Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Music Examples
- Foreword
- Preface
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Bach’s Material Treasures: Career, Salary, and Freelancing
- 2 The Servant Prince: Poverty of Christ: Three Days of Christmas (BWV 91, 197a, 248/I, 121, 151)
- 3 Mammon’s Chain: The Destructive and Redemptive Potentials of Material Wealth: Ninth Sunday after Trinity (BWV 105, 94, 168)
- 4 The Afflicted Shall Eat: Tables Are Turned in Eternity: First Sunday after Trinity (BWV 75, 20, 39)
- 5 Spiritual Manna: The Lord Embraces the Poor: Seventh Sunday after Trinity (BWV 186, 187)
- 6 ‘Blood Money’: The Coins that Bought Jesus’ Death: Good Friday (St Matthew Passion)
- 7 Bach’s Spiritual Treasures: Values and Priorities
- Bibliography
- Index of Biblical References
- General Index
4 - The Afflicted Shall Eat: Tables Are Turned in Eternity: First Sunday after Trinity (BWV 75, 20, 39)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2021
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Music Examples
- Foreword
- Preface
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Bach’s Material Treasures: Career, Salary, and Freelancing
- 2 The Servant Prince: Poverty of Christ: Three Days of Christmas (BWV 91, 197a, 248/I, 121, 151)
- 3 Mammon’s Chain: The Destructive and Redemptive Potentials of Material Wealth: Ninth Sunday after Trinity (BWV 105, 94, 168)
- 4 The Afflicted Shall Eat: Tables Are Turned in Eternity: First Sunday after Trinity (BWV 75, 20, 39)
- 5 Spiritual Manna: The Lord Embraces the Poor: Seventh Sunday after Trinity (BWV 186, 187)
- 6 ‘Blood Money’: The Coins that Bought Jesus’ Death: Good Friday (St Matthew Passion)
- 7 Bach’s Spiritual Treasures: Values and Priorities
- Bibliography
- Index of Biblical References
- General Index
Summary
Die Elenden sollen essen, das sie satt werden; und die nach den HErrn fragen, werden ihn preisen; euer Hertz sol ewiglich leben.
Psalm 22.26ACCORDING to the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16.19– 31), the choices that one makes on earth will yield consequences in heaven and the tables can even turn in eternity for the poor and rich alike. Three of Bach's cantatas, all composed for the First Sunday after Trinity (for which this parable served as the gospel reading), highlight this contrast: Die Elenden sollen essen (BWV 75), O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort (BWV 20), and Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot (BWV 39). Themes such as the poverty of Christ, the fleeting nature of earthly wealth, and Jesus as the greatest spiritual treasure reappear in these cantatas; the texts additionally reference spiritual poverty and caring for the poor. Jesus narrates the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in the Gospel of Luke:
Luke 16.19–31
And there was a rich man, who clothed himself in purple and costly linen, and lived every day off the fat of the land. And there was a poor man with the name Lazarus, who laid at his gate, full of sores, and desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: but the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the poor man died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; as he was now in hell and in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham from afar, and Lazarus in his bosom. [He] cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I suffer pain in this flame. But Abraham said, remember, son, that you received your good things in your lifetime, and Lazarus in contrast received evil things: but now he will be comforted, and you will be tormented. And upon all this, between us and you a great divide has been fixed: so that they who would want to go from here to you cannot; nor can they go from there to us.
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- Information
- J. S. Bach's Material and Spiritual TreasuresA Theological Perspective, pp. 115 - 146Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2021