Jesus of Nazareth and Other Writings

This collection features Richard Wagner's writings, including Jesus of Nazareth, reflecting his revolutionary ideals and artistic vision in a tumultuous era.

Near the end of his life, Richard Wagner oversaw the publication of his collected writings, offering a comprehensive exploration of his views on art and politics from his early years through to his final achievements. This volume brings together some of the most insightful pieces from his extensive body of work. Following his death, additional writings were uncovered, revealing thoughts that he had either forgotten, misplaced, or chosen not to include in his original collections. This edition, part of a reprint series by the University of Nebraska Press, showcases the most remarkable of these writings.

The central piece, Jesus of Nazareth, was penned in 1848 or 1849, coinciding with a period of significant revolutionary activity across Europe. In this work, Wagner articulates his revolutionary ideals, drawing parallels between his struggles and those of Jesus and the early Church. Wagner viewed Jesus as a figure of rebellion against established authority, mirroring his own artistic and political challenges.

Opening the collection is the poem Siegfried’s Death, written in the same revolutionary year of 1848, which set the stage for his renowned operatic cycle, Der Ring des Nibelungen. Portions of this poem later found their way into the fourth opera of the cycle, Gotterdammerung, highlighting both continuity and divergence in Wagner's creative evolution. The essays included in this volume, particularly those he chose to exclude from his earlier collections, provide crucial insights into his revolutionary mindset and the complexities of his later life, including his essay titled The Revolution, which would have likely alienated his affluent patrons.