Ludus de Antichristo
The Ludus de Antichristo (German: The game of the Antichrist ) is a spiritual game that was written in Latin around 1160, probably in the region around Tegernsee . It depicts the struggle of the emperor Barbarossa against the princes allied with the antichrist and the victory of Barbarossa, then reports how the emperor, blinded by an illusory miracle, succumbs to the antichrist himself and is finally saved by God's grace. The seal is preserved in a manuscript in the Tegernsee Monastery .
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1. Foreplay
The temple of God and seven royal thrones are set up in a semicircle. To the east is the temple; next to him are the seats of the king of Jerusalem and the synagogue. To the west is the throne of the Roman emperor; next to it the seats of the German and French kings. To the southwest the seat of the king of the Greeks and to the south the seat of the king of Babylonia and the Gentilitas (kinship). The north remains free, probably for the spectator seats. The game takes place in the middle room. So the world powers that were real at the time of the author as well as the three major world religions (Islam is referred to as "paganism" or mixed with it) are represented. The Church and Pope do not have their own seats; the Gentilitas shares the seat with the King of Babylonia. In a performance song (conductus), the Gentilitas introduces the central idea of polytheism with rational arguments. Then she moves into her seat. The synagogue and the Jews also represent their image of God in their performance song, in which faith in Christ is rejected and hope continues to be linked to the promised "Emmanuel". After the synagogue with the Jews has risen to its throne, Ecclesia (church) appears in women's clothes with breastplate and crown (as "ecclesia militans"), accompanied on the right by Misericordia with the oil jug and Justitia with scales and sword on the left . They are followed by the Apostolicus, accompanied by the clergy on the right and the Roman emperor and his militia on the left. This whole group ascends the throne of the emperor after the performance song of Ecclesia. From the “conductus” of the Ecclesia only the words “Alto consilio” have survived. The chorus of the chorus affirms the power of Christianity and condemns all other beliefs. Then the kings of the Franks, Greeks and the king of Jerusalem appear with their armies ("militia") and take their seats on their thrones. The temple and one of the thrones (that of the German king) remain empty.
Part I - Kaiserspiel, also called a game by the final Roman emperor and similar
Now the real action begins. The emperor sends out messengers to the individual kings, starting with the Frankish king. He wants to restore imperial power through tribute or feudal oath. The king of the Franks refuses and invokes an older legal claim to the empire. The emperor defeats the Frankish king with weapons and leads him captive to his seat in order to finally accept him as a feudal man. In formally parallel appearances, the kings of Greece and Jerusalem are made tribute to the Roman Empire. Neither of them offer any resistance. The agreement has thus been reached. Now the king of Babylon begins a pagan religious war against Christianity and besieges Jerusalem, where it originated. The king of Jerusalem sends messengers to the emperor, the "Defensor ecclesie", with a request for help. While the emperor is assembling his army, the angel of the Lord appears and promises salvation for "Judea and Jerusalem". The emperor defeats the king of Babylon, who flees. Now the emperor enters the temple, worships God and places the badges of his rule (crown, scepter and "imperio", probably the imperial orb) on the altar. In doing so, he gives God back worldly dominion. Then he takes his place on the throne of the German king, while the Ecclesia, who came with him from Jerusalem, remains in the temple.
2. Foreplay
There is only the stage directions according to which Ecclesia, Gentilitas and Synagoga (in that order) sing their performance songs. The emperor has left the retinue of Ecclesia. While the performance songs are being sung, the hypocrites (“Ypocrite”) sneak around in silence, bucking everywhere to gain the favor of the layperson. Then they gather in front of the church and the throne of the King of Jerusalem, who receives them with honor and submits to their counsel.
Part II - Actual Antichrist Game
Now the Antichrist appears, he wears a white upper garment and an armor underneath. He too has a following - on the right the Ypocrisi (s), and on the left the Heresi (s), allegorical figures (as well as Misericordia and Iustitia). He too has a “conductus” - his way has become free: “Mei regni venit hora.” First he drafts his political program: with the help of his companions he wants to achieve secular and spiritual dominion. The memory of Christ is to be destroyed, the Antichrist wants to usurp his glory. The tasks are distributed: Ypocrisi should seduce the laity, Heresi the clergy. Ypocrisi whispers the arrival of the Antichrist to the hypocrites, and they run to him immediately. They tell him about the state of the “sacra religio” and ask him to take over the rule. Now the Antichrist shows his true colors - without an upper garment, the hypocrites with bare swords - the King of Jerusalem is overthrown and the Antichrist is crowned. The deposed king of Jerusalem takes refuge with the German king and complains that the emperor caused the misfortune of the “lex superstitionis” with the “discessio” (parting). The Antichrist is installed in the temple, the Ecclesia chased away - she fled to the Pope. Analogous to Part I, the Antichrist now establishes his kingdom: His messengers are the hypocrites. The Greek king is won over by threats. The Antichrist draws him and his followers with his mark (the first letter of his name) on the forehead and the King receives the enfeoffment from the Antichrist, as in Part I from the Emperor. The king of the Franks is seduced by gifts and kissed by the Antichrist; then he receives drawing and loan. With the German king, neither gifts nor violence are of any use. He defeats the Antichrist and his army, in which Greeks and Franks are represented. Therefore, the Antichrist tries to do pseudo miracles. These are presented with silent actions. The resurrection of an apparently fallen man finally convinced the German king. He pays homage to the Antichrist as emperor, which is the first climax. The German king and his followers are also drawn and enfeoffed. Now he defeats the reluctant Gentiles on behalf of the Antichrist; the king of Babylon submits to the Antichrist and is also marked by him. Finally, the synagogue is also convinced by the hypocrites who make it believe that the Messiah has now appeared. It too is marked by the Antichrist. The Antichrist has reached the peak of power; his empire is global. But immediately afterwards, Enoch and Elias appear and not only turn the synagogue away from the Antichrist, but also convert it - after they have removed the veil - to Christ. He, who pretends to be the Messiah, is really the "homo perditionis", "non est Christ". The synagogue launches praise to the Trinity. The Hypocrites tell the Antichrist about it, who calls the prophet and synagogue to his judgment. The Antichrist has the prophets and the professing synagogue executed. In the meantime, Ecclesia sings a verse from the Song of Songs. Once again the Antichrist gathers the kings - in vain - his announcement of the universal “pax et sicuritas” also means his end. Thunder falls over his head and his followers (“omnibus suis”) flee. The Ecclesia accepts the repentant again and a Te Deum is struck.
The figures of Ludus
The apostolic
The Pope not only belongs to the Church and to Christianity, but was a real political power at the time of poetry, although he does not have a throne of his own, but sits at the throne of the emperor.
The Antichristi ministri
Social criticism of the Church is linked to doubts about the validity of its teaching, and the Hypocrites point out that the credibility of the preaching "has long been shaken". Hypocrisy is the foundation of the rule of the Antichrist; its growth is entrusted to heresy. With these figures and the Antichrist "radically evil, complete self-love and lust for domination penetrate the world under the mask of good, disguised as a measure of humanity to establish peace and security".
The heathen
The pagans come from an early tradition (sibyls). The German emperor had not destroyed the idol, i. H. not convert the Gentiles to Christianity.
The Kings
The national character of the kings is emphasized. Among other things, the preference given by the Antichrist is striking about the Frankenkönig. In scene 58 the Antichrist kisses the Frankish king. This kiss is not only Paul's brotherly kiss, but also seals the Antichrist's close bond with the French. The king of Greece is a weak figure, he is just as powerless as the king of Jerusalem, both obey the emperor at a mere request, but just as easily obey the antichrist. The Antichrist is portrayed as the declared enemy of the Germans, as "hostis patriae"; these are the core of the people of God who ultimately surrender to them.
The emperor
The imperial task is to protect all Christians as patrons of the church. As such, he also comes to the aid of the threatened Jerusalem with a crusade .
An important figure of this time is the Chancellor Barbarossas, Rainald von Dassel .
The antichrist
The Antichrist also belongs to the world, he has his own performance song. With the help of heresy and hypocrisy he comes to rule. The Societas of Satan belongs to the world, like the hypocrites as the bearers and silent preparers of the antichristian spirit. When he strips off his white outer garment, the symbol of his tyranny, the tank, becomes visible. The Antichrist is not possible without hypocrisy, the existence of the hypocrites meaningless and condemned to wither without the shaping of their spirit by the Antichrist.
It is also noteworthy that the Antichrist does not attempt to seduce the Pope or Ecclesia.
Earthly life in peace and bliss has a negative evaluation in the Christian tradition; so the followers of the Antichrist have a deceptive good life.
Ecclesia
The Church appears and acts independently, a female figure, dressed in a crown and armor, and accompanied by the two symbolic figures of Justice with the scales and Mercy with the jug of oil. The oil is said to heal the wounds of mankind, and it is drawn from the oil well that is said to have risen in the city of Rome on the day of Christ's birth. The medieval chronicles are full of this miracle.
Like the Pope, the Ecclesia does not have its own throne, but its place on the emperor's throne. Apart from her performance song, of which only the refrain has been preserved, she only intervenes at the end of the event.
Ecclesia could neither prevent the apostasy of her believers nor the death of the prophets. When the synagogue and the prophets are executed, she raises her voice.
The 1st verse contains the judgment on the Antichrist as the haughty one who relied on wealth and power and did not believe he needed God's help.
Angel
The news of the approaching Christian army is communicated to the city of Jerusalem by an angel who suddenly appears. This supernatural figure was not present on the scene.
Synagogue and Jews
Since in scene 90 the veil is removed from her eyes, which is not mentioned before, the synagogue wears it at the beginning of the game. Just as the Pope is not involved in the changes in power, the synagogue stands motionless in its place, but it has the decisive role in the 2nd main part. In contrast to the intervention of paganism in the 1st main part, the middle position of Judaism is used in such a way that it unites both roles at the same time: the one to crown the victory of the Antichrist, and then the other to enable the synthesis to take place through their conversion. The idea that the Jews are blinded, that they shut themselves off from the re-velatio, is modeled in the language of the Gospel.
Prophets
According to the revelation of John , two witnesses of the truth are to appear against the Antichrist at last. In Ludus these are Enoch and Elias . They not only bring the synagogue back from the anti-Christian apostasy, but also convert it to Christ and the confession of the Triune God; "Of which our drama takes the occasion to put a complete second article of the Apostolic Creed in Elijah's mouth". That the Antichrist lets them die a martyr corresponds to the revelation of John. The two prophets belong in the realm of the invisible and immortal, as do the angels of the game. When these figures appear it is clear that the end times have come. Enoch and Elias are the only characters the scriptures tell us that they did not die but were caught up. They have to return to face death recently (like all people since Adam and Eve) and thereby bear witness to the truth.
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- Ludus de Antichristo / The Game of the Antichrist. Latin and German. Translation and epilogue by Rolf Engelsing. Reclam, Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 3-15-008561-6 .