Although the Gospels tell of Christ and his crucifixion, there always remain questions about Jesus’ divinity.The work begins with an aria by Jesus’ disciple and later betrayer Judas, in which he worries that Jesus has gone too far and that his message of love and peace is being distorted into a call for rebellion against the Roman rulers, who Judas is sure will destroy all of Israel. The scene then turns to Christ’s followers, who are excited about the upcoming entry into Jerusalem and sing out, “What’s the Buzz?” Meanwhile, the Jewish high priest Caiaphas meets with his council, who urge him to kill Jesus before the Romans lose their tempers. Caiaphas agrees; Jesus is a threat to the priests’ authority as much as that of the Romans. Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judea, is troubled by a recurring nightmare in which a haunted-looking man appears and is torn apart by a roomful of angry people who keep mentioning Pilate’s name. Pilate worries about the blame he would incur if ever such an event occurred. The scene then changes from Pilate to the rage of Jesus at finding the temple in Jerusalem filled with merchants and moneylenders.
Although the Gospels tell of Christ and his crucifixion, there always remain questions about Jesus’ divinity.The work begins with an aria by Jesus’ disciple and later betrayer Judas, in which he worries that Jesus has gone too far and that his message of love and peace is being distorted into a call for rebellion against the Roman rulers, who Judas is sure will destroy all of Israel. The scene then turns to Christ’s followers, who are excited about the upcoming entry into Jerusalem and sing out, “What’s the Buzz?” Meanwhile, the Jewish high priest Caiaphas meets with his council, who urge him to kill Jesus before the Romans lose their tempers. Caiaphas agrees; Jesus is a threat to the priests’ authority as much as that of the Romans. Pontius Pilate, the Roman procurator of Judea, is troubled by a recurring nightmare in which a haunted-looking man appears and is torn apart by a roomful of angry people who keep mentioning Pilate’s name. Pilate worries about the blame he would incur if ever such an event occurred. The scene then changes from Pilate to the rage of Jesus at finding the temple in Jerusalem filled with merchants and moneylenders.