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An interpretation
of the 'comforting veil' (Schweisstuch) from the Easter-oratory of J.S. Bach
(BWV 249)
[written around Easter 2002 for the bach-cantata
mailinglist www.bach-cantatas.com,
with many thanks to the contributing members]
I have to start with a confession: I am not particularly fond of BWV 249 as a
whole. But there is one exception (and that 's a full compensation) aria Mvt. 7
always touches me. I heard several versions of it but am still an advocate of
the first version I ever heard: Herreweghe with his beautiful sound: How well do the violins and recorders blend, what a un-earthly atmosphere he creates and then Mark Padmore
(a little tense, you can see it on the video, you can hear it, but that's good, it gives the performance that little
'extra') begins to sing: What music can do!
NB on the Herreweghe CD Mark Padmore is replaced by James
Taylor, don't know why.
The first time I hadn't the faintest idea what he was singing about. I heard the
words but could not make a whole sentence of it, let alone make sense of it. But
the message was clear (in musical language) and reached me: deeply felt joy,
comfort in and against death and suffering. While the music continues streaming,
this comfort is poured out over the listener like the
ointment over Jesus' feet. This is Bach at his best. [the fact that the original
text was about 'sheep', a pastoral first shocked me, but later reminded me of
psalm 23. So]
Later on I started to listen more carefully at the text (the videotape was not
subtitled, so I had to reconstruct it by myself) and I remember that even when I
was pretty sure that I had every word, I still was not able to
make much sense of it. The things I understood were: Jesus 'Schweisstuch' is
crucial. It is mentioned in the account of St. John. The recitativo (nr. 6) ends
with pointing to this 'Schweisstuch'.
But how the 'Schweisstuch' could spread so much joy and comfort to Peter [but at
that time I didn't know it was Peter, I thought it was 'the Christian believer
in general' (which of course also is true)]. And how on earth -or better in
heaven - did he get the idea of wiping off his tears with that 'Schweisstuch'.
How did the 'Schweisstuch' of death become a
comforting veil?
The answer? Well, I don't know it for sure, but I have some ideas, which I want
to propose to you. Curious of course whether you will agree or differ.My
first hint is the association with another very famous 'Schweisstuch', namely of Veronica. It seems
important. Francis Browne (who made a new translation in English) said that in English Veronica' napkin is referred to as
Veronica's veil, and that is why he choose to use the word veil. In German
and Dutch there is no problem: Schweisstuch/zweetdoek is used both for the
'piece of cloth' lying apart of the other linen clothes in Jesus' grave AND for
the 'piece of cloth' Veronica is said to have given to Jesus at the via dolorosa
to wipe of his face.
[By the way: The Greek word used in John 20: 7 is ‘soudarion’, which is the
Latin word: sudarium, which is the French word suaire. Veronica's veil in Latin
also is called 'sudarium'. I think that the linguistic chaos now is complete,
because AFAIK the French word 'suaire' is also used for the shroud of Turin...
This linguistic chaos reflects the chaos around the pseudo-historical adventures
of both Veronica's veil and Jesus' shroud. Art-historians, esp. the realm of
painting, have a hard job here!]
Why is the association important?
Because by blending the 'veil' of the grave and the 'veil' of Veronica together
to one 'veil' a whole history of healing and comforting power of a 'veil'
becomes apparent.
In the legend of Veronica [6th station of the 'Way of the Cross'] and her 'veil'
already two legends are blended into one story.
1. In the [apocryphal] Acta Pilati there is a anonymous woman who offers the
suffering Jesus a cloth to wipe of his face... later she is named: Veronica.
This is the 6th Station of the Road of the Cross.
2. In another legend King Abgar of Edessa is cured from an illness because he
looked at Jesus' portrait, which was send to him - on request - by Jesus himself
(painted by Abgar’s court painter 'to life' (with Jesus as a model) yes legends
dare to tread where angels...)
The last story had many local variants... In the end every self-respecting
Christian city had its own portrait of Jesus because of the illness of a king.
In one version even Tiberius plays the part of the ill king. It is this version
that ended up in the Legenda Aurea of Jac. de Voragine, the medieval source book
for legends. In the middle-ages (specialists in blending stories!) both the
woman and the veil are called veronica... Perhaps because Veronica can be read
as a misreading of vera-eikoon, the true image. In the 6th century the 'eikonoi
acheiropoieta' (the images of Christ, not made by man) appear > the famous face
of Jesus of the orthodox paintings. Jesus' face on a piece of cloth or a real
portrait, sometimes with, sometimes without the marks of his suffering became a
widespread object of veneration.
At the 6th Station of the Way of the Cross Veronica's gentleness was remembered.
But more important for our subject: Veronica became the comforter of suffering
people. She was called upon in pain and agony: DIE ZÄHREN MEINER PEIN,
TODESKUMMER.
Her 'veil' (sudarium) became one of the 'arma Christi', with
which Christ healed and saved his people. It is often depicted together with the
crown of thorns, the nails, the wips etc... They were considered powerful in
itself, because they could be linked immediately to Christ in his suffering.
My suggestion (hypothesis) is that in the Lutheran tradition at Bach's times (at
least in the mind of the scenarist of the Oster-Oratorium) there still was a
living tradition which had on the one side banned out the 'superstitio' around
the 'arma Christi' as objects, but at the same time had transferred the contents
of that faith and devotion to the 'verbal' images of the same. [I hope my
English is clear enough to make you understand my point].
The same procedure can be seen in the devotion of the cross. F.i. the famous
song: O haupt voll Blut und Wunden is the Protestant transcription of the
medieval devotion of the 'wounds of Jesus'. The 12th century Latin hymn and
Gerhard's poem can be easily compared. In the RC tradition the devotion also
materialised, in the Lutheran tradition it verbalised.
Conclusion: the comforting and healing power of Veronica's veil is transferred
to a biblical parallel: the seeing of the veil in Jesus' grave.
Enjoy life at Easter!
Nick Kaufman added later on a usefull remark about Jewish Burial
customs: The customs are observed much as they
were in Christ's time up until this day with burial in Jerusalem taking place
(by law) on the very same day as death (due to the sanctity of the Holy City).
Ritual purification (annointment) and the wrapping of the deceased in a number
of white shrouds occurs before burial. For an interesting explanation of the
ritual - the following site might be useful: http://www.jhom.com/topics/color/shrouds.htm
It would appear therefore that the
"Schweisstuch" is more likely to be the separate white hood which is placed over
the deceased's head prior to being buried.
----
Mystic Bach: another essay in
English about the allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs as a
background by Bachs music about God & Soul
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