With the 21st century audience in mind, the scholarship in this book focuses on how Johann Sebastian Bach used his compositional creativity to interpret the message of the Johannine passion narrative from a Lutheran perspective.

The book begins by introducing St. John Passion in terms of its ongoing importance and relevance by providing a brief historical context as well as exploring its enduring legacy. It provides an update on important points of biblical and theological scholarship for the libretto itself. The book then focuses on the performance history of the work, featuring fresh translations of the libretto along with musical and theological commentary for each of the forty movements and highlighting Bach’s compositional creativity. The book also deals with important questions regarding the Gospel of John, Martin Luther’s theology, and questions about anti-Judaism and antisemitism in the libretto.