Peter loses patience and cuts off a man’s ear with his sword. The words of Christ are, again, briefly accompanied in an quasi-arioso style.

8

Evangelist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auf daß das Wort erfüllet würde, welches er sagte: “Ich habe der keine verloren, die du mir gegeben hast.” Da hatte Simon Petrus ein Schwert und zog es aus und schlug nach des Hohenpriesters Knecht und hieb ihm sein recht Ohr ab: und der Knecht hieß Malchus. 

Da spracht Jesus zu Petro:

 

That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake; “Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.” Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 

Then said Jesus to Peter:

 

  Christ “Stekke dein Schwert in die Scheide! Soll ich den Kelch nicht trinken, den mir mein Vater gegeben hat?”  “Put up thy sword into the sheath, the cup which my father hath given me, shall I not drink it?”

The words of this chorale are taken from Martin Luther’s own versification of the Lord’s Prayer. The melody, Vater unser in Himmelreich (Our Father which art in heaven) was also thought to have been written by Luther (1483-1546). The harmony is no more conventional than in no. 7, although most phrases do conclude with a perfect cadence. In the light of Peter’s actions in no. 8, the third line may be the reason for the choice of this particular stanza at this point.

9

Chorus

Chorale

Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott, zugleich 

auf Erden wie im Himmelreich.

Gib uns Geduld in Leidenszeit,

gehorsam sein in Lieb und Leid; 

wehr und steur allem Fleisch und Blut, 

das wider deinen Willen tut!

Your will be done, Lord God,

on earth as in heaven.

Grant us patience in time of suffering,

to be obedient in devotion and suffering;

defend and guide all flesh and blood,

which acts contrary to your will!

Christ is bound and led away to the house of Annas for questioning. Bach draws attention to the word umbracht (put to death) by setting it to a Neapolitan progression (a 17th century harmonic device consisting of a first inversion chord on the flattened supertonic, the effect of which is to suggest a modulation which is then not completed).

10

Evangelist

Die Schar aber und der Oberhauptmann und die Diener der Jüden nahmen Jesum und bunden ihn und führeten ihn aufs erste zu Hannas, der war Kaiphas Schwäher, welcher des Jahres Hohenpriester war. Es war aber Kaiphas, der den Juden riet, es wäre gut, daß ein Mensch würde umbracht für das Volk.

Then the band, and the captain, and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound him, and led him away to Annas first, for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year. Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

Bach interrupts the scene in Annas’s house as we hear now from the first of our four commentators who metaphorically links the physical binding of Christ to the sins which bind the Christian. The two obbligato oboe parts, which are in inextricably linked in the way in which they imitate each other, and are made up largely of suspensions, appoggiaturas and parallel movement, provide a close musical illustration of the concept of “binding”. The constantly moving continuo part gives the music energy. The words are almost unadulterated Brockes from his passion of 1712 mentioned previously.

11

Counter Tenor

Aria

Von den Strikken meiner Sünden mich zu entbinden, wird mein Heil gebunden. 

Mich von allen Lasterbeulen völlig zu heilen, läßt er sich verwunden.

To release me from the bonds of my sins, my saviour is bound.

To save me completely from all the plagues of vice, he submits to wounds.