Oberammergau’s Play an All-Consuming Passion

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A town’s admirable effort for hope during dark times may have produced one of the most notable passion plays of all time.  The play has a rich history including a long kept promise and a town that maintains to show its faith to this day.

In 1633, during the Thirty Years’ War, the town of Oberammergau in Germany was suffering and dying from the bubonic plague. Claiming the lives of thousands of townspeople, the remaining citizens were desperate for any relief from the sickness.  They prayed and made a promise, out of appreciation, to produce and perform a play honoring Christ through his journey of life through suffering, death, and the resurrection if they could be relived of the curse known as the plague.

Maintaining hope and continuing prayer, it seemed that the villagers’ prayers had finally been answered. The adult death rate slowly subsided over the course of several months until there were none from the sickness.  The thankful townspeople, remembering their oath, began writing and implementing their efforts towards the production.

The play follows the final period of the life of Christ from his visit to Jerusalem to his execution by crucifixion.   It includes dramatic text and dialogue, musical and choral complements, as well as scenes that are represented by motionless actors guided with a verbal description, or also called tableaux vivants.   These are scenes from the Old Testament and are the foundation of the connection between

Article source: http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/idolchatter/2017/06/oberammergaus-play-consuming-passion.html