(Times of Israel) Johann Sebastian Bach, the 18th-century German composer and musician, is considered one of the greatest classical music composers — by many, the greatest — of all time, but a number of his cantatas and librettos reveal that he agreed with the Gospel of John, that the Jews were liars and murderers:
The choral accompaniments are based on the anti-Semitism inherent in the Lutheran Church of the period as proclaimed by Martin Luther, a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation and a staunch anti-Semite.
“In some cases, it is explicit and people sometimes don’t know it because it’s in German,” said Michael Marissen, the Daniel Underhill Professor Emeritus of Music at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. “Some people say it’s the music that counts, but I think that’s ethically lazy.”
Marissen is a scholar of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and classical European music, and he has written several books on Bach and Handel, including: “Bach & God,” “Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach’s St. John Passion,” and “Tainted Glory in Handel’s Messiah…”
…Marissen said he became interested in the anti-Semitic references permeating Bach’s musicalization of the Gospel of St. John in 1995 after controversy at Swarthmore over a performance of Bach’s “St. John Passion” exploded in protests that spread elsewhere.
The orchestral and choral work “is about Jesus’ faith, but it uses the terms ‘the Jews did this, the Jews murdered Jesus, the Jews, the Jews, the Jews,’” particularly as the chief instigators of Jesus’ crucifixion, Marissen told NJJN in a phone interview from his Manhattan home.
The discussions swirling around the performance prompted Marissen, who is not Jewish, to conduct research and write “Lutheranism, Anti-Judaism, and Bach’s St. John Passion.”
“St. John Passion” is filled with “biblical allusions,” Marissen said, citing the lines, “They will put you under the ban” and “They will kill you and think they are doing so in the service of God”; these quotes from the Gospel of John refer to Jesus’ warning his followers of actions that will be taken against them by the Jews, planting seeds of anti-Jewish attitudes.
“Some of my colleagues say that Christians are a diverse group and of course there are some disagreements with Jews,” he said. “Disagreements are not a problem, but calling Jews murderers and liars is. A problem with the gospel is that it says Jews are murderers and liars by nature.”
Marissen spends much of his time presenting lectures at concerts, sometimes along with Jewish or Christian clergy, to illustrate instances of anti-Semitic tropes in the works being played and place them in a modern context.
“A few people say these works shouldn’t be performed anymore, while others say they should, but that we should talk about it,” Marissen said. He endorses the latter approach; the music should continue to be performed in concerts, he said, “but we should view them as an educational opportunity.”
This is a perfect example of how Jews tear down icons of western Christian culture — which they themselves are completely incapable of creating — on the mere pretext of political correctness.
Of all the writings of the New Testament, the Jews hate the Gospel of John the most as it clearly exposes their lies, hypocrisy, and murderous intent — which is why they are demanding that many passages be censored.
Any Christian who bothers to read the New Testament would have to go out of their way to miss how Christ rebukes the Jews at every turn — nowhere can you find one example where Christ praises the Jews for any reason whatsoever.
And that, apparently, is J.S. Bach’s great “sin” — he took John’s words to heart when he wrote that the Jews were murderers from the beginning.
Bach did nothing more than trust that Christ was telling the truth, a trust which makes Bach an “antisemite” — and “taints” the greatness of his musical accomplishments.
Bach, of course, was a devout Christian and inscribed each of his musical manuscripts with “S.D.G.” an abbreviation for “Soli Deo Gloria” or “for the glory of God.”
Nothing that the Jews have ever produced was created for the glory of God, and it shows.
There is no jewish J.S. Bach — and there never will be — because we can hear God’s voice only through His children — the vessels of mercy — not through vessels of destruction.
I needed evidence that Jesus was who He said He was. At the Music Conservatory we were analyzing the Bach Chorales. One of the students said, “This is mathematically perfect!”, and another student asked the Music Theory professor, “Where did Bach get the notes?” The Music Theory Professor stuck his hand up in the air and made a fist with his fingers and said, “He grabbed the notes out of the air.”
A few years later I had moved to Texas and was looking for answers in life. I started reading a Bible and was looking for things I could disprove. I could find nothing. I returned to work after two weeks of reading the Bible. The people at the store where I worked saw a change in me after reading the Bible and having an encounter with Jesus. I gave my life to Jesus at the store after a silent prayer to God to reveal to me if Jesus really is Who He said He was.
I then thought of the Professor’s response to the second student and thought, no, Bach did not simply “grab the notes from the air”- I reasoned that Jesus plugged Bach into God, who gave him those notes from heaven. Evidence of The Messiahship of Jesus. I took that step of faith and accepted Jesus. CONFIRMATION! Despite Bach’s personality flaws and Martin Luther’s as well, God still used them in a mighty way to help direct people’s hearts to the lover of our soul.
God works in mysterious ways! Martin Luther who broke away from the Catholic Church, basically opened up Europe to the Bible. Originally he was not anti Semitic, but later in his life he became bitter towards Jews. He wrote terrible things against them and chose to live in an area where there were no Jews.
Very sad that he went against the Bible when he did that and planted seeds of hate in his later writings which poisoned the Church with hate, and kept it from understanding that they owe their salvation to the Jewish people/ Jesus being the King of The Jews.
GB, do you know why Luther began speaking out against the Jews? A Jew told Martin Luther what was written in their “holy” book, the Talmud, about “gentiles” and Jesus Christ. He became outraged, and if you actually took the time to read what is in the Talmud, you would feel the same way. The Jews do not follow the Bible. They follow the Talmud, which is the oral tradition of the elders, which Jesus vehemently spoke out against. Luther was doing God’s work by exposing them.
I strongly recommend you read about the Talmud here:
http://come-and-hear.com/dilling/index.html
And before you call Luther a “hater”, you at least should take the time to read his well-reasoned book “The Jews and Their Lies” about the Talmud:
https://christiansfortruth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/The-Jews-And-Their-Lies.pdf
And no, we do not owe our salvation to the Jewish people. Jesus was not a “Jew”, rather he was from the tribe of Judah. Today’s Jews are not from Judah, they are imposters. If you really want to understand your Bible, you must understand this. Today’s Jews are not the same people as the Israelites in Judea who wrote the Gospels. Read:
https://christiansfortruth.com/who-are-jews/
GB ….. Clearly you are a first time Visitor of CFT.
Please take heed to Kevin’s admonition and spend some time here reading the articles. Great resources are available here.
Hope you stick around and learn.
John 8-44 SAYS IT ALL ABOUT THE EVIL NATURE OF THE JEW. In the brutally CLEAR language of the 44 words of JOHN-8-44 – Jesus spoke to the jews who would soon have Him murdered. He spoke clearly and comprehensively – in words that school child could understand – no parables no trick double- meanings – JUST HARD UGLY TRUTH! Of importance is the fact that Jesus states that Satan is LIAR and a MURDERER – and here is The phrase that ties it ALL together. He ( Jesus) says to these horrid demons these final words.
He says this: “THE LUSTS OF THEIR FATHER (THE DEVIL) THEY ( the JEWS) WILL DO”
Jesus did NOT say that the jews would think about doing or occasionally do – but that they WOULD do! CLEARLY HE exposed these parasites as COMPULSIVE liars and murderers! I rest my case
Music to my ears! play on.
What the anti Canaanite, anti Amalekim are offended. Jesus told you their will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. You will be a hissing among the nations. God layout your blessings and your curses. Yes you were cursed by God. Its in the Torah. Perhaps an ex Jew not a Jew for Jesus but the apostle Paul just a Christian said: The Jews are the enemy of all mankind. Jews for Jesus brigade are Pentecostal deceivers of note they like that privileged position of a Jew for Jesus.
Well I am just a Christian in whom their is no Jew or gentile distinction. So sorry but we no longer want your wall of segregation. Jews for Christ must come to the party or have your own. I take no teaching from them as they a quick to be arrogant and full of venom when you do not bow to their demands of superiority. So are we to expect they will censor our bible. Good luck from the Church our kingdom will not be overcome, Schmucks. You forfeited your birth right and now you are still crying victim 2000 yrs laters.
Give back the Palestinian land and pay reperations. BDS for me as I never buy good made in Turkey oops I mean Israel. Non Kosher tax as I reject rabbinic forced tax at till point. What absolute scum they think they are on top but pride goes before an almighty fall. I am anti usary and all who use the system. Intrest free banks free of Jedeo/ Masonic dominance please.
Oy vey! We must dig up his grave and remove ALL of his music from stores.
Truth hurts, huh? And the Bible is 110% Truth with a capital T.
[remember too, John was the ‘apostle who Jesus loved’ – a special affinity existed between the two. Wonder if John’s truth-telling had anything to do with that?
The scholar’s argument here is clearly not with Bach, but rather with the words of Christ, as recorded in John’s Gospel. Bach merely carried the spirit of Jesus’ words in accompaniment with his compositions. Once again, Christ and Christians are manifest as the anti-Semitic enemies of Jewry.
Queue up “Fugue in D Minor” 😉
It’s strange that so many famous geniuses who dominated their fields also happened to be antisemites. If we are to believe the Jews, antisemites are all unemployed and living in their parents’ basements. It must be depressing for Jews when they find out yet another great genius whom they admire has some unpleasant things to say about Jews. It must be a conspiracy.
I am simply amazed that I had been devoid of this particular knowledge concerning one of my favorite classical composers! Bach has now skyrocketed to the top of my favorite musicians list! This is such wonderful inspiration for me musically. Praise Yahweh!