The thought of Meister Eckhart meets the stage with Expositio Sancti Evangelii secundum Iohannem, a special project of the Historical Archive of the Venice Biennale. The Portego delle Colonne of the Scuola Grande di San Marco hosts the performance of the Commentary on the Gospel of John, with actors and the Choir of the Cappella Marciana, directed by Antonello Pocetti.
The Gospel of John has always been considered peculiar viz. those of Mark, Luke, and Matthew, so much so that at times, it disturbed Christian communities. While the latter three gospels describe Jesus as a preacher among people, for John, the Christ is the logos incarnate – God himself revealing. “The Father and I are one and the same”. The Gospel of John grew to be the theological training ground for Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart. Johannes Eckhart, who lived between 1260 and 1328, is known as the deepest mystic of the West and one of Germany’s finest thinkers. His phrasing “I pray to God to rid me of God” means that man’s mission is to excavate any representation that prevents him from looking into the Abyss, that Grund that Eckhart sees as the zenith of the Divine. Centuries later, Eckhart’s words still fascinate us.
The Venice Biennale presents Expositio Sancti Evangelii secundum Iohannem, Eckhart’s commentary on the Gospel of John in the form of drama performed by the choir of St. Mark’s Basilica directed by Antonello Pocetti on a script by Pocetti. The first five nights, March 5 to 9 (on repeat from 11 to 15 March), will be each introduced by a personality from the world of culture, philosophy, and religion. Antonino Viola designed a wooden staging encompassing the concourse at the Scuola Grande di San Marco, today part of the Venice city hospital compound. All around the walls light metal framing is installed, to support video screening. The Expositio Sancti Evangelii secundum Iohannem will discuss, over five nights, five of the topics addressed by Eckhart in his commentary, starting with the Logos, the research for enlightened truth; followed by with Being, one and many (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit); Love, the force that begets life, truth, and good; Good/Evil; and Soul/Body. Participating discussants are theologian and cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, philosopher Peter Sloterijk, director of Fondazione Querini Stampalia Cristiana Collu, classical studies scholar Monica Centanni, and the patriarch of Venice Mons. Francesco Moraglia, respectively.
Commentary on John's Gospel (REPRISE)
