an operatic representation of His presentation in the Temple) were
subjects which appealed more to the writers of the rude plays which
catered to the popular love for dramatic mummery than did His
crucifixion. I am speaking now more specifically of lyric dramas,
but it is worthy of note that in the Coventry mysteries, as Hone
points out in the preface to his book, "Ancient Mysteries
Described," [Footnote: "Ancient Mysteries Described, especially the
English Miracle Plays Founded on Apocryphal New Testament Story,"
London, 1823.] there are eight plays, or pageants, which deal with
the Nativity as related in the canon and the pseudo-gospels. In
them much stress was laid upon the suspicions of the Virgin
Mother's chastity, for here was material that was good for rude
diversion as well as instruction in righteousness.



That Rubinstein dared to compose a Christ drama must be looked upon
as proof of the profound sincerity of his belief in the art-form
which he fondly hoped he had created; also, perhaps, as evidence of
his artistic ingenuousness. Only a brave or naive mind could have
calmly contemplated a labor from which great dramatists, men as
great as Hebbel, shrank back in alarm. After the completion of
"Lohengrin" Wagner applied himself to the creation of a tragedy
which he called "Jesus of Nazareth." We know his plan in detail,
but he abandoned it after he had offered his sketches to a French
poet as the basis of a lyric drama which he hoped to write for
Paris. He confesses that he was curious to know what the Frenchman
would do with a work the stage production of which would "provoke a
thousand frights." He himself was unwilling to stir up such a
tempest in Germany; instead, he put his sketches aside and used