… "And the government shall be upon his shoulders"
As I was getting up this morning, the local classical station was playing Handel's Messiah and that familiar phrase above is oft repeated, as I am sure you are well aware. It has always struck me as quite strange. I am hoping some of our musicological members can help me understand the meaning and intent of Handel giving that phrase such a prominent place in the work. Certainly, it seems to run counter to Christ's own teaching that we should "render under Caesar, the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's".
I am aware that our modern American notion of separation of church and state was not the case in the Europe of Handel's time. Also that the medieval church had maneuvered itself into the rather convenient arrangement with earthly Kings that their right to rule proceeded from God. Which was known as the divine right of kings. This fortuitous arrangement put the church officials in the position of validating earthly power as the manifestation of God's will. But all of that still doesn't quite square with the mantra, "and the government shall be upon his shoulders".
From everything I have ever learned Christ did not give a fig for earthly power. Is this as big a contradiction as it appears? Is Handel's Messiah a propaganda piece?
. Well, considering there is no substantiated proof Christ even existed I don't see how any of this is even a thing. Debating the writings of men in ancient history is silly in modern days. You cannot compare historic writings to the modern day when we know so much more than they did. They relied on religion for everything today we know better. Well, many of us do anyway.
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A simple article from a technological magazine about Christ historical more than probable fact here : https://bigthink.com/thinking/was-jesus-real/ and men of the past were not ignorant and in many case more awake than the North American average man today... Think about Nature and practical knowledge Think about spiritual experiences etc .. Now for technology listen to this stupendous documentary about the Barabar cave and try to make one with Bill Gates money : |
@waytoomuchstuff That is one of the nicest compliments to this group and I agree with you that this has been a good discussion and sharing. Special thanks also to @sargonicuse ! That opinion piece from the Times is great! I was slow to getting to read it but it gives real insight. I think there is a lesson to be learned, and I will just speak for myself here, but this also speaks to our most recent contributors to the thread. There was a tension about the intermingling of Church and State, probably more in Handel's time than in ours. (King George had just created his own state religion.) Handel at the time of the writing of the Messiah was in need of money and politically had been aligned firmly with the Anglican Church and the king of England who was his major patron. He seized on the text offered by one of his patrons and created a religious oratorio that turned out to be both artistic and monetary success. We know that religion was not likely the foremost thought in Handel's mind during this process. However, there were persuasive references from the Old Testament portions of the libretto that emphasized the linkage of earthly and heavenly power, and he chose to showcase those to the great approval of his king. George the third, who stood upon first hearing it as it was said he recognized it as "the national anthem of Heaven". Those of us schooled in the Christian tradition may find his elevation of the Old Testament over the words of Christ himself a bit perplexing, especially with regard to the importance of earthly power. Christ in several instances, made clear that "his kingdom was not of this world" despite the many Old Testament references and explicit declarations that he would rule physically in this world. The fact that the millennium has come and gone at which time it was appointed that Christ would return and take up the rule of his earthly kingdom has not deterred many who still believe this is what is in the cards, ignoring Christ's efforts to make clear that this was not really what he was about. The lesson: beware of Christians unduly emphasizing Old Testament over the New because their motivations might not be entirely "Christian". So that's what I learned today had Audiogon and I thank you all. As Forrest Gump would say "that's all I have to say about that". |
Speaking from a historical and literary context, the OP has inadvertently hit upon one of the great tensions of the old and new testament with this quote. Messiah was composed in 1741 during the reign of George II and takes this text from the King James version of the bible, published in 1611. The tension I speak of is the desire for a political messiah vs. the apolitical messiah of personal growth. For many, if we take the gospels as accurate, Jesus was not the messiah that was wanted. They wanted a messiah that centered the Israelites as a dominant political force. A new David or Moses was what was being asked, which Jesus was not about to be. I point this out because this tension, the need for divine right to rule never really goes away. Certainly not by Handel’s time. Honestly this argument, that Jesus was apolitical and our politics should be a-religious is quite modern. The separation of church and state in our founding documents was passionately argued for and against. No one was having an argument over whether Kings should be appointed by God or not, they were arguing whose version of God should be appointing kings, and hence the birth of the Church of England. AFAIK, those who supported King George II and those who opposed were often divided among religious labels. What’s the point? That a writer in these times might not have been keen on taking up the fight for the "true" Jesus/Messiah and their true place in political power anymore than we are willing to take up that fight now. Alluding that the then current political king of England as standing on the shoulders of Jesus seems quite normal for the time in which it was written. PS - I adhere to none of these religious beliefs and I only comment upon the undercurrents which might have resulted in this musical work. |
Thank you, @bruce19. I do hope that others take a chance to read this. One more outstanding presentation is the 2014 film docu-drama "Handel's Messiah" with Jane Seymour narrating. Available on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/9JuSAqLBjAM?si=GF9vsxFjISVl4wVW The performances, costumes, period settings, narration, and historical information are fascinating and excellent. Handel's complex relationship with Charles Jennens is shown as is his relationship with key musicians and singers. The confluence of multiple and seemingly disparate events that all cohered to make the first performance of The Messiah possible might well give one pause. |
