Hi, this is the online resource for all the materials we’ll be developing, at least through the 24th of March (the Wednesday before Palm Sunday).

UPDATE: Depending on popular demand, and how much progress we make through the abridged text, these sessions
may be extended through Easter, and we can cover some of the sections we missed. Thanks for all your participation!

NOTE: This website contains portions of copyrighted material transcribed and provided for private group study fair use only (see Acknowledgements page) .

BEGINNING WORDS

Welcome to a wonderful way into the Bible. Handel’s oratorio, Messiah, is one of the best-
loved musical compositions of all time. In this study we are going to take advantage of that
love and use it as an avenue into the biblical texts on which Messiah is based.

This course, adapted from Rev. Dr. Carol M. Bechtel’s Kerygma course, is designed to deepen
our appreciation of both the words and the music of Handel’s masterpiece. Because it is primarily
a Bible study curriculum, our focus will naturally be on the Boble. Yet it would be a waste of
resources to concentrate only on the biblical texts without some attention to how they are inter-
preted musically in Messiah. So, we will be exploring both. The good news is that you do not
have to be an expert in either music or Sacred Scripture to benefit from this course. The only
real requirements are that you have:

a genuine interest in learning more about the Bible,

a desire to appreciate Handel’s Messiah more deeply,

a commitment to read and study the materials provided at each session, and

a commitment to attend as many of the Wednesday sessions as possible:

January 27 (we are off 1st Wednesday, Feb. 3)
February 10 (we are off Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17)
February 24 (we are off 1st Wednesday again, Mar 3)
March 10
March 17
March 24 (the Wednesday preceding Palm Sunday).

If you can meet these requirements then you’ve already taken the first step on our adventure
together! At the very least we believe we can promise you that you will never listen to Handel’s
great oratorio quite the same way again. At most, we hope your faith will be enriched by a
deeper appreciation of both the words and the music to this profoundly spiritual oratorio.

Overview

Messiah has three main sections:

Part I deals with the prophecy and birth of the Messiah.
Part II reflects on the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Part III anticipates the redemption of the world through faith.

The study guide parallels the structure of the oratorio itself. The printed guide originally
comprises two units (the first spanning four sessions for Part I (Advent and Christmas)—
the second spanning six more sessions for Parts II & III (Lent and Easter)). Our six-session
schedule will require us to somewhat foreshorten our study. As of this writing, we may
devote our first two sessions to Part I, and the final four to Parts II and III, abbreviating or
cutting where it might make the most sense. While the original guide did not cover every
biblical text quoted in Messiah, the texts for all of the major choruses are included, as well
as those of the most popular airs (arias or songs). Most importantly, the basic “plot” of
Messiah is preserved, since the sessions follow the flow of the libretto. At the end of the
study, participants ought to have the sense that they have experienced the drama of re-
demption from inception to consummation.

Preparing for our Group Sessions

All session materials (both in print (via handout) and transcribed online here) have certain
features in common. Each will include a Summary, a list of Messiah References, a list of
Basic Bible References, and a Word List (a sort of thumbnail “callout” of key figures, places,
or concepts that will help jog your memory and provide context and background). As much as
possible, we’ll transcribe the entire text of the study guide here as we go, but only hand out small
portions of it to save paper, ink, and clutter. The guide runs a full 120 pages!

As you work your way thrugh the material for each session, here are a few suggestions
for making the most of your time. Read the Summary first. Then read the chapter here (or a
printed copy), noting which selections from Messiah are featured. Refer to your own Bible as
necessary, especially with regard to the Basic Bible References. Other biblical references will
be made from time to time, and you are encouraged to take a few extra moments to look at these
verses. Those marked “read” are fairly important; those marked “see” provide further support
or examples for the point being elaborated. Next, work through as many of the items in the section
entitled “For Further Study and Reflection” as you have time for or interest in. The first part of this
section recommends texts to be included in your “Memory Bank.” These are familiar passages
that are so central to knowledge of Scripture that you should be able to recall their content or to
recite them. The second part suggests “Research” projects which will enrich your grasp of the
material, but are not essential. Lastly, there are comments and questions for “Reflection”
which will challenge you to explore further the issues raised in the session.

Last but not least, you may wish to listen to a recording of those pieces from Messiah that are
featured in the session. Remember, however, that we hope to spend some time listening at
our sessions. As a supplement to this, this website will provide easy links to YouTube versions
of these pieces (and there are many!). On a separate page you’ll (eventually) find a transcription
of Appendix A from the printed study guide. It has been prepared by Dr. Robert Page, Director
of Choral Music at Carnegie Mellon University (1995) and Director of the Pittsburgh Mendelssohn
choir (watch for clips of Dr. Page via links to YouTube pages). Dr. Page has conducted Messiah
numerous times over the years with a number of America’s outstanding symphony orchestras
and has made it part of his life-long study. An index (or links) to help locate his comments on
the various selections will be found on this website.

Another guide for your personal enrichment, which we will definitely provide on paper (only 5
pages), is the entire libretto to Messiah. This will give you the opportunity to see how it all fits
together, in addition to the individual extracts that appear in each session. The libretto also
lists the Scripture citations for every number, including those that will not be covered individually.

One last word of explanation, plus a note about recordings. Since the text of Handel’s oratorio is
taken mainly from the King James Version, quotes from the libretto retain this translation. However,
direct references to Scripture will use quotes fron the New Revised Standard Version. For your own
study, the NSRV, the New Jerusalem Bible, and the New International Version are all good choices,
which will make it easier to understand what is being said.

Regarding recordings of Messiah, you’ll be pleased to know we have the London recording with Solti,
The Chicago Symphony and Chorus, with TeKanawa, Gjevang, Lewis, and Howell, soloists. The
numbering of the musical selections in this guide matches this recording. Look for links to these
selections, where available on YouTube or elsewhere, as this website expands, with the understanding
that this is fair use for purposes of study, and the links will expire or be removed at the completion of
our journey.

(more on the next page)