Second Day of Easter.

Poet unknown; PT (Leipzig, 1724); Facs: Neumann T, p. 429; PT (Leipzig, 1731); Facs: Neumann T, p. 440.

6. Verse 3 of &Christus ist erstanden,& Passau, c. 1090 (Wackernagel, II, #948).

10 April 1724 and 26 March 1731, Leipzig; Parody: 1-5 <--- BWV 66a/1-4, 8.

BG 16; NBA I/10.

Dialogue

Fear (A) and Hope (T)

1. Chorus (S, A, T, B)

Rejoice, all ye spirits,
Depart, all ye sorrows,
Alive is our Savior and ruling in you.
Ye can now dispel all

That grieving, that fearing, that faint-hearted anguish,
Our Savior restoreth his rule o'er the soul.

2. Recit. (B)

The grave is broken and therewith our woe,
My mouth doth publish God's own labors;
Our Savior lives, and thus in woe and death
For faithful folk is all made perfect.

3. Aria (B)

Raise to the Highest a song of thanksgiving
For his dear mercy and lasting good faith.

Jesus appeareth with peace to endow us,
Jesus now summons us in life to join him,
Daily is his gracious mercy made new.

4. Recit. and Arioso (T, A) Hope and Fear

(Hope)
In Jesus' life to live with joy
Is to our breast a brilliant ray of sun.
With comfort filled to look upon their Savior,
And in themselves to build a heav'nly kingdom
Of all true Christians is the wealth.
But since I here possess a heav'nly rapture,
My soul doth seek here its true joy and rest;
My Savior clearly calls to me: "My grave and dying bring you living,
My rising is your true hope."
My mouth indeed would bring an off'ring,
My Savior, though so small,
Though meager, though so very little,
It will to thee, O mighty victor, come,
When I bring thee a song of thanks and triumph.

(Hope and Fear)
{Mine/No} eye hath seen the Savior raised from sleep,
Him holdeth {not/hat} that death in bondage.
(Hope)
What? Can yet fear in any breast arise?

(Fear)
Can then the grave give up the dead?

(Hope)
If God within a grave be lying,
The grave and death constrain him not.

(Fear)
Ah God! Thou who o'er death art victor,
For thee the tombstone yields, the seal doth break,
I trust thee, but support my weakness,
Thou canst my faith make stronger;
Subdue me and my weak and doubting heart;
The God of wondrous works
Hath this my soul with comfort's might so strengthened,
That it the resurrected Jesus knoweth.

5. Aria (A, T) Fear and Hope

(Fear and Hope)
I {feared in truth/feared no whit} the grave and all its darkness
And {made complaint/kept my hope} my rescue was {now/not} stolen.

Now is my heart made full of hope,
And though a foe should show his wrath,
I'll find in God victorious triumph.

6. Chorale (S, A, T, B)

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
For this we all shall be glad:
Christ shall be our true comfort.
Kyrie eleis.

© Copyright  Z. Philip Ambrose

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