Description: "This book of biblical scholarship explores the passion story in its four very distinct Gospel versions alongside its musical appropriation by Johann Sebastian Bach's in his oratorio. It probes the founding myth of the Christian West as not merely the sacrifice of a god (by a god), but also the abandonment of a son by a father, due to a creation gone awry that left humanity to fend on its own"--
Review Quotes:
St. Matthew Passion stands as the deepest engagement with the Gospel narrative by a 20th century philosopher who is also a critic of religion. But its criticism lies not in conventionally-construed atheistic grounds (on which the narrative could easily be dismissed). Instead, it is a careful engagement of the texts in question that deserves careful consideration by anyone who cares about these texts.
-- "Journal for Continental Philosophy of Religion"