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The Cambridge Clare College
Choir from London performs
here, conducted by Timothy
Brown. It's from the CD
titled Stainer: The Crucifixion.
This massive work is among
the most popular English
choral compositions of
all time - Naxos label, 2005.
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This is the "classic" death
song from Roman Catholic
rite, lightened up some here
by Soloist and Director
Alessio Randon and the
addition of a female vocal
ensemble - Aurora Surgit.
The album title is
Ego Sum Resurectio -
released by Naxos in '96.
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Here's a different sort of
take on the subject, from
Glenn Yarbrough, a folk/pop
legend from the 60's.
It's on a 2005 CD of his
best stuff titled Jubilee,
on the Rhino/Warner Bros.
label.
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From THE URANTIA BOOK
Part IV, 187, 2
It was the custom to remove all clothes from those who were to be crucified,
but since the Jews greatly objected to the public exposure of the naked human form, the Romans always provided a suitable loin cloth for all persons crucified at Jerusalem. Accordingly, after Jesus' clothes had been removed, he was thus garbed before he was put upon the cross.
Crucifixion was resorted to in order to provide a cruel and lingering punishment,
the victim sometimes not dying for several days. There was considerable sentiment against crucifixion in Jerusalem, and there existed a society of Jewish women who always sent a representative to crucifixions for the purpose of offering drugged wine to the victim in order to lessen his suffering. But when Jesus tasted this narcotized wine, as thirsty as he was, he refused to drink it. The Master chose to retain his human consciousness until the very end. He desired to meet death, even in this cruel and inhuman form, and conquer it by voluntary submission to the full human experience.
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Before Jesus was put on his cross,
the two brigands had already been placed on their crosses, all the while cursing and spitting upon their executioners. Jesus' only words, as they nailed him to the crossbeam, were, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." He could not have so mercifully and lovingly interceded for his executioners if such thoughts of affectionate devotion had not been the mainspring of all his life of unselfish service. The ideas, motives, and longings
of a lifetime are openly revealed in a crisis.
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After the Master was hoisted on the cross,
the captain nailed the title up above his head, and it read in three languages, "Jesus of Nazareth—the King of the Jews." The Jews were infuriated by this believed insult. But Pilate was chafed by their disrespectful manner; he felt he had been intimidated and humiliated, and he took this method of obtaining petty revenge. He could have written "Jesus, a rebel." But he well knew how these Jerusalem Jews detested the very name of Nazareth, and he was determined thus to humiliate them. He knew that they would also be cut to the very quick by seeing this executed Galilean called
"The King of the Jews."
Many of the Jewish leaders, when they learned how Pilate
had sought to deride them by placing this inscription on the cross of Jesus, hastened out to Golgotha, but they dared not attempt to remove it since the Roman soldiers were standing on guard. Not being able to remove the title, these leaders mingled with the crowd and did their utmost to incite derision and ridicule, lest any give
serious regard to the inscription.
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The Apostle John, with Mary the mother of Jesus, Ruth, and Jude,
arrived on the scene just after Jesus had been hoisted to his position on the cross, and just as the captain was nailing the title above the Master's head. John was the only one of the eleven apostles to witness the crucifixion, and even he was not present all of the time since he ran into Jerusalem to bring back his mother and her friends soon after he had brought Jesus' mother to the scene.
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As Jesus saw his mother, with John and his brother and sister,
he smiled but said nothing. Meanwhile the four soldiers assigned to the Master's crucifixion, as was the custom, had divided his clothes among them, one taking the sandals, one the turban, one the girdle, and the fourth the cloak. This left the tunic, or seamless vestment reaching down to near the knees, to be cut up into four pieces, but when the soldiers saw what an unusual garment it was, they decided to cast lots for it. Jesus looked down on them while they divided his garments, and the thoughtless crowd jeered at him.
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It was well that the Roman soldiers took possession of the Master's clothing.
Otherwise, if his followers had gained possession of these garments, they would have been tempted to resort to superstitious relic worship. The Master desired that his followers should have nothing material to associate with his life on earth. He wanted to leave mankind only the memory of a human life dedicated to the high spiritual ideal of being consecrated
to doing the Father's will.
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"The Old Rugged Cross"
The song was written in 1912 by evangelist George Bennard.
We have three country artists performing here, all with a "checkered"
past, which seems appropriate today for a number of reasons. On the left
is Merle Haggard, with a cut from his '94 CD on the Geffen label -
What A Friend We Have In Jesus. In the center is country icon Johnny Cash,
and the album is Just As I Am, put out in '06 on VANGUARD.
On the right is George Jones, with the song off his 2011 release on
Time-Life Music: Stars In My Crown - The Sacred Collection.
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The poet Heine once had a vision of
the gods holding banquet on high Olympus.
To that feast came a wan Figure bearing a cross
which he laid down amongst the flowers,
whereupon every god sunk
shamefacedly away.
Robert Nelson Spencer
Co-author, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save"
(The Navy Hymn)
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