No More Learning

What is the crime of this most peaceful man?
Why should He thus be barbarously used
And persecuted even unto death
By these inhuman and relentless men?
Dost Thou delight from Thine Olympus, Lord,
To look on suffering virtue? Is to Thee
The object sacred? To the heart of men,
That is not of humanity devoid,
It is most awful, wondrous, and endearing;
But He who formed the stars, can He admire
And wonder? No, far too sublime is He
To admiration ever scope to give!
Yet th' object must e'en to the God of Gods
Be sacred, else He never could permit
That thus the good and guiltless be oppress'd.
My tears of pity and compassion flow,
But thou discernest suffering virtue's tears
That flow in secret and to Thee appeal.
Great God of Gods, reward and if Thou canst,
Admire the magnanimity He shows. "

Peter, in deep distress, tells John he has denied his Master, then
departs and deplores his guilt.


_V. --The Day of Oblation_

Eloah welcomes the returning morn with a hymn, and hails the Day of
the Atonement, precious, fair day of oblation, sent by Love Divine.

The Messiah is led to Pilate, and is accused by Caiaphas and Philo.
Judas, in despair, destroys himself. Jesus is sent to Herod, who,
expecting to see a miracle, is disappointed.
After being treated with
derision, Jesus is sent back to Pilate, who seeks to save Him, but is
persuaded to release Barabbas. Jesus is scourged, arrayed in a purple
robe, crowned with thorns, and delivered to the priests, who cause Him
to be led to crucifixion. Eloah descends from the throne and proclaims
that the Redeemer is led to death, on which the angels of the earth
form a circle round Mount Calvary. Jesus is nailed to the cross. One
of the two thieves crucified with Him is converted. Uriel places a
planet before the sun to obscure the dreadful scene on Calvary, and
then conducts to earth the souls of all future generations of mankind.

The Angel of Death descends to address Jesus, Who dies. The earth
shakes, the veil of the Temple is rent, the Old Testament saints are
raised. The converted thief dies. Joseph of Arimathea begs the body
of Jesus, and he and Nicodemus wrap it in spices and perform the
interment. Mary and some devout women meet in John's house, to which
Nicodemus brings the crown of thorns taken from the body at burial.
The interment is solemnised by choirs of risen saints and angels.


FOOTNOTES:

[R] Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, who was born at Quedlinburg
on July 2, 1724, and died on March 14, 1803, was one of Germany's
most famous eighteenth century poets. While studying theology at Jena
University, he conceived the idea of a great spiritual epic, and
actually planned in prose the first three cantos of "The Messiah,"
which he afterwards finished at Leipzig. These were published
anonymously in the _Bremische Beitrage_ in 1748, the remaining five
appearing in 1773. Although the poem perhaps lacks in unity of
conception and precision of style, it contains many noble passages
that are admitted by critics to mark a very high order of lyrical
genius.