Granted, it's not quite the right time, a few weeks before Christmas once again fall back on Good Friday. But some issues are just a perennial favorite. In particular, the discussion about the Catholic Church and its alleged anti-Semitism, which is kept alive only by certain interest to you. As a church musician is it an honor and a pleasure to help shape appropriate to the liturgical year in my service to communities, and through the music tone be some-what to the naked word alone may can not be said enough.
Every year I care, however, already weeks before the Good Friday across a song that spoils the joy of Easter something. No, not the song itself, but rather the inevitable discussion about who ordered as either breaks out on Holy Thursday, or the cantor haunting immediately after the Good Friday liturgy. We are talking about the Improperia .
The Improperia, Latin allegations, complaints are words put together in alternating song from events of the Old Testament and the Passion of Christ, in a way analogous to the later crossroads , the Savior will be placed on the cross in the mouth . Your Origin is probably in the Mozarabic liturgy. They are sung in an ancient Gregorian melody, which is recorded but only the 1474 Roman Missal. An exception is the liturgy of the Sistine Chapel, where they are singing since 1560 in a fauxbourdon processing of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina. The usual praise of God with us eingedeutschte version (GL 206) is the Gregorian to strongly - and not without its problems - reduced.
The transfer of the Latin text reads:
At first glance, quite an anti-Semitic interpretation is possible, and it should not be forgotten that it is in the course of church history certainly come to such a "Eisegese. Understandably, being built on this and the background of recent German history, a certain uneasiness in the consideration of this text. A member of Schola, which I have passed years ago, refused to very involved with the reference to a Benedictine monastery that this song was completely abolished, as "obsolete" anti-Semitic tones in the liturgy were.
Now one can certainly attest to these sisters a good will - but a devastating lack of theological knowledge like this. Who will judge this song may not stand still on Good Friday, but must be the entire work of Christ, and especially remember the days from Palm Sunday to the resurrection also.
The transfer of the Latin text reads:
My people have what I done to you, I'm only making
have you?
Answer me.
from slavery in Egypt habe ich dich herausgeführt.
Du aber bereitest das Kreuz deinem Erlöser.
Heiliger Gott.Vierzig Jahre habe ich dich geleitet durch die Wüste.
Heiliger, starker Gott.
Heiliger, starker, unsterblicher Gott, erbarme dich unser.
Ich habe dich mit Manna gespeist
und dich hineingeführt in das Land der Verheißung.
Du aber bereitest das Kreuz deinem Erlöser.
Was hätte ich dir mehr tun sollen und tat es nicht?
Als meinen erlesenen Weinberg pflanzte ich dich,
du aber brachtest mir bittere Trauben,
du hast mich in meinem Durst mit Essig getränkt
und pierced with a lance thy Redeemer the page.
your sake I have beaten
Egypt and its firstborn
but you have beaten me and handed down the death.
- A: My people ...
I've brought out of Egypt and Pharaoh
can sink in the Red Sea,
you but I handed the chief priests.
- A: My people ...
I have set before thee blazed a path through the sea, but you have
opened by a lance my page.
- A: My people ...
In a pillar of cloud, I am pulled forward to you, but you have me
brought before the tribunal of Pilate.
- A: My people ...
I have fed thee with manna in the desert, but
you got me in the face
and castigated me.
- A: My people ...
I gave you to drink water from the rock and saved you, but you have
impregnated me with gall and vinegar.
- A: My people ...
your sake I struck the kings of Canaan,
you hit me but with a tube on my head.
- A: My people ...
I gave you a royal scepter in hand, but you
hast crowned with a crown of thorns.
- A: My people ...
I raised up and equipped with great power, but you
me higher on the wood of the cross.
- A: My people ...
At first glance, quite an anti-Semitic interpretation is possible, and it should not be forgotten that it is in the course of church history certainly come to such a "Eisegese. Understandably, being built on this and the background of recent German history, a certain uneasiness in the consideration of this text. A member of Schola, which I have passed years ago, refused to very involved with the reference to a Benedictine monastery that this song was completely abolished, as "obsolete" anti-Semitic tones in the liturgy were.
Now one can certainly attest to these sisters a good will - but a devastating lack of theological knowledge like this. Who will judge this song may not stand still on Good Friday, but must be the entire work of Christ, and especially remember the days from Palm Sunday to the resurrection also.
Are the Improperia a reproach to the synagogue? Or even to the Jews living today? Absolutely not! Who wants to celebrate Easter, bear in mind, why the atoning death of Jesus took upon himself. The doctrine of the atoning death of Christ goes back to Paul, but is then absorbed first by Augustine, who developed the doctrine of original sin: Adam, the forefather of mankind has turned away from God by sin. Since then, the sin between God and man. One can say that sin is the deliberate avoidance of a greater good, by the Creator, towards the lower right, the creation. The dance around the golden calf in the Old Testament, then clearly the symbol of this trend. In order to expiate the guilt of humanity, must offer to God his own son as a sacrifice for mankind would not be able to Burden of their sins to bear alone. This first very difficult "Satisfaktionslehre" developed by Anselm of Canterbury in detail. We recently were able to do that even had the president of the German Bishops' Conference his hands full, to explain the death of Christ. It was not simply a "solidarity" dying "with us", but a dying " for us." What a difference! Bad that bishops apparently no longer in a position to explain the very basics of our faith.
If we therefore take into account this background, and consider which texts shape the liturgy of the Easter Vigil, we must be reasonable, that with "my people" not the time or the Jews living today were meant. But we are all meant.
is particularly evident, when we ¹ Improperia with the Old Testament texts of the Easter Vigil and the response read Psalms to speak, "Praise the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, how great thou art!" - "You, Lord, give me the portion and my cup, You hold my fate in your hands." - "I sing a song to the Lord, for He is Exalted" - "I praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me from the depth and does not let my enemies triumph over me."
The Psalms speak not in the Man form, but I myself am before the Lord and thank him for his kindness. The Church of Christ singing the praises of the eternal God. Directly in front of the Prayer be struck, a bridge between the saving acts of God in the Old Testament, the sacrifice of Christ and thus the fulfillment of the promise in the New Testament. At the same time this prayer also offers a summary of my previous remarks:
Lord our God, through the writings of the Old and New Testaments you lead us into the mystery of this holy night. Open our eyes to the work of Thy mercy and grace of this gift to us through the Easter Vigil, the firm confidence that our life in your Glory is completed.the actions of the Saviour on the Cross are not only to the people of Israel or Jews in general terms, but they stand in the tradition of the prophets who warned the people in view of the saving acts of God, to conversion and penance (see, for B. Micah 6 or Isaiah 5). Further evidence is found in songs like "O head, covered with blood and wounds" (GL 179, 4 and 5), where the whole question of sin, atonement and redemption is expressed:
What have you, Lord, endures Everything is my burden.
I, I'm indebted to endure what you have. [...]
I thank you from my heart, O Jesus, dearest friend,
für deines Todes Schmerzen, da du's so gut gemeint.
Wer also in einem Anfall von political correctness in den Improperien Antisemitismus verortet, ist auf einem ausgesprochenem Holzweg. Ja, es liegt sogar die Gefahr nahe, durch eine Schuldzuweisung an die Juden sich gewissermaßen selbst auf dem bequemsten Weg freizusprechen. Das Heilwerk Christi kann nur feiern, wer sich seines eigenen Versagens vor Gott bewusst ist; zu verstehen versucht, welche Liebestat seine Hingabe am Kreuz war, die den ewigen Tod für immer besiegt hat. Die Improperien sind dazu ein Aufruf an mich persönlich. Und an jeden von uns!
¹) Textauszüge Not as an example, here Year A
0 comments:
Post a Comment