
 sad gaze upon Herod.} Are you not skilled in this 
 special branch, either? Well, then, show us some 
 evidence of your famous magic. Make sudden dark- 
 ness fall upon this room ! or raise yourself, and 
 go from us without touching the floor ! or change 
 the scroll on which your death sentence is written into 
 a serpent! You will not? Or is it that you cannot? 
 It should be an easy task for you. Much greater mar- 
 vels do they tell of you! (To the courtiers.) He is 
 silent; He does not move! Ah, I see! The reports 
 which have made Him so very famous are naught but 
 
 [134] 
 
empty people's tittle-tattle. He knows nothing and 
 can do nothing! 
 
 NAASSON. It is easy to dazzle the eyes of stupid 
 people sometimes. But it is otherwise a far different 
 thing to stand before a wise and powerful king. 
 
 MANASSES. If it is really true that there is some- 
 thing in you, why in this instance keep your learning 
 silent? Why does your power disappear before the 
 eyes of your King, like a bubble? 
 
 HEROD. There is nothing in Him. He is a con- 
 ceited Man whose head has been turned by the ap- 
 plause of the multitude. (To the Priests.) Let Him 
 go! He is not worthy the trouble you take! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. O King! trust not this crafty man. 
 He pretends to be a fool so as to gain, under such pre- 
 tence, a milder sentence from you. 
 
 ANNAS. If He is not put out of the way, then even 
 the person of the King himself is in danger ; for He has 
 dared to proclaim Himself as King! 
 
 HEROD. This one? A king? A king of fools, in- 
 deed! That is more credible, and as such He deserves 
 to be acknowledged. Therefore I will give Him the 
 gift of a king's mantle and set Him up formally as the 
 King of all fools. [Signs to his servants. 
 
 PRIESTS. Not that for He deserves death! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Our King! Upholder of our holy 
 Law ! Remember your duty to punish the transgressor 
 as the Law ordains. 
 
 HEROD. What have you really against Him? 
 
 RABBI. He has violated the Sabbath of the Lord. 
 [135] 
 
NATHANAEL. He is a blasphemer of God. 
 
 PRIESTS. As such, the Law proclaims Him de- 
 serving of death! 
 
 EZEKIEL. He has furthermore spoken scornfully 
 of the Temple which your Father so magnificently 
 restored to us: He declared, forsooth, that on that 
 very ground He would build another Temple more 
 beautiful still, and all in three days ! 
 
 HEROD (laughing}. Now, that assuredly proves 
 Him to be king of all fools \ 
 
 JOSUE. Of you, also, has He spoken insultingly. 
 Oh, insolent words ! He has dared to call you you, 
 His Lord and King a fox! 
 
 HEROD. Then, in faith, He has attributed to me 
 a quality which He Himself lacks utterly. (Servants 
 enter 'with a mantle.} Clothe Him! Bedecked in this 
 strikingly beautiful king's robe, He will play His r61e 
 well before the people. 
 
 ZABULON (after having clad Christus). Now, for 
 the first time you will make a mighty sensation, you 
 great M iracle- worker ! 
 
 PRIESTS. Death! Death! He shall die! 
 
 MANASSES. Many a fool in the land would ac- 
 count himself in honour to be such a king! 
 
 FIRST SOLDIER. Come, now, you Wonder-king, 
 let us escort you! 
 
 SECOND SOLDIER. What luck for me to walk 
 by the side of such a great Lord! [They lead Christus 
 away. 
 
 [136] 
 
THIRD SCENE 
 
 The foregoing f without Christus and the Soldiers 
 
 CAIAPHAS. You are now yourself convinced, O 
 King, that His alleged great deeds are only falsehood 
 and deceit whereby He has duped and misled the 
 people. Render, therefore, the verdict! 
 
 PRIESTS. Pronounce the sentence of death upon 
 Him, as the Law requires! 
 
 HEROD. My decision is: He is a simple-minded 
 Man and is not capable of the misdeeds of which you 
 accuse Him. If He has done aught or spoken any- 
 thing illegal, then it must be attributed to His 
 simplicity. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. O King! take care that you do not 
 deceive yourself! 
 
 ANNAS. I fear that you will yet repent of it if 
 you now let Him go unpunished. 
 
 HEROD. I fear naught! One must deal with a 
 fool as a fool; He has already suffered for His follies 
 and will avoid them in the future. Consequently the 
 trial is at an end. 
 
 RABBI. Alas ! then is it all over with our Law and 
 religion, with Moses and the Prophets! 
 
 HEROD. I hold to my decision. I am tired and 
 will no longer vex myself with this affair ! Pilate may 
 yet decide according to his official duty. Back to him ! 
 Present him with greetings and friendship from King 
 Herod! [The Priests exit. 
 
 [137] 
 
FOURTH SCENE 
 
 Herod, Naasson, Manasses 
 
 HEROD {stepping down from his seat). This time 
 the result has not come up to our expectations. I 
 promised myself the great enjoyment of every con- 
 ceivable miracle and of eloquent speech, but we saw 
 only an ordinary man before us, and heard no sound 
 from His lips. 
 
 MANASSES. How false rumour colours that 
 which on near approach appears to be nothing! 
 
 HEROD. Friends! That is not John! John at 
 least spoke, and spoke with vigour and in wisdom 
 all of which one must esteem. But yonder Man is as 
 dumb as a fish! 
 
 NAASSON. I only wonder that the Priests perse- 
 cute Him to death. 
 
 HEROD. Since I have seen Him here myself, I 
 think there is so much less reason for them to get rid 
 of Him. Besides, Pilate would not have sent Him here 
 to me if He had been found guilty of any great crime. 
 It were folly indeed to revenge oneself on such a Man. 
 We have, nevertheless, my friends, sacrificed quite 
 enough time to this troublesome affair. Let us go 
 and make up for lost moments with a more agreeable 
 pursuit. [They exit. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 [138] 
 
XIII. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Scourging and the Crown of Thorns 
 Prologue 
 
 Ah, what a sight to place before their eyes 
 The followers of Christ are bowed in woe! 
 The body of the Lord with wounds is marked, 
 Where countless scourge-strokes cut into His soul! 
 
 His head is circled with a crown of thorns, 
 The sharp spikes drawing drops of sweat and blood ! 
 His face scarce recognised, so great the pain! 
 Ah, who would not some tears of pity shed! 
 
 When Jacob once beheld his loved-one's coat 
 With blood bespattered, how he trembled then! 
 How wept he, crying in his sudden grief, 
 Heart-rending lamentations and deep woe! 
 
 Thus let us weep when we behold our Friend 
 Our Friend who in such agony is found! 
 Our sins upon Him have been visited, 
 And for our sins they wound His loving heart. 
 
 SOLO. As yet they have not ceased their brutal 
 
 rage; 
 
 Their thirst for vengeance is not satisfied! 
 Their thoughts are bent on murder, while they brood 
 This reckless band which Satan's grasp confines! 
 
 CHORUS. Can nothing seem to soften these hard 
 
 hearts, 
 
 Not even when they see His body torn 
 His body seared with wounds innumerable? 
 Is there no hope to waken them to love? 
 [139] 
 
TABLEAU: Joseph's coat besprinkled with blood. 
 Geru 37: 31, 32. The body of Christus is cruelly lace- 
 rated by scourge strokes. Isaac symbolises the sorrow- 
 ful and dying Messiah. Isaac, the child of promise, the 
 only son of Abraham, himself carries the 'wood over 
 'which he shall be sacrificed on Mount Moriah. Jesus, 
 likewise a child of promise and the only Son of God, 
 drags the cross to Calvary, in accordance 'with the old 
 tradition, even a part of the self-same lofty march. A 
 ram, sacrificed in Isaac's stead, typifies that Christ 
 shall shed blood when the crown of thorns is put upon 
 Him. 
 
 Oh, what a scene ! what shuddering scene is this ! 
 Behold, the coat of Joseph stained with blood, 
 While Jacob's cheeks turn pale and in his eyes 
 Hot tears of deepest sorrow slowly well ! 
 
 SOLO. " Where is my Joseph my one joy in life, 
 On whom depended an old father's hope? 
 Ah, woe! the blood of Joseph stains his coat! 
 Alas, the blood of Joseph, my dear son! 
 
 " A wild beast hath his body rent asunder ! 
 My Joseph, after thee I soon shall follow, 
 For naught on earth shall comfort me in sorrow ! " 
 So Jacob mourned, and so did he complain, 
 And nevermore did he his son behold ! 
 
 CHORUS. 'T is even thus as happened long ago, 
 The flesh of Jesus shall be torn in rage ; 
 Thus will His precious blood, in anguish spilled, 
 In streams flow down from every gaping wound! 
 
 TABLEAU: The ram intended for the Sacrifice is en- 
 tangled in the thorn-bush. Gen. 22: 13. 
 [140] 
 
CHORAGUS (Rectt.). Ah, stay thy father's hand 
 and kill him not, 
 
 Abraham, Abraham! 
 
 In thy great faith, thy son was given up! 
 Thus spake Jehovah : " Abraham, 
 Thy only son whom thou wouldst sacrifice, 
 Shall, for the Nation's weal, live on with thee ! " 
 
 SOLO. A ram entangled in a thicket stood, 
 Which Isaac's father quickly sacrificed, 
 Since thus Jehovah chose for him to do! 
 
 TENOR. A mystery this picture represents, 
 'T is veiled in sacred shadow, yet behold ! 
 Thorn-crowned stands Jesus, ready with His life, 
 To make, according to the Father's will, 
 A sacrifice in payment for our sins ! 
 
 CHORUS. Oh, where may one encounter any love 
 Which ever to this love will equal be ! 
 
 ACT XIII 
 
 Christus is led once more before Pilate, 'who offers the 
 choice between Him and Bar abb as, and allows Jesus 
 to be scourged. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 Caiaphas, Annas, of the High Council. Traders and Wit- 
 nesses appear ivtth Christus again led before Pilate's 
 place, flanked on each side by soldiers. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Now then, Pilate must be pressed 
 importunately, and if he does not judge according to 
 
 [141] 
 
our will, then we must threaten him with impeach- 
 ment before the Emperor. 
 
 ANNAS. Shall I still in my old age see the Syna- 
 gogue overthrown? Alas, no! With faltering tongue 
 I shall call down blood and death upon the criminal, 
 and not until I see this scoundrel die upon the cross 
 will I descend into the grave of my Fathers. 
 
 RABBI. Rather would we ourselves be burned 
 beneath the ruins of the Temple than swerve from our 
 resolve. 
 
 PHARISEES. We shall not give up until He is 
 dead. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Whoever does not hold to this re- 
 solve, let him be cast out from the Synagogue ! 
 
 ANNAS. The curse of the Fathers fall upon him! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Time presses. The day advances. 
 Now, now, must we set all plans in motion, so that 
 before the Feast our will shall be done. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 Pilate appears on the balcony with his attendants. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Once more we bring before your 
 judgment-seat this Prisoner, and now we demand His 
 death in all earnestness. 
 
 THE PRIESTS AND PHARISEES. We insist 
 upon it! He shall die! 
 
 PILATE. You bring me this Man as an inciter of 
 the people, and behold, I have heard your complaints, 
 I have myself examined Him, and have found nothing 
 about Him wherefor you could accuse Him. 
 
 [142] 
 
CAIAPHAS. We remain firm in our charges. He 
 is a criminal deserving death. 
 
 PRIESTS. A criminal against our Law and against 
 the Emperor. 
 
 PILATE. I sent Him to Herod, because He was a 
 Galilean. Have you there registered your complaints? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Yes, but Herod would not judge Him 
 because you have to command you are in authority ! 
 
 PILATE. He also has found nothing in Him which 
 deserves death. However, I will now, in order to meet 
 your wishes, have this Man punished with scourge 
 strokes, but afterwards I shall set Him free. 
 
 ANNAS. That will not do. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The law prescribes for such a crim- 
 inal, not punishment by the scourge, but the punish- 
 ment of death. 
 
 PRIESTS. To death with Him! 
 
 PILATE. Is your hatred of this Man so deep, so 
 bitter, that it cannot be appeased with blood from His 
 wounds? You force me to say frankly to you what 
 I think : Driven by ignoble rage, you pursue Him, be- 
 cause the people are more attached to Him than to 
 you! I have heard enough of your despicable com- 
 plaints. I will now hearken to the voice of the people ! 
 Shortly a tremendous crowd will assemble here, ac- 
 cording to an ancient custom, to beg the release of one 
 prisoner at the Feast of the Passover. Then I shall 
 see whether your spleen is the reflection of popular 
 sentiment or only your own personal vengeance! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (bowing). Events will show, O Gov- 
 ernor, that you have unjustly thought evil of us. 
 
 [143] 
 
JOSUE. Truly, it is not thirst for vengeance, but 
 holy zeal for God's Law the Law of our Fathers 
 which incites us to seek His death. 
 
 PILATE. You know of the murderer, Barabbas, 
 who lies in chains, and of his infamous deeds. Be- 
 tween him and Jesus of Nazareth I will let the people 
 have choice. Whichever one they choose, to that one 
 will I give freedom. 
 
 ALL. Then release Barabbas, and to the cross with 
 the other! 
 
 PILATE. You are not the people! The people 
 themselves must pass sentence. Meanwhile I will have 
 this Man scourged. (To the servants.) The soldiers 
 shall lead Him forth, and, according to the Roman 
 law, shall scourge Him. (To his associates.) What- 
 ever He may have done in any way will thus be suffi- 
 ciently compensated for, and perhaps the sight of the 
 scourging may soften the blind wrath of His enemies. 
 [Exits with attendants. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 The Priesthood, etc., tinder the Empty Balcony 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Pilate calls upon the voice of the 
 people. Well, we also appeal to them. ( To the Traders 
 and Witnesses.) Now, good Israelites, your time has 
 come ! Go hence into the streets of Jerusalem ! Sum- 
 mon your friends, our loyal folk, to come hither ; gather 
 them together in compact crowds. Kindle their hearts 
 with glowing hate against the Enemy of Moses. The 
 waverers you must strive to win by means of promises 
 and through the strength of your words. Intimidate 
 
 [144] 
 
the followers of the Galilean by a concerted attack upon 
 them, through ridicule, threats, and, if it must be, by 
 means of violence. Act in such manner that none of 
 them will dare show himself here, much less open 
 his mouth ! 
 
 TRADERS AND WITNESSES. Indeed, we will 
 hasten and soon return! 
 
 DATHAN. Each of us at the head of an enthusi- 
 astic crowd! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. We will assemble in the street of the 
 Sanhedrin. [The Traders and Witnesses exit. The 
 Priests call after them: "Hail, faithful followers of 
 Moses!" 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Now let us no longer defer! Let us 
 reach the multitude, exhort them, inflame them! 
 
 ANNAS. From every street in Jerusalem we will 
 lead them before the Court ! 
 
 RABBI. If Pilate would hear the voice of the 
 people, he shall hear it! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. He shall hear it the united cry of 
 a Nation : " Release BaraSbas, to the cross with the 
 Galilean!" 
 
 ALL. Release Barabbas! To the cross with the 
 Galilean! [Exit. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 Christus is undressed, His hands tied to a short post, and 
 around Him the soldiers. 
 
 CASPIUS. Now He has had enough! He is quite 
 dripping with blood ! 
 
 10 [ 145 1 
 
DOMITIUS. You pitiable King of the Jews! Ha, 
 ha, ha! 
 
 SABINUS. But what kind of a king is this? He 
 holds no sceptre in His hand, He wears no crown upon 
 His head! 
 
 DOMITIUS. What is not, may yet be easily 
 remedied. 
 
 CASPIUS. Hold, I will fetch immediately the in- 
 signia of a king. [Exits. 
 
 MILO. You will now in truth be a king ! 
 
 SABINUS. Patience, my Lord ; just a little while 
 and you shall be a king. 
 
 CASPIUS (returning with a scarlet mantle, a crown 
 of thorns, and a reed). Here! This is assuredly a 
 most appropriate attire for a King of the Jews ! Is it 
 not true that you have expected such an hour as this? 
 Come, let us hang this royal robe upon you. 
 
 SABINUS. But sit down. A king should not 
 stand ! 
 
 MILO. And here a royal, spiked crown! (Forces 
 it upon His head.) King of the Jews, let us see you ! 
 [General laughter. 
 
 DOMITIUS. But that it may not fall from your 
 head, we must set the crown firmly. Lay hold, 
 Brothers, help me ! [Four soldiers seize the ends of two 
 rods, and press therewith upon the crown. Christus quivers 
 in pain. 
 
 SABINUS. And here is the sceptre! Now you 
 need nothing more! 
 
 [146] 
 
CASPIUS. What a king! (Kneeling before Him.*) 
 Hail to Thee, most mighty King of the Jews, ha, 
 ha, ha! 
 
 QUINTUS (the servant of Pilate, entering). The 
 Prisoner must be brought immediately to the Court! 
 
 SABINUS. You arrive inopportunely. You inter- 
 rupt our homage. 
 
 CASPIUS. But we shall come on the instant. 
 [Quintus exits. 
 
 MILO. Stand up! We will lead you around as a 
 spectacle. 
 
 SABINUS. There will be jubilation among the 
 Jews when their King appears before them in such 
 splendour. 
 
 CASPIUS. Take Him; we cannot delay! [They 
 exit ^with. Christus. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 XIV. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Jesus condemned to Death on the Cross 
 Prologue 
 
 Behold the abject figure of the Lord! 
 Pilate himself, with pity touched, protests! 
 Have you no mercy, you deluded folk? 
 
 No, for in madness they still cry, 
 
 " The cross for Him to torture and to death ! 
 
 And then they shout : " Barabbas must be free ! " 
 
 [147] 
 
How differently in Egypt Joseph stood, 
 While songs of exultation people raised 
 As Saviour of the land was he proclaimed ! 
 
 But round the Saviour of the world there beats 
 The fury of a blinded Nation's rage, 
 Which stays not till the Judge bids crucify. 
 
 Ah, see the King, behold how He is scorned! 
 
 Behold Him crowned, alas, with such a crown, 
 
 And such a sceptre held within His hand! 
 
 Upon His shoulders they have purple hung, 
 
 In tattered folds to please the hangman's mood ! 
 
 Is such a festive robe designed for kings? 
 
 Ah, what a Man ! 
 
 Where lurks divinity in such a garb? 
 
 Ah, what a Man ! 
 
 Divinity is made a plaything of the hour! 
 
 TABLEAU : /. Joseph is presented to the people as ruler. 
 Gen. 41 : 41. As Joseph was set free from prison and 
 was raised to the throne of the Egyptians as the Saviour 
 of the Land, so Jesus rose from the grave and estab- 
 lished Himself as the world's Saviour. The tableau 
 symbolises the manner in which the Jews- preferred the 
 murderer, Barabbas, to Christus. 
 
 CHORUS. " Behold what a Man ! " 
 
 'Twas in compassion thus that Pilate cried. 
 
 Behold, what a Man! 
 
 A shout of joy was that which Joseph heard ! 
 
 Through Egypt shall the tidings now go forth, 
 " Long life to Joseph, honour be to him ! " 
 A thousand-fold shall it be made to sound! 
 Father, Protector, and Defender is he! 
 Let all unite in happy exultation! 
 Father of Egypt thus was Joseph hailed ! 
 [148] 
 
SOLO. The eyes of Egypt rest upon thee! 
 As Saviour Egypt long shall praise thee! 
 On thee they now will all their trust bestow, 
 To thee they will their homage fender 
 Through Egypt shall it be proclaimed! [Rep. 
 
 TABLEAU: 2. The symbol of the t<wo kids, one of 
 which is lei go, the other of 'which is killed for the 
 sins of the people. Lew. 16 : 7, 
 
 SOLO. The ancient covenant the Lord demanded 
 Two goats and one for sacrifice was chosen. 
 
 CHORUS. Jehovah, Lord ! because we spill this blood, 
 Be Thou unto Thy people good again ! 
 
 SOLO. No more the blood of goats the Lord will have, 
 But purity must mark the sacrifice. 
 
 CHORUS. From every stain the sacrifice must be, 
 And pure the emblem also which they raise! 
 The Lord would have the first-born of the flock ; 
 Already are the cries of vengeance heard ; 
 The Lamb will rise and fall and rise again! 
 
 PEOPLE (behind the curtain). Let Barabbas be 
 From fetters free! 
 
 CHORUS. No, no! 't is Jesus must be free! 
 
 How wild, alas, it sounds the murderer's cry ! 
 
 PEOPLE (behind the curtain). To the cross, to the 
 
 cross, 
 To the cross with Him! 
 
 CHORUS. Ah, look on Him! 
 Ah, look on Him! 
 What evil has He done! 
 [149] 
 
PEOPLE (Mind the curtain). If you release this 
 
 wicked Man, 
 Then are you no more Caesar's friend ! 
 
 CHORUS. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! 
 
 The blood of Jesus will the Lord avenge ! 
 
 PEOPLE (behind the curtain). Upon us and our 
 children let it fall ! 
 
 CHORUS. Then, let it be indeed upon you all! 
 
 ACT XIV 
 
 Pilate brings the scourged and thorn-crowned Christus be- 
 fore the people, 'who demand His death and the release 
 ofBarabbas. Pilate's former resoluteness wavers, and 
 he frees Barabbas, at the same time pronouncing upon 
 Jesus the sentence of death. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 (According to Schroder and Trench, these directions:) From 
 three sides, representing as many streets in Jerusalem, 
 come three groups of shouting people, headed by Priests 
 and Pharisees. Nathanael and Ezekiel to the right and 
 left; while in the midst of the, centre group stand 
 Caiaphas and Annas. The. priests inflame the crowd 
 'which stretches far back of the scene. The groups come 
 together in one mob, crying to Pilate, amidst threats, for 
 the release of Barabbas and the death of Christus* 
 
 NATHANAEL. Moses, your Teacher, calls upon 
 you. His holy Law cries out to you for vengeance! 
 
 * See also text of Daisenberger, ed. 1890, p. 163. 
 [ISO] 
 
PEOPLE A. We are and shall always be the fol- 
 lowers of Moses. We will have naught to do with 
 any other teacher! 
 
 PEOPLE B. We are faithful to our Priests ! Away 
 with any who would rise against them! 
 
 PEOPLE C. You are our Fathers, as heretofore. 
 We answer for your honour. 
 
 ANNAS. Come, children, throw yourselves into 
 the arms of the Sanhedrin. Let it protect and serve 
 you! 
 
 EZEKIEL. Shake it off shake it off the yoke 
 of the Deceiver! 
 
 PEOPLE D. We would be free, free of this false 
 Teacher; we would have nothing more to do with 
 Him this Nazarene! 
 
 PEOPLE A. The people applaud you ! 
 
 THE FOUR RINGLEADERS (Caiaphas, Annas, 
 Nathanael, Ezekiel). The God of your Fathers will 
 receive you again into His favour. Once more you are 
 to Him a holy People ! 
 
 ALL. In you we recognise our truest friends. Long 
 live the holy Sanhedrin! Long live our Teachers, our 
 High Priest ! 
 
 ANNAS. And death to the Galilean! 
 
 CAI APH AS. Up ! Let us hasten to Pilate ! 
 
 ALL. Away to Pilate! The Nazarene shall die! 
 
 CAI APH AS. He has falsified the Law! He has 
 defied Abraham, Moses, and the Prophets; He has 
 blasphemed God! 
 
 [151] 
 
ALL. To death with this false Prophet ! 
 
 PEOPLE B. Death on the cross! 
 
 PEOPLE C, D. Pilate must have Him crucified! 
 
 NATHANAEL. On the cross He shall expiate His 
 crimes. 
 
 PEOPLE B, C. We shall not rest until the sen- 
 tence is given. [The crowds flaw toward the background. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (leading the mob by look and gesture). 
 Hail to you, Children of Israel! You are indeed still 
 the true descendants of the holy father Abraham. Oh, 
 exult that you have escaped the unspeakable ruin that 
 this Deceiver would have brought upon you and your 
 children ! 
 
 ANNAS. The ceaseless efforts of your Fathers have 
 kept the Nation from the abyss. 
 
 ALL. Long live the High Council! Death to the 
 Nazarene ! 
 
 PRIESTS. Curse him who does not aid in His 
 death! 
 
 ALL. We demand His death! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Let Him be cast out from the heri- 
 tage of our Fathers! 
 
 ALL. Let Him be cast out! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Pilate will give you the choice be- 
 tween this Blasphemer and Barabbas. Let us stand 
 resolute for the release of Barabbas ! 
 
 ALL. Let Barabbas be free! And down with the 
 Nazarene ! 
 
 [is*] 
 
ANNAS. You Fathers! Be praised! Our wishes 
 are heard! 
 
 ALL. Pilate must give his consent! It is the will 
 of the Nation ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Most glorious day for the people of 
 Israel! Children, be firm! 
 
 PRIEST. This day restores honour to the Syna- 
 gogue and freedom to the people. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (as they draw near to Pilate's house). 
 Now, let us demand the death sentence, let us threaten 
 Him with general riot. 
 
 ALL (tttmultttously) - We demand the death, the 
 blood of our Enemy ! 
 
 SOLDIER (coming through the door). Tumult and 
 insurrection ! 
 
 ALL. The Nazarene shall die! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Show courage! Remain undaunted! 
 A righteous cause protects us! 
 
 ALL. Pilate, pronounce the death sentence ! 
 
 POMPONIUS (Pilate's servant, on the balcony). 
 Quiet! Peace! 
 
 ALL. No, we will not rest until Pilate has given 
 the death sentence ! 
 
 POMPONIUS. Pilate will come immediately. 
 [Exits. 
 
 ALL. We demand the death of the Nazarene ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (to the Priests). Now may Pilate 
 learn the temper of the people, as he wished ! 
 
 [153] 
 
SECOND SCENE 
 
 The foregoing. Pilate and his attendants come on to the 
 balcony. The thorn-crowned Christus is likewise led 
 forward by two soldiers. 
 
 ALL. Now judge you, and pronounce the sentence 
 upon Him. 
 
 PILATE (pointing to Jesus). Behold, what a man! 
 
 PRIESTS AND PHARISEES. To the cross with 
 Him! To the cross! 
 
 PILATE. Can this pitiable plight win no com- 
 passion from your hearts? 
 
 ALL. Let Him die! To the cross with Him! 
 
 PILATE. Then take Him, and crucify Him at your 
 own peril ! I will have nothing to do with it, for I find 
 no fault in Him. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Hear, O Governor of the mighty 
 Emperor, hear the voice of the people ! Behold, it ac- 
 cords with our feeling, and calls for His death. 
 
 PEOPLE. Yes, we demand His death! 
 
 PILATE (to the soldiers). Lead Him down! and 
 bring Barabbas hither from prison! Have the gaoler 
 hand Him over immediately to the head lictor. 
 
 ANNAS. Let Barabbas live! Upon the Nazarene 
 pronounce the sentence of death! 
 
 ALL. To death with the Nazarene ! 
 
 PILATE. I do not understand these people! A 
 few days back, shouting in approval and for joy, they 
 
 [154] 
 
followed this Man through the streets of Jerusalem. 
 Is it possible that to-day these self-same people cry 
 death and destruction upon Him? It is contemptible 
 vacillation ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The good people have at last come 
 to see that they have been deceived by an adventurer 
 who has presumed to call Himself the Messiah, the 
 King of Israel. 
 
 NATHANAEL. Now the eyes of these people! 
 have opened wide, and they see how He cannot help 
 Himself, He who promised to bring freedom and 
 happiness to the Nation. 
 
 EZEKIEL. Israel will have no Messiah who al- 
 lows Himself to be caught and bound and treated 
 with such scorn ! 
 
 PEOPLE. Death to the false Messiah! To the 
 Cheat! 
 
 PILATE. Listen, men of Judaea ! It is customary 
 for me to free a prisoner on the Feast day. Behold 
 these two: the one with gentle countenance, worthy 
 bearing, the ideal of a wise teacher whom you have 
 long honoured as such, convicted of no wicked deed, 
 and already humbled through sore chastisement; the 
 other a culpable, lawless man, a convicted robber and 
 murderer! I appeal to your better judgment, to your 
 human sympathy. Choose! Which would you that 
 I should let go, Barabbas, or Jesus, the Christ so 
 called? 
 
 PEOPLE. Free Barabbas! 
 
 PILATE. Would you not rather that I should 
 liberate the King of the Jews? 
 
 [155] 
 
PEOPLE. Away with Him! Set Barabbas free! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. You have promised to give freedom 
 to him whom the people chose. 
 
 PILATE (to Caiaphas). I am accustomed to keep 
 my promise without needing a reminder! (To the 
 Crowd.) What shall I then do with this King of the 
 Jews? 
 
 PRIESTS AND PEOPLE. Crucify Him! Crucify 
 Him! 
 
 PILATE. How? Shall I crucify your King? 
 PRIEST. We have no king, only an Emperor! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. As Governor, you alone are answer- 
 able for the consequences. 
 
 PILATE. No! I cannot condemn this Man, for 
 I find in Him no guilt. He has been sufficiently dis- 
 ciplined. I cannot, I dare not, condemn the guiltless! 
 
 PRIESTS.* If yau release Him, then you are no 
 friend of the Emperor. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. He proclaimed Himself King! 
 
 PRIESTS. And whosoever proclaims Himself 
 King is a traitor to the Emperor! 
 
 NATHANAEL. And shall this rebel remain un- 
 punished, and be allowed to continue scattering abroad 
 the seeds of His heresy? 
 
 PEOPLE. It is the Governor's duty to get rid of 
 Him! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. We have done our part as subjects 
 of the Caesar, for we have delivered this Agitator to 
 
 * Parts of the following are omitted in some editions of the text. 
 [156] 
 
you. If you do not heed our accusations, and the de- 
 mands of the people, then we are free from all blame. 
 
 ANNAS. If general insurrection results on account 
 of this Man, then we shall know who is to blame, who 
 should be made to bear the guilt of it, and we shall 
 take care that the Emperor is told of it ! 
 
 PEOPLE. The Caesar shall hear of the matter! 
 
 EZEKIEL. In astonishment, the people in Rome 
 will hear that the Governor has taken under his pro- 
 tection a person guilty of high treason a person 
 whose death was demanded by all of us. 
 
 PEOPLE. You must crucify Him, else there will 
 be no peace in the land! 
 
 PILATE. Why, what evil has He done? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Allow me to ask a question. Why 
 should you take such care in judging this man? Quite 
 recently, because of a few seditious outcries, you had 
 hundreds, in groups and singly, massacred by your 
 soldiers without trial, without sentence. [Pilate starts. 
 
 PEOPLE. You dare not befriend this One now, if 
 you are a true servant of the Emperor! 
 
 PILATE (in agitation). Bring me water! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The people will not leave here until 
 you have pronounced the death sentence. 
 
 PEOPLE. No, we will not go until the death sen- 
 tence is given! 
 
 PILATE. Thus you compel me through your vio- 
 lence to consent to your demands. Take Him away 
 and crucify Him ; but know ( makes a gesture) : I 
 
 [157] 
 
wash my hands of it. I will not be guilty of the blood 
 of this innocent, this righteous Man. You must an- 
 swer for it! 
 
 PEOPLE. We take it upon ourselves. His blood 
 upon us and our children! 
 
 PILATE. Let Barabbas go free according to the 
 will of the people. Lead him away outside the city 
 gate, that he may nevermore set foot therein. 
 
 HEAD LICTOR. Take him away and follow me! 
 [Soldiers lead Barabbas away. 
 
 PRIESTS (to Pilate). Now you have judged 
 rightly ! 
 
 PILATE. I have only yielded to your violent pres- 
 sure, so as to prevent any greater evil. But I will 
 have no share in the blood-guilt. His blood let it 
 fall upon you and your children! 
 
 PEOPLE. Well, let it be so. 
 
 ANNAS. We and our children will bless the day, 
 and cry out with thanksgiving and joy: Fortune and 
 happiness to the Governor, Pilate! Long live Pilate! 
 
 PEOPLE. Long live our Governor, Pontius Pilate ! 
 
 PILATE. Bring forth the two murderers who are 
 in prison. They have deserved death more, very much 
 more than the Accused here. Let the head lictor hand 
 them over to the guard. 
 
 HEAD LICTOR* (with the murderers, at first off- 
 stage). Will you not move on, you rogues? 
 
 HANGMAN. Have you not merited this for some 
 time? 
 
 * These few speeches are omitted by Stead. 
 [158] 
 
HEAD LICTOR. Drive them on, the infamous 
 pair! [They come into view* 
 
 RABBI. Ei! Behold! What a worthy company 
 yonder for the Messiah on His last journey ! 
 
 PILATE. Now let the death sentence be known. 
 (To the Scribes who have been 'writing steadily during 
 the time the hangman and head lictor were driving the 
 thieves forward. Then turning to the thieves.) Of you 
 and your horrible deeds, the earth shall be well rid 
 to-day. You are to die on the cross ! ( To the Scribes.) 
 Read on! 
 
 SCRIBE. I, Pontius Pilate, Governor of the prov- 
 ince of Judaea, and under the mighty Emperor, Clau- 
 dius Tiberius, pronounce, in accordance with the im- 
 portunate clamours of the High Priests, the Sanhedrin, 
 and all the people in Judaea, the sentence of death 
 upon one Jesus of Nazareth, so known, who stands 
 accused of having incited the people to rebellion, of 
 having forbidden them to pay tribute to the Emperor, 
 and of having proclaimed Himself King of the Jews. 
 This same Jesus shall, outside the city walls, be cru- 
 cified between two evil-doers, who, because of many 
 robberies and murders, have likewise been condemned 
 to die. Done at Jerusalem, on the eve of the Passover. 
 
 PILATE (breaking the staff). Now, take Him away 
 and crucify Him! [Exits hastily. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Victory! The triumph is ours! The 
 Enemy of the Synagogue is overthrown! 
 
 ALL (Priests and people)' Away with Him to Gol- 
 gotha! Long live the Synagogue! Long live Moses 
 and the Nation! 
 
 ANNAS. Hasten, that we may return home in time ! 
 [159] 
 
ALL. We will keep this Passover joyfully, even like 
 our Fathers in Egypt! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Let us triumph through the streets 
 of Jerusalem! 
 
 RABBI. Where are the friends of the Nazarene 
 His Disciples? They are invited to join in the tri- 
 umph to cry Hosanna! 
 
 PEOPLE (crying as they go). Up and away! 
 Off to Golgotha! Come and see Him as He faints 
 on the cross ! Oh, happy day ! The Enemy of Moses 
 is overthrown ! Ha ! Now He has His reward ! 
 Thus let it be done to every one who defies the Law! 
 He deserves death on the cross ! Oh, most happy 
 Passover! Now joy will return unto Israel! It is all 
 over with the Galilean! [Exit tumultuously. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 END OF SECOND DIVISION 
 
 [160] 
 
THIRD DIVISION 
 
 From the Condemnation by Pilate until the Glorious 
 Resurrection of the Lord 
 
 XV. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Way to the Cross 
 
 Prologue, * 
 
 The sentence has been forced, and now they go 
 Unto Golgotha, called the Mount of Skulls, 
 While Jesus staggers, burdened with the cross. 
 
 'T was thus that Isaac on his shoulders bore 
 The sacrificial wood unto the heights 
 Where he himself as offering was doomed. 
 
 So, willingly, the weight does Jesus bear, 
 
 The cross which through the power of His love 
 
 Shall for us come to mean the Tree of Life. 
 
 For, as the brazen serpent long ago 
 Did once bring healing in the wilderness, 
 So from the cross will happiness be born. 
 
 TABLEAUX 
 
 CHORUS. Worship and give thanks, for He who 
 
 from the Cup 
 
 Partook of Sorrow goes unto His death, 
 And seeks thereby to reconcile the world with God! 
 
 * In its verses the Passion Play is least original; there is a 
 prosaic repetition which has not even the excellence of good para- 
 phrasing. This is in part hidden by the music. 
 II [161] 
 
/* Isaac, dedicated to the sacrifice, ascends Mount Moriah, 
 laden with wood. Gen. 22 : 1-10. So, likewise, 
 Chrisius ascends Cafoary, carrying the heavy wooden 
 cross. 
 
 SOLO. As the wood for offering 
 Was carried once by Isaac to Moriah, 
 So, staggering with the cross, 
 Jesus toward Golgotha laden goes! 
 
 CHORUS. Worship now! 
 
 2. Moses raises a brass moulded serpent upon a cross-Bar. 
 Num. 21 : 8-19. The brazen serpent is a symbol of 
 the crucifixion of Christ. Every one is aided by 
 sight of the serpent raised by Moses. Christus will 
 be raised on the cross, and he who gazes upon Him 
 will be healed of a 'wounded soul. 
 
 CHORAGUS (Recit.). The Son of Man is nailed 
 
 unto the cross, 
 And will be raised on high! 
 The symbol of the cross in Moses* rod 
 You now shall see. 
 
 CHORUS. Worship, worship! 
 
 [162] 
 
ACT XV 
 
 Christus, bowed down by the weight of the cross, is led 
 toward Golgotha, and meets His afflicted Mother. 
 Simon of Cyrene is forced to take the cross from Him; 
 some women of Jerusalem weep for Jesus* 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 The Holy Women, with John and Joseph of Arimathaea, 
 on their Way from Bethany 
 
 MARY (to John). John! Alas, dear Disciple ! How 
 do you think it has gone with my Jesus since you saw 
 Him last in the house of Caiaphas? 
 
 JOHN. If the Priests could do as they would, then 
 already would He be counted among the dead. But 
 they dare not carry out the sentence without per- 
 mission from the Governor. And Pilate, I hope, will 
 not condemn Him, since He has done no evil, but only 
 good always. 
 
 MAGDALENE. May the Almighty prompt the 
 heart of the Governor to righteousness, that he may 
 protect the innocent from intrigue and malice ! 
 
 MARY. Whither do we go, friends, ah, whither? 
 That I may once more see my Son? I must see Him! 
 Yet where shall I find Him? Perhaps, alas, He lan- 
 guishes in a dark prison ! 
 
 MAGDALENE. Woe ! The dearest of Teachers in 
 
 prison ! 
 
 [163] 
 
JOHN. No one is to be seen from whom we might 
 inquire. 
 
 JOSEPH. The best thing for us to do is to go to 
 Nicodemus; from him we shall assuredly learn how 
 it passes with the dear Master. 
 
 MARY. Yes, let us go there ! My sorrow and my 
 doubt as to the fate of my Son increase with every 
 moment. 
 
 JOHN. Come, our Mother, be strong in your be- 
 lief! Whatever happens it is God's will. [The cry, 
 "On, on with Html" is heard in the distance. The 
 crowd drives Jesus forward, and He sinks beneath His load. 
 
 JOSEPH. What is that? that terrible noise? 
 
 SALOME. As though a thousand voices! What 
 does it mean? [They listen intently. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 The Procession of the Cross-bearing. Priests, Pharisees, 
 people, soldiers moving through the Street of Annas. 
 The scene is one of motion. A captain, 'with his staff 
 of command; a horseman, with a Roman banner. 
 Christus painfully drags the cross, four executioners 
 close behind Him. 
 
 PEOPLE. Away with Him! He dies, and all who 
 hold with Him must give way! 
 
 AGRIPPA (executioner). Oho! Is the burden al- 
 ready too heavy for you? 
 
 PRIESTS AND PHARISEES. Drive Him on by 
 force, that we may reach Calvary! 
 
 [164] 
 
FAUSTUS (executioner). Stop, He will sink! 
 [Meanwhile the group in Pilaie Street are still in ignorance 
 as to ^what is the matter. 
 
 JOSEPH. What shall we do? Amidst this sinister 
 crowd of people we dare not risk ourselves within the 
 city. 
 
 SALOME. I tremble! 
 
 MAGDALENE. What may this noise mean? 
 MARY. Has it aught to do with my Son? 
 JOSEPH. A riot seems to have broken forth. 
 
 JOHN. We will remain here until the storm has 
 blown over. 
 
 SIMON OF CYRENE (bearing a basket, comes has- 
 tily and uneasily from middle stage to front). I must 
 hasten that I may reach the city, for the eve of the 
 great Feast advances. I have only a short while in 
 which to purchase the necessities and to make ready 
 all things, so that I may return home in time. 
 
 PRIESTS AND PEOPLE (as yet unseen by 
 Simon). Don't let Him rest! On! Drive Him for- 
 ward with blows! 
 
 SIMON. I hear noises the cry of men: what 
 could have happened in the city? I will remain here 
 for a little; perhaps my ear has deceived me. 
 
 CATILINA (executioner). It is of no use to waver! 
 (Speaking to Cbristus.) You must move on toward 
 Golgotha. 
 
 AHASUERUS (rushing out of his house, to Simon). 
 Away from here ! This is no place for rest ! 
 
 [165] 
 
SIMON. The noise grows louder. I must hurry 
 and see what it is. Ah! what is yonder? I cannot 
 go into that. I will await the issue. [He moves toward 
 Annas Street. 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 
 The procession, 'With Christus, finally comes into 'view. 
 Meanwhile, from the depth of the middle stage, Veronica 
 and the 'women of Jerusalem draw near. 
 
 JOSEPH. I believe the multitude is coming from 
 the city gates. 
 
 JOHN. It looks as though some one were being 
 led toward Calvary for execution. 
 
 MARY (discovering Jesus}* Ah, God! It is He! 
 It is my Son ! My Jesus ! [Her companions support her* 
 
 CENTURION (to Jesus, 'who has thus far staggered 
 along, but now has fallen). He holds us back. Here, 
 strengthen yourself ! [Hands a flask. Jesus takes it, but 
 does not drink. 
 
 JOHN, MAGDALENE, SALOME (holding Mary). 
 Mother, dearest Mother! 
 
 MARY. Alas, thus do I see Him being led to His 
 death, like a miscreant between evil-doers! 
 
 JOHN. Mother! It is the hour which He prophe- 
 sied. Such is the will of the Father! 
 
 CENTURION. Will you not drink? 
 PHARISEES. Drive Him on! 
 
 NERO (executioner, striking and shaking Jesus). 
 Stir yourself you lazy King of the Jews! 
 
 [166] 
 
FAUSTUS. On, on! Pull yourself together! We 
 must get on! 
 
 MARY. Oh, where is the sorrow equal to my 
 sorrow ! 
 
 CATILINA (as Jesus stagers). He is so very 
 weak. Some one must help Him, else 
 
 RABBI (pointing to Simon)- Here, that stranger 
 yonder ! 
 
 PHARISEES. Lay hold on him! 
 
 CENTURION (captain)- Come here, you! You 
 have broad shoulders for carrying! 
 
 SIMON. I? No I must I 
 
 NERO. Certainly you must, or be beaten into 
 doing it ! 
 
 SIMON. I know not 
 
 CENTURION. You will know soon enough; do 
 not refuse ! 
 
 FAUSTUS. If you do, you shall come to feel the 
 strength of my arm ! 
 
 PHARISEES. Strike him, if he refuses. 
 
 SIMON. I am indeed innocent, I have done no 
 crime ! 
 
 CENTURION. Be silent! 
 
 SIMON (being dragged along)- Not with such 
 force! (Seeing Christus.) What do I behold? Yon- 
 der is the holy Man from Nazareth. 
 
 [167] 
 
FAUSTUS. Your shoulders here! [They take the 
 cross from Jesus and put it upon Simon,. 
 
 SIMON. Out of love for you will I carry it. Oh, 
 if I only could thereby make myself of use to you ! 
 
 CHRISTUS (standing to one side, exhausted). 
 God's blessing upon thee and thine! 
 
 CENTURION. Now, forward! (To Simon.) Fol- 
 low us with the cross-beam ! 
 
 AGRIPPA (to Christus) Now you can move along 
 more rapidly. 
 
 FAUSTUS (laying hold of Jesus by the nape of the 
 neck and shaking Him). Something still keeps you 
 back? Even though the cross has been taken from 
 you? 
 
 CATILINA. Are you still further in need? 
 
 CENTURION. Let Him be. We will rest now for 
 a while, so that He may have time to recover before 
 He climbs the hill of death to Calvary. [Veronica 
 and the women ofjtrusalem draw near. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Another delay! When shall we ever 
 come to Calvary? Make haste! 
 
 VERONICA (kneeling before Jesus and offering 
 Him her handkerchief)- Oh, Lord, how your face is 
 covered with blood and sweat ! Will you not take my 
 handkerchief and wipe it dry? 
 
 CHRISTUS (taking the cloth from her, and, after 
 making use of U, returning it). Compassionate Soul, 
 the Father will requite thee for this ! 
 
 [168] 
 
SARA (three women draw near with their Uttk 
 ones) . Our good Teacher ! 
 
 REBECCA. Oh, never to be forgotten Benefactor! 
 
 SUSANNA. Most noble Friend of mankind! Alas, 
 thus are you rewarded! 
 
 REBECCA. How we pity you! [ They weep. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep 
 over me, but weep ye over yourselves and your chil- 
 dren! For behold, I say unto you: The days are 
 coming in which they shall say: Blessed are the bar- 
 ren and the wombs that never bear, and the breasts 
 that have never given suck. Then will they call aloud 
 to the mountains : Fall upon us ; and to the hillocks : 
 Shelter us! For if that is done in the green wood, 
 what will be done in the dry? 
 
 RACHEL. Alas, how will it come to pass in the 
 future for us and for our children? [ The women weep. 
 
 CENTURION. Remove these womenfolk! It is 
 time for us to go forward. 
 
 AGRIPPA. What use are your tears? Back! 
 CATILINA. Back! 
 
 FAUSTUS, NERO (to Christtts). Away with you 
 to the hill of death ! 
 
 PEOPLE. Quickly forward to Calvary! 
 RABBI. At last we are moving! 
 
 NATHANAEL. The Centurion is much too mild. 
 [169] 
 
PRIEST. Don't spare Him anything! [The pro- 
 cession is in motion when the servant of Pilate arrives. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 SERVANT. Stop ! It is the command of the Gov- 
 ernor that the Centurion appear before him as quickly 
 as possible to obtain further orders. [ The procession 
 stops. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What does this mean? Why new 
 orders? The death sentence has been pronounced and 
 must be executed without delay. 
 
 CENTURION (severely). No, it will not be until 
 I have heard the commands of the Governor ! (To the 
 soldiers.) Keep guard meanwhile, and proceed with 
 the condemned to Golgotha. Then (pointing to Simon) 
 dismiss this man, and await my return. [Exits 'with 
 the servant. The procession again moves on in the direc- 
 tion of the middle stage, back. 
 
 PEOPLE (wildly shouting to one another). Away, 
 away to Golgotha! To the cross with Him! To the 
 cross! Hail, Israel! The Enemy is conquered! His 
 death is our happiness! We are free! Long live the 
 Synagogue, the Sanhedrin! 
 
 SUSANNA. These cries pierce to Heaven! [The 
 women move away, weeping. 
 
 JOHN. Mother, shall we not return to Bethany? 
 You will not be able to bear the sight ! 
 
 MARY How can a mother forsake her child in his 
 last and most bitter need? 
 
 [170] 
 
KLEOPHA. But evil and harm might befall you 
 also, if they recognised you as His Mother. 
 
 MARY. I will suffer with Him, and with Him share 
 scorn and insult yea, with Him die ! 
 
 JOHN. If only the strength of the flesh does not 
 succumb ! 
 
 MARY. Fear nothing! I have prayed to God for 
 strength! The Lord has heard me! Let us follow! 
 
 ALL. Best of mothers! We follow you! [They 
 move <wtfh the procession. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 XVI. REPRESENTATION 
 
 Jesus upon Golgotha 
 
 The Chorus , grief-stricken, appears, clad in black. 
 Prologue of Chorus 
 
 CHORAGUS (Rectt.). Ye pious souls, arise and with 
 
 me go 
 
 Unto Golgotha in remorse and pain! 
 Behold, ye pious souls, what there befell 
 The Intercessor between Sin and God 
 Made thus to suffer the atonement death ! 
 
 In nakedness, His wounds are what you see 
 He yonder lies in anguish on the cross. 
 *T is vengeance wantonly makes sport with Him, 
 While, for the love of sinners, He is still, 
 And shows forgiveness, suffers and endures. 
 [171] 
 
Hark, do you hear? His limbs are rent and torn, 
 As from their sockets they are rudely dragged! 
 Who would not quake to hear the hammer strokes 
 Which cruelly cut, alas, through hands and feet, 
 The nails through each limb pressed unerringly! 
 
 ( There is heard behind the curtain a dull, penetrating sound 
 of hammer blows.) 
 
 Oh, come, ye souls, and raise your countenances, 
 Unto the cross compassionately turn! 
 Yonder, behold the tender Lamb of God, 
 Who blood and life for you has sacrificed ! 
 Behold, between two murderers He hangs 
 The Son of God beneath the weight of scorn ! 
 
 Would you not dedicate your tears to Him? 
 
 Behold, how now He opes His mouth and begs 
 
 That pardon for the murderers be given; 
 
 And unto God He utters His last prayer, 
 
 While through His side some one a spear has thrust, 
 
 Which leaves exposed His sacred heart to view! 
 
 Who of us can such high love comprehend, 
 Which animates a tender heart like this 
 A love which ever unto Hate gives Good, 
 Which for the world its life would sacrifice? 
 Ah, bring to this Beloved on the cross 
 Your heart's clean impulse as an offering! 
 
 [17*] 
 
ACT XVI 
 
 Jesus is raised and fastened io the cross. The crowd jeers 
 at Him. Jesus' last words, and His death. Precau- 
 tions taken By the Jews for guarding the grave. The 
 burial of the body of Jesus. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 The scene is set on the middle stage, As the curtain as- 
 cends, the crosses of the two thieves are in the act of 
 being raised. Christus f on His cross, is still flat on the 
 ground. Lictors, executioners, High Priest, Pharisees, 
 people. In the background, the holy 'women, with 
 John, Joseph, and Nicodemus. 
 
 EXECUTIONERS (pointing to the thieves, after 
 they have been raised). We have finished with these. 
 Now must the King of the Jews be raised on His 
 throne ! 
 
 PHARISEES. No King, but a Betrayer! Traitor! 
 
 CENTURION. First, however, by command of the 
 Governor, this inscription must be fastened to the 
 cross. Faustus, put it on ! 
 
 FAUSTUS. A sign ! Ha, that is indeed very regal ! 
 [Fastens on the inscription. 
 
 CENTURION. Take hold, now, and raise the 
 cross ! Only, not carelessly. 
 
 CATALINA. Up! Double your strength, man! 
 Heave to! [They pull. 
 
 [173] 
 
NERO. All right now! The cross stands firm! 
 CENTURION. The painful duty is accomplished! 
 CAIAPHAS. And quite excellently done! 
 PHARISEES. Thanks we thank you! 
 PEOPLE. Thanks and our approval! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. For all times shall this be a Feast 
 day to us ! 
 
 PHARISEES. Yes, and most solemnly shall it be 
 celebrated. 
 
 ANNAS. And now right willingly will I be gath- 
 ered unto my Fathers, because I have lived long 
 enough for the joy of seeing this Wretch on the cross ! 
 What is the inscription? What is its meaning? Is it 
 not very short? 
 
 RABBI (stepping near). That is ridiculous ! Truly 
 an insult for us and for the people! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What is written thereon? 
 
 AMAN. The Rabbi is right. The Council cannot 
 countenance this! 
 
 RABBI. It reads: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the 
 Jews. [The four executioners lie down beneath the cross. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Truly, that is an insult to our Nation! 
 
 PHARISEES. The inscription must go. Tear it 
 down! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. We dare not ourselves lay hands 
 upon it. Have patience! (To t<wo Priests?) Rabbi and 
 Saras ! Hasten to Pilate, and, in the name of the High 
 
 [174] 
 
Council and of all the people, demand the alteration 
 of this inscription. It should be written that He has 
 said: I am the King of the Jews. At the same time 
 petition Pilate to have the bones of the crucified broken 
 before the eve of the Feast, and their bodies taken 
 from the crosses. [Rabbi and Saras exit. 
 
 CATILINA. Now, comrades, let us divide our 
 spoils! (Takes up Christus* coat and mantle.) Look, 
 this mantle can be divided first. ( The four executioners 
 seize the cloth and tear it 'with a jerk into four parts.) But 
 the coat is not sewn together. Shall we, however, cut 
 it to pieces? 
 
 FAUSTUS. No, better throw lots for it! 
 
 AGRIPPA. Here are the dice. I will try my luck 
 immediately. ( Throws.) That is too little. I have 
 no chance. 
 
 CATILINA (glancing toward Christus). Hi there, 
 you ! If you can work any miracle on the cross, then 
 favour my throw! [Throws. 
 
 THE OTHERS. What has He got to do with it? 
 Lost! 
 
 NERO. Shall I be more lucky? Fifteen! Nearly 
 enough. Now it is your turn, Faustus. 
 
 FAUSTUS. I must have it! [Throws. 
 
 CATILINA (examining the dice). Eighteen! That 
 is the best! 
 
 AGRIPPA. It is yours! Take it away! 
 NERO. You are forsooth not to be envied. 
 
 RABBI (returning). Our mission was in vain. 
 [175] 
 
SARAS. He would not hear us! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Did you not receive any answer? 
 
 RABBI. This only: What I have written shall 
 remain as it was written. 
 
 ANNAS (aside). Ha! Intolerable! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. And what instructions did he give 
 you with regard to the breaking of the bones? 
 
 RABBI. Concerning that, he said he would send 
 his orders to the Centurion. 
 
 JOSUE (to Christus). So, then, it remains written: 
 King of the Jews ! Ei ! If you are King in Israel, then 
 come down now from the cross, that we may see and 
 believe. [Laughter. 
 
 ELIAZAR. You who would tear down the Temple 
 of God in three days, and would build it up again in 
 three, help yourself now! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Ha! Others has He helped, but He 
 cannot help Himself ! 
 
 NUN (false Witness). Come down! For verily, you 
 are the Son of God ! Have you not indeed claimed so ? 
 
 ANNAS. He has trusted in God. Let God save 
 Him now, if it so pleases Him! 
 
 NERO. How? Do you not hear? 
 
 AGRIPPA. Show your power, worthy King of the 
 jews! 
 
 CHRISTUS (whose head has the while hung motion- 
 less, now raises it with a look of unutterable anguish) . 
 Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do ! 
 
 [176] 
 
THIEF (to the left). Truly, if you are the Saviour, 
 save yourself now, and us with you ! 
 
 THIEF (to the right. Speaking to the other thief). 
 Do you not fear God, since you are condemned to the 
 self-same punishment as myself? We are punished 
 justly ; we are being rewarded deservedly for the mis- 
 deeds we have done, but yonder One has not committed 
 evil. (To Christus.) Lord, remember me when you 
 come unto your Kingdom ! 
 
 CHRISTUS. Verily, I say unto you: To-day will 
 you yet be with me in Paradise. [Mary and John draw 
 near the cross. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Listen! He still acts as though He 
 had power over Paradise! 
 
 RABBI. Has His pride not yet weakened, even 
 while He hangs there helpless on the cross? 
 
 CHRISTUS (showing signs of the end). Mother, 
 behold your Son! Son, see your Mother! 
 
 MARY. Even in dying, you yet trouble yourself 
 about your Mother. 
 
 JOHN. Lord, your last will is sacred to me! 
 
 CHRISTUS. You, my Mother, and I, your Son! I 
 thirst ! 
 
 CENTURION. He suffers thirst and calls for 
 drink ! 
 
 FAUSTUS. I will hand Him some quickly. [Takes 
 a pole with a sponge at one end, on which the Centurion 
 has poured from his flask. Christus sips. 
 
 CHRISTUS (in agony). Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani! 
 12 [ 177 ] 
 
PHARISEES. Hear, He calls on Elias! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Now we shall see whether Elias 
 comes down to help Him! 
 
 CHRISTUS (breathing heavily). It is over! Father, 
 into Thy hands my spirit I commend. [His head drops 
 forward, and He dies. On the instant, a deafening noise is 
 heard, and it grows suddenly dark- 
 
 ENAN. What is that? The earth shakes! 
 HEBRON. It was an earthquake! Horrible! 
 
 AHIRA. Hear you the crash of falling rocks? Woe 
 unto us! 
 
 ENAN. It is God's hand upon us! 
 
 CENTURION. Verily, this Man was a righteous 
 man! 
 
 SOLDIERS. By this very sign of nature the God 
 on high bears Him witness. 
 
 CENTURION. Oh, His patience in the midst of 
 violent pain His noble calm, His godly cry to 
 Heaven at the moment of His death all that fore- 
 shadowed something of His high origin! Verily, He 
 is the Son of God! 
 
 OZIEL. Come, neighbour; I will stay no longer 
 on this terrible spot ! 
 
 HELON. Let us go home. God be merciful unto 
 us! 
 
 OTHERS (striking their breasts}- Jehovah! Lord! 
 Almighty God! We have sinned! Show us indul- 
 gence! [The people disperse in remorse and anguish, 
 
 [178] 
 
ZOROBABEL (servant of the Temple, enters in haste). 
 High Priest, and you members of the Council ! Within 
 the Sanctuary a frightful scene has come to pass. 
 Alas, I tremble in every limb! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. What is it? Not the Temple 
 ANNAS. Fallen? Destroyed? 
 
 ZOROBABEL. Not that! But the veil of the 
 Temple has been rent asunder. I hastened here with 
 faltering steps, dreading the while that the whole 
 world was split by the shock. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (pointing to the dead Jesus). All this 
 has yonder Wretch done to us through His magic! 
 Fortunate that He is out of the world, else would He 
 have brought all the elements against one another ! 
 
 PHARISEES. Cursed be the allies of Beelzebub! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Let us now hasten home, and see 
 what has happened. Then hither will we immediately 
 return. For I cannot rest until I have seen that the 
 bones of this fellow are broken, and that His body is 
 flung into the grave for criminals. [They exit. 
 
 SECOND SCENE 
 
 NICODEMUS (to Joseph of Arimathaea}. Shall the 
 holy body of Him sent by God be thus dishonoured 
 and thrown into the grave of evil-doers? Is there no 
 way to prevent it? 
 
 JOSEPH. Listen, friend. I will go straightway 
 unto Pilate, and will beg him fervently to give unto 
 me the dead body of Jesus. This favour he will not 
 
 [179] 
 
refuse me. Friend, then we will render the last honour 
 to our dear Teacher! 
 
 NICODEMUS. Do that and make haste! I will 
 bring spices with which to embalm Him. [They exit. 
 
 CENTURION (to the. holy women)- Fear not, good 
 women! No harm shall befall you! Come forward 
 and look upon the body of your Friend. 
 
 MAGDALENE (embracing the cross)- My dearest 
 Master ! My heart hangs with you on the cross ! 
 
 SERVANT OF PILATE (enters and tarns to the 
 Centurion). My Lord commands that the legs of the 
 crucified shall be broken, and that then immediately 
 their bodies shall be taken down. Before the eve of 
 the great Feast all must be over. 
 
 CENTURION. It shall be done on the instant. 
 Up with you, men, and first break the bones of yonder 
 thieves ! 
 
 CATILINA. Come, let us do the work quickly! 
 [Ascends. 
 
 FAUSTUS. Strike, so that he dies! 
 
 CATILINA (on the ladder, with blows breaks the 
 bones of the thief on the right)' This one will nevermore 
 awake ! 
 
 NERO (who climbs to the thief on the left)- The 
 other will I send from out this world. [Strikes. 
 
 MARY (shuddering)- My Son! Surely they would 
 not treat your holy body so cruelly ! 
 
 NERO (to the thief on the left)- Do you still move? 
 No, now at last he has his reward! 
 
 [180] 
 
MAGDALENE (as the executioner moves with his 
 dub toward Jesus'}- Ah, at least spare Him, spare 
 Him! 
 
 CATILINA (looting up at Jesus)' See! He is 
 already dead! No longer is it necessary to break His 
 bones. 
 
 FAUSTUS. But that we may be quite sure, I will 
 pierce His heart with this lance. [Thrusts the lance into 
 the side of Jesus, and the blood gushes forth. 
 
 THE HOLY WOMEN. Ah! Alas! Woe! 
 
 MAGDALENE. Oh, dearest Mother! That stab 
 also enters your heart ! 
 
 CENTURION. Now take the bodies from the 
 cross ! 
 
 AGRIPPA. What shall we do with this One? 
 
 CENTURION. As we are commanded into the 
 grave with the thieves! 
 
 MARY. What words for the wounded Mother- 
 heart! 
 
 NERO. Ladders here! They will soon be taken 
 down. 
 
 MAGDALENE (going to the Centurion}. Alas! 
 May we not even now show the last honours to our 
 Friend? 
 
 CENTURION. Unfortunately, it rests not in my 
 power to grant you your wish. 
 
 FAUSTUS (to his associate on the lower rung of the 
 ladder). Go on up; I will hold the ladder. 
 
 [181] 
 
CATILINA. And I will care for the other. {They 
 drag the thieves away- 
 
 THIRD SCENE 
 
 The Priests return to Golgotha. 
 
 CAIAPHAS (approaching at the head of the Priests). 
 The more pleasing will it be for us to see the body of 
 this evil-doer thrown into a shameful grave, after we 
 have beheld the destruction which He has caused in 
 the Temple. 
 
 ANNAS. Oh, it would be delight to my eyes to see 
 His limbs torn asunder by wild beasts ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Ha! Look! They are already being 
 taken down. Now we shall see our desires forthwith 
 fulfilled. 
 
 SERVANT OF PILATE (entering with Joseph of 
 Arimathaea. To the Centurion) - The Governor has bid 
 me come and see whether Jesus of Nazareth be really 
 dead, even as this man informed him. 
 
 CENTURION. It is so. Behold for yourself! To 
 be absolutely certain, He was also pierced through the 
 heart with a lance. 
 
 SERVANT. Then I am commanded to inform you 
 that His body is to be handed over to this man as a 
 gift from Pilate. [Exits. 
 
 HOLY WOMEN. Oh, comforting words! 
 
 RABBI (looking toward Joseph of Arimathaea^. The 
 Traitor ! He has again interposed a barrier ! 
 
 ANNAS. And our joy spoiled ! 
 
 [182] 
 
CAIAPHAS (to the Centurion). Nevertheless, we 
 will not allow His body to be laid elsewhere than with 
 the transgressors. 
 
 CENTURION. Inasmuch as the body is given to 
 this man, it is understood that he may bury it how and 
 where he will. No objection can be raised. (To the 
 soldiers and executioners.) You men, our business is 
 at an end ; we will return ! '[Exit. 
 
 ANNAS (The following scene is in Daisenberger. 
 Annas speaks to Joseph of Arimathaea). Do you still per- 
 sist in your terrible sin? Are you not ashamed to 
 honour even the cold body of a malefactor who has 
 died on the cross? 
 
 JOSEPH. I honour the most virtuous of men, the 
 God-sent Him who, without guilt, was murdered. 
 
 NICODEMUS. Envy and pride were the motives 
 prompting His condemnation. The judge himself was 
 convinced of His guiltlessness, and would not be party 
 to the bloody deed. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The curse, pronounced by the holy 
 Law, will destroy thee, you enemy of our Fathers ! 
 
 RABBI. Do not anger yourself, High Priest ! They 
 are wholly blind! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. The curse of the whole Council rest 
 upon you! Honour taken from you, you shall never- 
 more dare enter our midst ! 
 
 NICODEMUS. That we do not wish to do. [The 
 High Priest and Pharisees come forth. 
 
 ANNAS (scene continues as in other versions) . Now 
 that the corpse is in the hands of friends, we must 
 
 [183] 
 
be on our guard. For the false Teacher said, while 
 He yet lived, that in three days He would rise again. 
 
 RABBI. How easily could a new deception be im- 
 posed upon us and the people, and a new embarrass- 
 ment be prepared for us ! His Disciples could secretly 
 steal His body, and then spread the report that He 
 had risen! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Then would the last error be worse 
 than the first. Let us go immediately to Pilate, there- 
 fore, and ask him for a guard with which to watch the 
 grave until after the third day. 
 
 ANNAS. A wise thought ! 
 
 RABBI. Thus will their schemes be frustrated! 
 
 [Exit. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 The Descent from the Cross and the Burial 
 
 MAGDALENE. They have finally gone, the mad- 
 men! Console yourself, dear Mother! Now are we 
 alone with our friends; the derision and abuse are 
 silenced, and a holy evening stillness surrounds us. 
 
 MARY (to the women). Oh, my friends! What 
 my Jesus suffered, this Mother's heart suffered also! 
 Now has He done His work. He has entered into the 
 rest of His Fathers. The peace and comfort of Heaven 
 are lodged in my heart. We shall see Him again ; for 
 so He has said, and His word is Truth. 
 
 MAGDALENE. Yea, we shall see Him again ! His 
 word is Truth! 
 
 [184] 
 
MARY (to the men who took the bodies from the 
 crosses) . Bring me the body of my dear Child ! 
 
 SALOME. Companions, come, help me get ready 
 the linen which shall hold our dead. [ The women seal 
 Mary on a stone, and spread out the winding-cloth at her 
 feet. 
 
 MAGDALENE. Mother, will you not rest here a 
 little, until we have made ready His couch for Him? 
 
 JOSEPH (-taking the body of Jesus upon his shoulders}. 
 Oh, you sweet, holy burden, come to my shoulders! 
 [Receives the body. 
 
 NICODEMUS (stretching forth his arms to receive 
 the dead} Come, holy body of my only Friend ! Let 
 me embrace you! (The body is placed so as to lean 
 against Mary.) How the madness of your enemies has 
 lacerated you ! 
 
 JOHN. Here shall the best of sons once more rest 
 on the bosom of the best of mothers ! 
 
 MARY. Oh, my Son, how your body is covered 
 with wounds! 
 
 JOHN. Mother, from these wounds flow salvation 
 and blessing for all mankind ! 
 
 MAGDALENE. Behold, Mother, the peace of 
 Heaven rests on His pale countenance! 
 
 NICODEMUS. Let us anoint His holy body and 
 wrap it in this clean winding-sheet. 
 
 JOSEPH. Yonder in my new grave within the 
 rocky grotto of my garden shall He find rest. 
 
 SALOME. Best of Masters! One more hot tear 
 of love on your lifeless body! 
 
 [185] 
 
MAGDALENE. Oh, let me once more kiss the 
 hand that so often blessed me! 
 
 JOSEPH. We shall see Him again. ( To Nicode- 
 mus.) My friend, help me bear Him into the garden. 
 
 NICODEMUS. A fortunate one am I, for I am 
 able to lay the sheath of Him sent by God to rest 
 [ They bear the body in the direction of the grave. 
 
 JOHN. Let us follow to the place where the treas- 
 ure of our sorrow will be laid. 
 
 MARY. It is the last service which I can render 
 to my Jesus. [They all start; in the background is dis- 
 covered the grave. (See Daisenberger, vjho gives short 
 stage directions for the procession to the grave, and also 
 this short scene:) 
 
 ALL (as Joseph, and Nlcodemus come from the grave 
 in vjhich they have placed the body of Jesus)- Friend, rest 
 quietly in your rocky grave ! 
 
 JOHN. Let us go; Mother, come! [They pass 
 through the garden gate; the vjomen follow. 
 
 JOSEPH. With this stone will we close the grave. 
 [ They roll the stone to the opening. 
 
 NICODEMUS. After the Feast we will finish our 
 work of love! 
 
 JOSEPH. Come, friend, let us mourn the death 
 of our beloved Teacher. 
 
 NICODEMUS. Oh, this Man of Spirit and Truth 
 how did He deserve such a fate! [The two exit 
 through the garden gate. 
 
 END OF ACT 
 
 [186] 
 
XVII. REPRESENTATION 
 
 The Resurrection * 
 Prologue. 
 
 Now all is over ! To us peace and joy, 
 
 Life and freedom hath He brought through death, 
 
 While in the hearts of those He saved is love! 
 
 The Holy One lies buried in the grave; 
 His rest is short, for His anointed flesh 
 Defying death alive shall rise again! 
 
 In three days Jonah from the fish's maw 
 Returned, while safely through the sea 
 Engulfing others, moved victorious Israel. 
 
 So will the power of the Lord overcome 
 The darkness of the tomb, and in the light 
 Appear once more in godlike excellence! 
 
 TABLEAU : /. Jonah cast By the whale upon dry land. 
 
 CHORUS. f Rest peacefully, Thou holy body, 
 Within the stillness of the rocky grave ; 
 From burning pain, Thou holy body, rest! 
 Repose Thou, in the bosom of the earth, 
 
 * There are such differences existing between the German ver- 
 sions that I am following Daisenberger largely in this final act. 
 
 t According to Hermine Diemer, after Christus is laid in. the 
 grave, " a funeral chorus bids the weary soul and the beloved body 
 rest from the torments of the past," chanting the burial song. 
 Daisenberger includes stanzas connecting this with the tableau; 
 they are practically repetitions of the ideas in the Prologue. 
 
 [187] 
 
Until the hour Thou art glorified! 
 Never shall Thy holy body come to be 
 The victim of the grave and of decay ! * 
 
 TABLEAU : 2. The people of Israel cross the Red Sea; 
 their enemies meet 'with ruin.^ 
 
 Great is the Lord! His goodness great! 
 Triumph the dead shall rise again ! 
 The darkness of the grave no more enshroud Him, 
 For through His power shall He soon go forth I 
 
 ACT XVII 
 
 Jesus rises. The watch at the grave lose self-possession. 
 More ^women seek the grave* An angel announces to 
 them the resurrection of Jesus, 'which the High Council 
 seeks to discountenance. The resurrected One appears 
 before Mary Magdalene. 
 
 FIRST SCENE 
 
 Garden <with the Rocky Grotto. Titus, Pedius, Rufus f 
 Kajus, some sitting and others lying around the Hillock 
 by the Grave 
 
 TITUS (who has been asleep, wakens) - Brothers, how 
 is 't with you? To me it seems much too long to sit 
 here thus as a death watch. 
 
 * Stead and Diemer agree, although the former indicates here a 
 tenor voice and a solo, in addition to the chorus. Trench follows 
 Daisenberger. The effect of the repetition is dependent on the 
 music victory, triumph, and the greatness and goodness of the 
 Lord being the themes. 
 
 t The verses are modified based on Daisenberger. 
 [188] 
 
RUFUS. Show patience ; it is the last night. Only 
 for three days was the watch to last. 
 
 PEDIUS. We will soon be free! 
 
 TITUS. Truly, it is laughable how the people still 
 fear the dead. 
 
 RUFUS. This Man of Nazareth, so the rumour 
 goes, has said that on the third day He would return 
 from the dead ; hence the fear. 
 
 TITUS. If He is really such a superior being, will 
 He heed us? And were there a hundred of us, we 
 could not stop Him. 
 
 KAJUS (who has been asleep, now wakens)* 
 Brothers, is not the night wellnigh over? 
 
 TITUS. Soon it will be. Already in the east the 
 sky begins to redden. A beautiful spring day is about 
 to smile upon us. [Earthquake. 
 
 PEDIUS (springing up). Immortals! what a fright- 
 ful shock! 
 
 RUFUS. The earth is splitting asunder! [Thunder 
 and lightning. 
 
 TITUS. Away from the rock ! Away ! It wavers ! 
 It crashes in! [An angel rolls the stone away. Christ 
 rises. 
 
 PEDIUS. Ye gods! What do I see? 
 
 TITUS. I grow blind. Alas, a fire from Heaven 
 has seized me ! [ They fall upon their knees, some cover- 
 ing their faces, others bowing their heads to the earth. 
 
 KAJUS (after a while, still on his knees). Brothers! 
 What has befallen us ! 
 
 [189] 
 
RUFUS. Not an instant longer will I remain here! 
 
 TITUS (looking). The Apparition has disappeared. 
 (Takes his weapon and stands up.) Brothers, be of 
 courage! We have naught to fear, having done no 
 \vrong. [ They all stand. 
 
 PEDIUS. I saw the figure of a Man at the grave; 
 His face shone like the lightning, and His dress was 
 whiter than the snow. 
 
 KAJUS. I saw the figure also. Here a higher 
 power governs ! 
 
 TITUS (at the entrance to the garden)- The garden 
 gate is closed. 
 
 KAJUS (who has neared the grave)- And lo, the 
 stone is rolled away! The grave is open! [All move 
 toward the grave. 
 
 RUFUS (looking within)- I no longer see a corpse. 
 
 PEDIUS (venturing further in}- Here is the 
 iwinding-sheet, however, which served as a covering 
 for the body. He has gone from the grave ! 
 
 TITUS. He must have risen. No man came here. 
 
 RUFUS. So, what the priests most feared has 
 happened ! 
 
 TITUS. He has fulfilled His word! 
 
 RUFUS. And we? What is there now for us to 
 do? 
 
 PEDIUS. Nothing more. But let us hasten and 
 inform the Pharisees of what we Ve seen. 
 
 ALL. That we will, indeed! [They exit toward 
 Annas Street. 
 
SECOND SCENE 
 
 Magdalene, Salome, Johanna, Kleopha, Jacobe, the Holy 
 Women, and an Angel. They enter from the right. 
 
 MAGDALENE. How joyful my heart to show this 
 honour to our beloved Teacher! [They hasten toward 
 the grave, the Magdalene in advance. 
 
 KLEOPHA. Yet who will roll the stone away? 
 JACOBE. Is it then so very big? 
 
 SALOME. Yes, indeed! Our strength would not 
 suffice! 
 
 JOHANNA. Perhaps Joseph's gardener is not far 
 away. 
 
 MAGDALENE (returning quickly). Sisters, what 
 have I seen! The Master has been taken out of the 
 grave He has been taken away from us ! Who 
 knows where they have taken Him? 
 
 WOMEN. Oh, God! 
 
 MAGDALENE. I will hasten to Peter and John, 
 and tell them the sad news ! [Exits weeping. 
 
 SALOME. Thus is our last consolation taken 
 from us ! 
 
 JOHANNA. Do not lose courage; perhaps 
 
 JACOBE. If only the enemies of the Master have 
 not stolen His body so as to inflict further insults 
 upon Him! 
 
 KLEOPHA. Let us see for ourselves! {They go 
 to the grave. 
 
 [191] 
 
JACOBE (at the garden entrance)- It is true. The 
 stone is from the hole. 
 
 SALOME (looking within). I do not see the holy 
 body! Oh, oh! What is it I do see? [Recoils, terrified. 
 
 JOHANNA. The clothes are here, but the body 
 is not. (Hastens from the tomb.) I am afraid! 
 
 ANGEL (appearing at the entrance of the tomb). Fear 
 not! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, Him who was cru- 
 cified? He has risen, and is here no more. Behold 
 the holy place where they laid Him. But go and say 
 unto His Disciples, and to Peter in particular, that He 
 has gone before you into Galilee! There will you see 
 Him as He has said. [Beside this Angel appear two 
 others; then all three disappear. 
 
 JACOBE. Oh, I tremble with fear! We will go 
 from here. [They hasten away. 
 
 SALOME (outside the garden)- Now let me collect 
 myself, for I came near fainting. 
 
 KLEOPHA. So did I. Yet, sisters, what a heav- 
 enly message it was to us! The Lord is risen! We 
 shall see Him alive again in Galilee ! 
 
 JOHANNA. My fear has gone! In rapture beats 
 my heart. He lives again. Friends, bethink you ! He 
 lives ! Our dear Teacher ! [ They are excited. Johanna 
 embraces Kleopha. 
 
 JACOBE. Sisters, let us hasten to announce the 
 Angel's message to the Disciples ! 
 
 KLEOPHA. All our sadness has been turned to 
 joy! 
 
 ALL. And no one can take it from us! [They exit. 
 [192] 
 
THIRD SCENE 
 
 Caiaphas, Annas, Rabbi, the Pharisees, and the four 
 guards. They enter from the left. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. It is impossible to keep back what 
 the watchers have told us. (Goes quickly to the 
 grave.) Yes, truly, the stone is rolled away; the 
 grave is empty! 
 
 ANNAS. It is not unlikely that some people came 
 here. 
 
 ^ CAIAPHAS (to the watch). How did it happen? 
 Confess, or the worst punishment awaits you! 
 
 TITUS. As we told you, so did it happen. We 
 can tell you nothing more. 
 
 PHARISEES. You lie! 
 
 RUFUS. How do you think it possible for any 
 one to come here? The garden gate was closed and 
 we sat around the grave. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. You are all confederates in this! 
 ANNAS. You have been bribed! 
 
 WATCHERS. What? You would question our 
 honour! We will not have such slander put upon us. 
 
 ANNAS. Why did you not immediately raise an 
 alarm? 
 
 PEDIUS. How could we, when a thunderbolt laid 
 us low! 
 
 CAIAPHAS. You say this only to escape punish- 
 ment. 
 
 X 3 [193] 
 
RUFUS. Ha! You might say that to a Jewish 
 soldier, but a Roman will not slip out by lying ! 
 
 WATCHERS. We will complain before Pilate, 
 demanding satisfaction for such insult. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Tell us: where is the body now? 
 RUFUS. We do not know. 
 TITUS. He rose, as you feared. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Be silent with your Resurrection 
 tale! 
 
 PEDIUS. Even though you do not believe it, still 
 is it none the less true ! I tell what I myself saw. 
 
 ANNAS. Now, what did you see? Perchance the 
 Disciples who stole His body? 
 
 PEDIUS. No, on my honour! I saw Him rising 
 from the grave. The light which shone around Him 
 struck me low. 
 
 TITUS. We will go to Pilate ; he shall decide. 
 
 RUFUS. And over all Jerusalem shall the news 
 be published 
 
 PEDIUS. That He has risen! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (aside to the Pharisees}- We must 
 prevent any such move. (To the watch.) Believe 
 what you will; but it is best for us that the story be 
 not spread abroad. Your silence will be adequately 
 rewarded. 
 
 RUFUS. Even though we remain silent, it will 
 still become known that the body is no longer to be 
 found in the grave. 
 
 [194] 
 
TITUS. Pilate would call us to account. 
 ANNAS. Leave that to us ! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (showing them a full parse)- See this 
 gold! It will all be given for your silence! 
 
 PHARISEES. Take it, and leave it to the High 
 Council to settle the affair. 
 
 ANNAS. We will stand by you before Pilate. 
 
 TITUS (to his companions). They only ask silence 
 of us. That we can give ! 
 
 WATCH. We '11 do it! 
 
 CAIAPHAS (handing over the purse to Titus). 
 Mark you: deep silence! 
 
 RUFUS. But if one should question us? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Then say this only: The Disciples 
 came while we slept and stole Him from the grave. 
 
 TITUS. No! Take back your money! 
 
 PHARISEES. Nothing will be done to punish 
 you. 
 
 CAIAPHAS. I promise you in the name of the 
 whole Council! 
 
 PEDIUS. Well, if you will promise that, then we 
 will do it. 
 
 PHARISEES. Fear nothing! 
 CAIAPHAS. Now then: be silent! 
 
 THE WATCH. We will. [They exit. 
 
 [195] 
 
CAIAPHAS (to the Pharisees). Now, friends, let 
 us take care to spread among the people the report 
 that the body has been stolen by His Disciples. 
 
 ANNAS. This Man gives us trouble, even in death ! 
 
 NATHANAEL. And must something always 
 intervene, that we cannot rejoice in our victory 
 undisturbed? 
 
 CAIAPHAS. Do not grieve over this! The best 
 is won! Our Enemy is dead! Let His body rest 
 where it will! A short time hence and the name 
 of this Nazarene will be forgotten or uttered only 
 with insult, as an evil-doer who was crucified. His 
 work is at an end! 
 
 PHARISEES. Hail to the Synagogue! At an end 
 is the work of our Enemy! [They exit with haughty 
 confidence. 
 
 FOURTH SCENE 
 
 John, followed shortly by Peter and the Magdalene. Then 
 Christ and an Angel 
 
 JOHN (enters from the right}. I must convince 
 myself whether or no Mary has rightly told us. (He 
 goes quickly to the gra<ve and, stooping, looks within.) 
 Truly, the body has disappeared! Still, the clothes 
 are there. 
 
 PETER (coming with the Magdalene)- Is it so? 
 Have you already been in the rocky grave? 
 
 JOHN. It is empty! I have looked within; but 
 a godly fear prevents me from entering ! 
 
 [196] 
 
PETER. We must examine closer. (Goes info the 
 grave, but immediately returns to the entrance.) See for 
 yourself, John; see how orderly the linen clothes lie 
 within. The head cloth is laid, separated from the 
 others. [John enters. 
 
 MAGDALENE. Alas! where is my Friend? Shall 
 I not even see His body again? 
 
 PETER (coming out 'with John). If the enemy had 
 carried Him off, then they would have taken Him as 
 He was, wrapped in linen. 
 
 JOHN. And had they dragged the body about, the 
 linen would certainly be strewn around the place. 
 
 PETER. But everything is very orderly, as though 
 some one had risen from a sleep and laid his night 
 raiment in order. 
 
 JOHN. Simon, what presentiment your speech 
 awakens in me! Perchance the Lord has risen from 
 death, as though from a gentle sleep. Yes, I believe 
 it! He who called forth Lazarus, could He not like- 
 wise bring Himself from the grave? And did He not 
 prophesy to us that on the third day the Son of Man 
 would Oh, Simon, to-day is the third day ! 
 
 PETER. My God! If it were so! 
 
 JOHN. I do not doubt it! We shall soon see Him 
 again ! 
 
 PETER. John, let us go to our Brothers, and im- 
 part to them what we here have seen! (To the Mag- 
 dalene.) Mary, will you not come with us? 
 
 MAGDALENE. Leave me here ! Oh, let me grieve 
 alone! Let me weep! I cannot stir from this place 
 until I have satisfied my heart's need! 
 
 [197] 
 
PETER. Do not stay long. In Mark's house you 
 will find us. [Exits with John. 
 
 MAGDALENE. Now, my tears, have your way! 
 To weep is the only consolation for a heavy heart. 
 [ Weeping violently, she rests her head upon the rock at the 
 entrance. 
 
 ANGEL (appearing, after a while, inside the entrance). 
 Woman, why weep you? 
 
 MAGDALENE. They have taken away my Lord. 
 I know not where they have put Him. [Turns, weep- 
 ing, from the grave. 
 
 CHRISTUS (appears on the side of the hillock, 
 between trees). Oh, woman, why weep you? Whom 
 seek you? 
 
 MAGDALENE. If you have taken Him away, then 
 tell me where you have put Him. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Mary! 
 
 MAGDALENE. Oh, that is His voice! (Hastens to 
 Him, and falls before Him.) Rabbi! [Would embrace 
 His knees. 
 
 CHRISTUS. Do not stop me! Not yet have I 
 entered unto my Father. But hasten and say to 
 my Brothers : I go to my Father and to your Father ; 
 to my God and to your God! 
 
 MAGDALENE (bending low) . My dearest Teacher! 
 (Looks up.) He has disappeared. (Stands, full of 
 rapture.) Still, I have seen Him! I have heard His 
 dear voice ! Oh, blessed sight ! Away from me, grief ! 
 The ecstasy of Paradise fills my soul ! Ah, as though 
 borne on wings, I will hasten to His Disciples, and tell 
 
 [198] 
 
them of the Resurrection, and give them greetings 
 from their Lord ! Oh, could I proclaim it through the 
 whole world, that mountain and vale, and rocks and 
 woods, and heaven and earth might resound with the 
 tidings: Hallelujah! He has risen! [As she exits, an 
 echo comes from every side : " Hallelujah I He has risen I" 
 
 CLOSING SCENE* 
 
 Hallelujah 
 Prologue 
 
 The Christ is risen! Rejoice, ye heavens! 
 The Christ is risen! Rejoice, ye mortals! 
 The lordly leader of the Tribe of Judah 
 The serpent's head 'neath His heel has crushed! 
 
 Firm stand the faithful, while hope the happiest 
 Within us wakens, through sign and token 
 Of our future our resurrection! 
 In jubilation cry: " Hallelujah! " 
 
 We saw Him enter into Jerusalem, 
 Weighed down and humble, humiliated! 
 Ah, let us witness, before we leave here, 
 The Christ victorious, the Christ triumphant! 
 
 He now approaches glorification, 
 
 With regal power enters Jerusalem, 
 
 Where He will gather unto His person 
 
 Those whom His Passion hath saved from sin! 
 
 * German text, as given in Stead. 
 [I99l 
 
With such divine love, with spirit strengthened, 
 Oh, friends, turn homeward, your joy renewed 
 For Him who loved you in all His trials, 
 Throughout His Passion through time eternal! 
 
 And round the Saviour, where sounds the chorus, 
 "The Lamb be praised, which once was offered" 
 Oh, let us gather within the future, 
 Oh, let us gather and meet again! 
 
 HALLELUJAH CHORUS.* The might of the 
 enemy He hath overcome, yea, hath He overcome ! In 
 the shadow of the grave new life hath He found ! Sing 
 unto Him songs of jubilation, before Him strew palms 
 of victory! The Lord is risen! Shout unto Him, ye 
 heavens above! Praise Him, ye earth below! Halle- 
 lujah unto the Resurrected! Hallelujah! 
 
 Adore ye the Saviour! The Lamb who was slain! 
 Hallelujah! Him who from the grave ascends vic- 
 torious to life on high ! Hallelujah ! Hallelujah ! He 
 hath conquered ! 
 
 Praise Him, the Victor over death! Him who on 
 Gabbatha was condemned! Praise Him, the Saviour 
 of all Sinners, who for us on Golgotha died! Praise 
 Him! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He hath conquered! 
 
 Let us unto the Victor bring leaves of bay! Unto 
 Him who is resurrected and eternal lives ! Unto Him 
 who from the grave ascends to life on high! Halle- 
 lujah! Hallelujah! He hath conquered! 
 
 * In the original this is in verse ; it is largely repetition, and is 
 here, for the sake of spontaneous effect, done into prose. 
 
 [200] 
 
Ye heavenly hosts, your praises bring, your praises 
 sing ! Excellence be unto the Lord ! And glory be and 
 power evermore! Honour unto the Lord from eter- 
 nity unto eternity without end! Hallelujah! Halle- 
 lujah! He hath conquered! 
 
 {The closing tableau represents Christ's Ascension, as He 
 stands on the Mount of Olives, surrounded by His Dis- 
 ciples and the holy c women^\ 
 
 THE END 
 
 [aoi] 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
 BEING A PARTIAL LIST OF BOOKS AND MAGAZINE 
 ARTICLES RELATING TO PASSION PLAYS GEN- 
 ERALLY AND TO THE OBERAMMERGAU 
 PASSION PLAY IN ESPECIAL. 
 
 Titles printed in Italic type refer to magazine articles. 
 
 America, 'Passion *Play in 
 
 Donahoe(1895),34:978 
 
 American Indian Passion Play 
 Putnam's Jtfonthly, 5 : 294 
 
 American Passion Play 
 
 The Penitentes (Novel). Louis How (Bobbs- 
 Merrill). 
 
 Augsburger Passionsspiel aus Sanct. Ulrich und Afra. 
 [Text.] In Hof- und Staatsbibliothek zu Miinchen. 
 Cod. germ. 4370. Quarto. 
 
 Bancroft, Marie and Squire 
 
 Recollections of Sixty Years. Button, 1909. [p. 
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 [205] 
 
Berneck, M. Koch von 
 
 Das grosse Versohnungsopfer auf Golgotha; oder, 
 die Leidens- und Todesgeschichte Jesu. . . . Auf- 
 gefuhrt zu Oberammergau. 
 
 Guide to Oberammergau and the Passion Play of 
 1890. Translated by Charles Holland and J. A. 
 Swallow. Munich, 1890. 
 
 Bibliographic der deutschen Zeitschriften-Literatur 
 mit Einschluss von Sammelwerken und Zeitungs- 
 beilagen. [This publication, on the order of Poole's 
 Index, contains innumerable references under Pas- 
 sion Play and Oberammergau. 
 
 Blackburn, Henry 
 
 The Oberammergau Passion Play. Art in the 
 Mountains. The Story of the Passion Play. With 
 an Appendix. London, 1880. 
 
 Blondel, Georges 
 
 Le Drame de la Passion a Oberammergau : Etude 
 historique et critique, avec des Renseignements 
 pratiques. Paris, 1900. [Maps and plans.] 
 
 Brixlegg, Passion Play at 
 All the Year, 20. -397 
 Independent, 55 : 2396 
 
 Boston Public Library Bulletin 
 
 1881, Vol. IV. p. 244. List of titles. 
 
 Braun, Placidus 
 
 Notitia historico-literaria de codicibus manuscriptis 
 in bibliotheca liberi ac imperialis Monasterii ordinis 
 S. Benedicti ad S. Udalricum et Afram Augustae 
 extantibus. (Augustae Vindelicorum, 1796.) Vol. 
 VI. p. no. 
 
 Geschichte der Bischofe von Augsburg. I: 416. 
 
 [206] 
 
Bremond, Henri 
 
 Oberammergau et le Drame de la Passion. (Etudes 
 pub. par d. Peres de la Compagnie de Jesus Vol. 
 LXXXIV. pp. 160-180.) Paris, 1900. 
 
 Browne, William H. 
 
 Synopsis of the Passion Play of Oberammergau. 
 Philadelphia, 1880. 
 
 Buckland, A. W. 
 
 Ober Ammergau and its People, in connection with 
 the Passion Play and Miracle Plays in general. 
 [A paper read before the Bath Literary and Philo- 
 sophical Association, Jan. 12, 1872.] London, 1872. 
 
 Burton 
 
 Passion Play at Oberammergau. [Introduction by 
 Wilkins.] 1902. 
 
 Childe, Mrs. Edward 
 
 English Words of the Passion Play at Oberammer- 
 gau. London, 1871, 1880. 
 
 Christianity, Symbolic, and the Passion Play. R. St. J. Tyrwhitt 
 Contemp.(1871), 18:234 
 
 Clarus, Ludwig [See Volk, W. G. W.] 
 
 Das Passionsspiel zu Ober- Ammergau. Munchen, 
 1860, 1880. 
 
 Creizenach, Wilhelm 
 
 Geschichte des neueren Dramas (Halle A. S. ver- 
 lag von Max Niemeyer) [Vol. I. Mittelalter und 
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Daisenberger, Joseph Aloys 
 
 Bericht iiber das Passionsspiel zu Oberammergau 
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 inger's Collection of Reports.] 
 
 - Geschichte des Dorfes Oberammergau. [In Ober- 
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 Offizieller Gesammt-Text des Oberammergauer 
 
 Passions-Spieles. Zum ersten Male nach dem Man- 
 uskripte . . . im Druck veroffentlicht . . . Ober- 
 ammergau, 1900. 
 
 Deutinger, Martin von (Editor) 
 
 Das Passionsspiel in Oberammergau. Berichte und 
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 Devrient, Eduard 
 
 Geschichte der deutschen Schauspiel-kunst. Vol. 
 I. Geschichte der Mittelalterlichen Schauspiel- 
 kunst. Leipzig, 1848. 
 
 Das Passionsschauspiel in Oberammergau und 
 seine Bedeutung fiir die neue Zeit. Leipzig, 1851. 
 
 Ueber das Passionsspiel im Dorfe Ober-Ammer- 
 gau. Leipzig, 1880. 
 
 Diemer, H. (geb. von Hillern) 
 
 Oberammergau und seine Passionsspiele. Ein 
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 seiner Passionsspiele ... so wie eine Beschreib- 
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 [208] 
 
Doane, G. H. 
 
 To and from the Passion Play, in the Summer of 
 1871. Boston, 1872. 
 
 Drew, Mary Frances 
 
 The Passion Play of Ober-Ammergau. Translated 
 from the German. London, 1881. 
 
 Dubbers, W. 
 
 Das Oberammergauer Passionsspiel nach seiner ge- 
 schichtlichen, kunstlerischen, ethischen und cultur- 
 historischen Bedeutung und unter Beriicksichtig- 
 ung alterer und neuerer Kritik dargestellt von. 
 Frankfurt a. M., 1872. 
 
 Du Meril, Edelstand Pontas 
 
 Les Origines latines du Theatre moderne. Paris, 
 1897. 
 
 Eibesthal, Religious Dramas at 
 
 Harper's Weekly, 46 : 1630, 1653 
 Independent, 52 : 1672 
 
 Espagne, Le Drame Religieux 
 
 Revue de Paris (1900), pp. 821-872 
 
 Farrar, F. W., D. D., F. R. S. 
 
 The Passion Play at Oberammergau. London, 
 1890. 
 
 Fastenrach, J. 
 
 Pasionarias de un Aleman-Espanol. Madrid, 1872. 
 
 Froning, Richard 
 
 Das Drama des Mittelalters. Erster Teil. Die 
 lateinischen Osterfeiern in Deutschland. Oster- 
 spiele; Passionsspiele. Stuttgart, 1891. 
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Gautier, Leon 
 
 Histoire de la Poesie liturgique au Moyen Age: 
 Les Tropes. Paris, 1886. 
 
 Gayley, Charles Mills 
 
 Plays of our Forefathers: and some of the tradi- 
 tions upon which they were founded. New 
 York, 1907. [A more popular treatment than 
 that by Chambers in " Mediaeval Stage " ; excellent 
 illustrations.] 
 
 Gorres, Guido 
 
 Report of the Oberammergau Play. [Historisch- 
 
 politischen Blattem, Vol. VI., 1840.] 
 Das Theater im Mittelalter und das Passionsspiel 
 
 in Oberammergau. 1840. [Deutinger's Collection.] 
 
 Graetorex, Eliza 
 
 A series of twenty etchings in phototypes from the 
 original. With notes of a Diary kept during a three 
 months' residence in Oberammergau. Munich, 
 1871. 
 
 Hartmann, August 
 
 Das Oberammergauer Passionsspiel in seiner alt- 
 esten Gestalt. Zum ersten Male herausgegeben. 
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 notes.] 
 
 Hase, Dr. Karl 
 
 Miracle Plays and Sacred Dramas: An Historical 
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 Havana, Passion Play in 
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 [210] 
 
Hay 
 
 Oberammergau and its great Passion Drama of 
 1900. 1902. 
 
 Holland, Dr. Hyacinth 
 
 Das Ammergauer Passionsspiel im Jahre 1870. 
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 Die Entwickelung des deutschen Theaters im 
 
 Mittelalter und das Ammergauer Passionsspiel. 
 Munich, 1871. 
 
 Howitt- Watts, Mrs. 
 
 An Art Student in Munich. London and Boston, 
 1854. [Chapter IV. An Account of the Passion 
 Play.] 
 
 Hrotsvitha, Theatre de 
 
 Religieuse Allemande du Xf Siecle (en Fran9ais) 
 avec le Texte latin. Revue sur le Manuscrit de 
 Munich. (Introduction and notes.) Charles Mag- 
 nin [ed.]. Paris, 1845. 
 
 Huyssen 
 
 Ammergauer Passions Festspiel. 1890. 
 
 Italian Lakes, Passion Play on the 
 Macmillan, 60 : 44 
 Lto.Age, 181 : 562 
 
 Jackson, J. P. 
 
 The Album of the Passion Play. 1873. 
 
 The Ober-Ammergau Passion Play: giving the 
 
 origin of the play, and history of the village and 
 people, a description of the scenes and tableaux of 
 the drama, and the songs of the Chorus, in German 
 and English. London, 1880. 
 [an] 
 
Julleville, Louis Petit de 
 
 Histoire du Theatre en France au Moyen Age: 
 Les Mysteres. [2 vols.] Paris, 1880. 
 
 Histoire de la Langue et de la Litterature Fran- 
 caise des Origines a 1900. [7 vols.] Paris, 1896-99. 
 
 Klein, J. L. 
 
 Geschichte des Dramas [13 vols,] Leipzig, 1865- 
 76. [Vol. II. Das Drama der Romer; Vol. III. 
 Das aussereuropaische Drama und die latein. 
 Schauspiele n. Chr. bis ende d. X Jahrhunderts ; 
 Vols. XII., XIII. Das Englische Drama.] 
 
 Kreuzschule, Passion Piety of the 
 Lippincott, 17 : 125 
 
 Lampert 
 
 Oberammergau und sein Passionsspiel. 1890. 
 
 Lange, Carl 
 
 Die lateinischen Osterfeiern; Untersuchungen 
 u'ber den Ursprung und die Entwickelung der 
 liturgisch-dramatischen Auferstehungsfeier. Miin- 
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 Ludwig, D. A. 
 
 Oberammergau Passionsspiel. 1891. 
 
 McSherry, Richard Meredith 
 
 Essays. Baltimore, 1897. [The volume is called 
 " The National Medals of the United States, and 
 Essays and Addresses." The Passion Play at Ober 
 Ammergau.] 
 
 MacColl, Malcolm 
 
 The Ober Ammergau Passion Play. With remarks 
 on the origin and development of Miracle Plays. 
 | Appendix.] London, 1880. 
 
 [aia] 
 
Mantzius, Karl 
 
 A History of Theatrical Art in Ancient and Modern 
 Times. [Translated by Louise von Cossel; see 
 Greek Theatre, Roman Theatre, Ecclesiastical 
 Plays, Secular Plays. A four-volume work of value, 
 with bibliographies.] London, 1903, 1904, 1905. 
 
 Mexican Indian Passion Play 
 
 Overland, n. s. (1901), 37: 817 
 
 Milchsack, Gustav 
 
 Die Oster- und Passionsspiele : [Vol. I.] Die la- 
 teinischen Osterfeiern. Wolfenbuttel, 1880. 
 
 Heidelberger Passionsspiel. Tubingen, 1880. 
 
 Mone, Franz Joseph 
 
 Schauspiele des Mittelalters. [2 Bde.] Karlsruhe, 
 1846. 
 
 Moses, Montrose J. 
 
 Everyman. Ed. with an Introduction. [Contains 
 a Bibliography of the Early Religious Drama.] 
 New York, 1908. 
 
 Oberammergau 
 
 La Nouvelle Revue, Oct., 1900, pp. 414-427. (Eugene 
 
 More.) 
 Nineteenth Century, 48 : 820 
 
 Oberammergau and its Passion Play in 1900. Wilfrid Dai- 
 low. Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Ser. 4, Vol. IX. pp. 63- 
 82. Dublin, 1901. 
 
 Passion Play. 1860 
 
 Macmittan, 2 : 463 
 Liv. Age, 67 : 482 
 
 [213] 
 
Passion Play. 1870 
 
 Harper, 42 : 174 
 1880 
 
 Theatre, 1 : 255 
 Century, 3 : 663, 913 
 Nation, 31 : 110 
 1900 
 
 Nation, 71 : 67 
 Atlantic, 86:409 
 Forum, 29:545 
 Harper's Weekly, 44 : 1020 
 Independent, 52 : 2361 
 
 Passionsspiel 
 
 Das Passions Schauspiel in Oberammergau. Augs- 
 burg, 1880. 
 
 Passion Play, The A Study and an Appreciation 
 Church Quar. Rev. (1900), 51 : 179-207. 
 
 Passion Play 
 
 Blackwood, 106:671 
 
 Liv. Age, 104 : 142 
 
 Blackwood, 107:381 
 
 Revue des Deux Mondes, July I, 1868 
 
 Liv. Age, 226 : 295 
 
 Theatre, 25 : 1 
 
 Pence, James Henry 
 
 The Magazine and the Drama: An Index. Dunlap 
 Society, 1896. [Consult under Passion Play.] 
 
 Perry, W. S. (Bishop) 
 
 Ober Ammergau in 1875 and 1880. New York, 
 1881. [Also published in American Church Review, 
 July, 1881, no. 134, pp. 1-19.] 
 
Persian Passion Play 
 
 Comhill, 24 : 668, Matthew Arnold [in his "Essays in 
 
 Criticism/' First Series, 1898} . 
 Contemp., 94 : 41 3 
 19th Cent., 51 : 581 
 Harper, 72 : 460 
 
 Pollock, Charming 
 
 Behold the Man; being a novel dealing with the 
 dual personalities of the peasants who appear in the 
 sacred performance at Oberammergau. New York, 
 1905. 
 
 Prechtl, J. B. [Teacher in Unter-Ammergau] 
 Das Passionsspiel zu Oberammergau 
 Oberbayerischen Archiv (1859-61), Ed. XXII. 100 
 
 Prolss, Karl Robert 
 
 Geschichte des neueren Dramas. [3 vols.] Leip- 
 zig, 1880, 1881, 1883. 
 
 Remade, /., Valid 
 
 Oberammergau. [Paris, 1900.] 
 
 La semaine religieuse de Paris (1900), XCIV. 
 
 Resurrection, La 
 
 Monmercjue et Michel. Theatre Francais au 
 Moyen Age [pp. 10-20]. Paris, 1879. 
 
 Roberts, Elizabeth H. B. 
 
 Oberammergau Peasants and their Passion Play. 
 1901. 
 
 Roy, Emile 
 
 Les Mysteres de la Passion en France au XIV? au 
 XVI? Siecle. (Revue Bourguignonne-Universite 
 de Dijon, 1903, Vol. XIII. nos. 3-4.) [In the sec- 
 ond part, Vol. XIV., 1904, nos. 3-4, the author con- 
 
siders " La Theologie et le Developpement du Mys- 
 tere de la Passion au XV? Siecle."] 
 
 San Francisco, Passion Play in 
 Theatre, 79, / : 213 
 
 Schoberl, F. 
 
 Das Oberammergauer Passions-Spiel mit den Pas- 
 sionsbildern v. A. Diirer. 1870. 
 
 Schonbach 
 
 Ueber die Marienklagen. Graz, 1874. 
 
 Seguin 
 
 Country of the Passion Play. 1890. 
 
 Sellar, Alexander Craig 
 
 The Passion Play in the Highlands of Bavaria. 
 Edinburgh, 1871. 
 
 Snively, Rev. W. A. 
 
 The Ober-Ammergau Passion Play of 1880. Pott, 
 1881. 
 
 Stanley, A. P. 
 
 The Ammergau Mystery; or, Sacred Drama of 
 1860. [In his Essays.] 1870. 
 
 Stead, William T. 
 
 The Passion Play at Oberammergau. The Com- 
 plete Text of the Play with English Translation. 
 London, 1900. 
 
 The Crucifixion. [Founded on the Oberammergau 
 
 Passion Play.] Chicago, 1900. 
 
 Stern, (F.) A.,(E.), called 
 
 Oberammergauer Passionsspiel (1871). [In his 
 Wanderbuch, 1877.] 
 
 [ax6] 
 
Tautphceus, Baroness von 
 
 Quits. [A Novel.] 1863. [Chap. XVIII. A 
 Remnant of the Middle Ages.] 
 
 Text 
 
 Das grosse versohnungsopfer auf Golgotha; oder, 
 die leidens- und todes-geschichte Jesu aufgefuhrt 
 zu Oberammergau. Landshut, 1840. 
 
 Text 
 
 Das grosse versohnungsopfer auf Golgotha; oder, 
 die leidens- und todes-geschichte Jesu nach den 
 vier Evangelisten mit bildlichen Vorstellungen aus 
 dem alten Bunde zu Betrachtung und Erbauung zu 
 Oberammergau. [1850, 1860, 1890.] 
 
 Trautmann, Karl 
 
 Oberammergau und sein Passionsspiel. Bamberg, 
 1890. [Bayerische bibliothek.] 
 
 Trench, Maria 
 
 The Passion Play at Ober-Ammergau. Translated 
 into English, and the songs of the Chorus in Ger- 
 man and English, with a history of the play. Lon- 
 don, 1900. [Originally published under the pseu- 
 donym " Charles Lowder," 1890.] 
 
 Tweedie 
 
 Oberammergau Passion Play. 1890. 
 
 Tyroler Passionsspiel des Mittelalters 
 Schmidt-Wartenberg, H. M. 
 
 Mod. Lang. Pub. 5 (1890), I -IX. I, 24, 
 
 [MS. Cornell University.] 
 H. W. Mabie 
 
 Outlook* 76: 341 
 
Volk, W. G. W. 
 
 Das Passionsspiel zu Oberammergau. Von Lud- 
 wig Clarus. [Pseudo.] Munchen, 1880. 
 
 Von Hillern, Wilhelmine 
 Am Kreuz. [A Novel.] 
 
 Vorder-Thiersee, The 'Passion Way at 
 
 Annie S. Peck. Century (1895-6), 51 : 163 
 J. H. McMahon. Catb. World, 43 : 289 
 
 Wild, Sebastian 
 
 Passionsspiel. [In Kreis- und Stadtbibliothek zu 
 Augsburg. See Hartmann.] 
 
 Wirth, Ludwig 
 
 Die Oster- und Passionsspiele bis zum XVI Jahr- 
 hundert Beitrage zur Geschichte des deutschen 
 Dramas. 1889. 
 
 Wyl 
 
 Christus-Mayr. 
 Maitage in Ober-Ammergau. 
 
 [218] 
 
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