Lutheran Church Year - Readings
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This section of the Bach Cantatas Website (BCW) contains the readings for all the Sundays and feast days of the Lutheran Church Year for which Bach wrote cantatas. The German text is that of the 1545 edition of Luther's translation; the English is the King James (Authorised) Version (1611). Informative discussions of how the texts and music of the cantatas relate to the readings can usually be found in Alfred Dürr's book on the cantatas.
If you have any corrections and suggestions for improvement of the Readings pages, please send them to us in accordance with the guidelines at: How to contribute.

Lutheran Church Year:

1^st Sunday in Advent
Epistle: Romans 13: 11-14 | Gospel: Matthew 21: 1-9
Works: 61, 62, 36

2^nd Sunday in Advent
Epistle: Romans 15: 4-13 | Gospel: Luke 21: 25-36
Works: (70a)

3^rd Sunday in Advent
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 4: 1-5 | Gospel: Matthew 11: 2-10
Works: (186a), 141

4^th Sunday in Advent
Epistle: Philippians 4: 4-7 | Gospel: John 1: 19-28
Works: 132, (147a)

Christmas Day
Epistle: Titus 2: 11-14 | Isaiah 9: 2-7
Gospel: Luke 2: 1-14 | Works: 63, 91, 110, 191, 248/1, (197a), 142

2^nd Day of Christmas [St. Stefanus Day]
Epistle: Titus. 3: 4-7; Acts 6: 8-15 & 7: 55-60 | Gospel: Matthew 23: 35-39; Luke 2: 15-20
Works: 40, 121, 57, 248/2

3^rd Day of Christmas [St John's Day]
Epistle: Hebrews 1: 1-14; Ecclesiastical Letters 15: 1-8 | Gospel: John 1: 1-14
Works: 64, 133, 151, 248/3

1^st Sunday after Christmas Day
Epistle: Galatians 4: 1-7 | Gospel: Luke 2: 33-40
Works: 152, 122, 28

New Year's Day
Epistle: Galatians 3: 23-29 | Gospel: Luke 2: 21
Works: 190, 41, 16, 171, 143, 248/4, 134a

Sunday after New Year
Epistle: 1 Peter 4: 12-19 | Gospel: Matthew 2: 13-23
Works: 153, 58, 248/5

Feast of Epiphany
Epistle: Isaah 60: 1-6 | Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12
Works: 65, 123, 248/6

1^st Sunday after Epiphany
Epistle: Romans 12: 1-6 | Gospel: Luke 2: 41-52
Works: 154, 124, 32, 217

2^nd Sunday after Epiphany
Epistle: Romans 12: 6-16 | Gospel: John 2: 1-11
Works: 155, 3, 13

3^rd Sunday after Epiphany
Epistle: Romans 12: 17-21 | Gospel: Matthew 8: 1-13
Works: 73, 111, 72, 156

4^th Sunday after Epiphany
Epistle: Romans 13: 8-10 | Gospel: Matthew 8: 23-27
81, 14

5^th Sunday after Epiphany
Works: -

6^th Sunday after Epiphany
Works: -

Septuagesima Sunday
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9: 24 - 10: 5 | Gospel: Matthew 20: 1-16
Works: 144, 92, 84

Sexagesima Sunday
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 11: 19 - 12: 9 | Gospel: Luke 8: 4-15
Works: 18, 181, 126

Quinquagesima Sunday [Estomihi]
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 | Gospel: Luke 18: 31-43
22, 23, 127, 159

Invocavit [1^st Sunday in Lent]
Works: -

Reminiscere [2^nd Sunday in Lent]
Works: -

Oculi [3^rd Sunday in Lent]
Epistle: Ephesians 5: 1-9 | Gospel: Luke 11: 14-28
Works: 54, (80a)

Laetare [4^th Sunday in Lent]
Works: -

Judica [5^th Sunday in Lent]
Works: -

Palm Sunday
Epistle: Philippians. 2: 5-11; 1 Corinthians 11: 23-32 | Gospel: Matthew 21: 1-9
Works: 182

Good Friday
Works: BWV 244, BWV 245, BWV 246, BWV 247, BWV Anh 169

Easter Sunday
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8 | Gospel: Mark 16: 1-8
Works: 4, 31, 249, 15, 160

Easter Monday [2^nd day of Easter]
Epistle: Acts 10: 34-43 | Gospel: Luke 24: 13-35
Works: 66, 6, Anh 190

Easter Tuesday [3^rd day of Easter]
Epistle: Acts 13: 26-33 | Gospel: Luke 24: 36-47
Works: 134, 145, 158

Quasimodogeniti [1^st Sunday after Easter]
Epistle: 1 John 5: 4-10 | Gospel: John 20: 19-31
Works: 67, 42

Misericordias Domini [2^nd Sunday after Easter
Epistle: 1 Peter 2: 21-25 | Gospel: John 10: 12-16
Works: 104, 85, 112

Jubilate [3^rd Sunday after Easter]
Epistle: 1 Peter 2: 11-20 | Gospel: John 16: 16-23
Works: BWV 12, BWV 103, BWV 146, BWV 224

Cantate [4^th Sunday after Easter]
Epistle: James 1: 17-21 | Gospel: John 16: 5-15
Works: 166, 108

Rogate [5^th Sunday after Easter]
Epistle: James 1: 22-27 | Gospel: John 16: 23-30
Works: 86, 87

Ascension Day
Epistle: Acts 1: 1-11 | Gospel: Mark 16: 14-20
Works: 37, 128, 43, 11

Exaudi [Sunday after Ascension]
Epistle: 1 Peter 4: 8-11 | Gospel: John 15: 26 - 16: 4
Works: 44, 183

Whit Sunday [1^st Day of Pentecost]
Epistle: Acts 2: 1-13 | Gospel: John 14: 23-31
Works: 172, 59, 74, 34, 218

Whit Monday [2^nd Day of Pentecost]
Epistle: Acts 10: 42-48 | Gospel: John 3: 16-21
Works: 173, 68, 174

Whit Tuesday [3^rd Day of Pentecost]
Epistle: Acts 8: 14-17 | Gospel: John 10: 1-10
Works: 184, 175

Trinity Sunday
Epistle: Romans 11: 33-36 | Gospel: John 3: 1-15
Works: 165, 194, 176, 129

1^st Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 John 4: 16-21 | Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31
Works: 75, 20, 39

2^nd Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 John 3: 13-18 | Gospel: Luke 14: 16-24
Works: 76, 2

3^rd Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Peter 5: 6-11 | Gospel: Luke 15: 1-10
Works: 21, 135

4^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Romans 8: 18-23 | Gospel: Luke 6: 36-42
Works: 185, 24, 177

5^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Peter 3: 8-15 | Gospel: Luke 5: 1-11
Works: 93, 88

6^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Romans 6: 3-11 | Gospel: Matthew 5: 20-26
Works: 170, 9

7^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Romans 6: 19-23 | Gospel: Mark 8: 1-9
Works: 186, 107, 187, Anh 1, Anh 209

8^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Romans 8: 12-17 | Gospel: Matthew 7: 15-23
Works: 136, 178, 45

9^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 10: 6-13 | Gospel: Luke 16: 1-9
Works: 105, 94, 168

10^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11 | Gospel: Luke 19: 41-48
Works: 46, 101, 102

11^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 15: 1-10 | Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14
Works: 199, 179, 113

12^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 3: 4-11 | Gospel: Mark 7: 31-37
Works: 69a, 137, 35

13^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Galatians 3: 15-22 | Gospel: Luke 10: 23-37
Works: 77, 33, 164

14^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Galatians 5: 16-24 | Gospel: Luke 17: 11-19
Works: 25, 78, 17

15^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Galatians 5: 25 - 6: 10 | Gospel: Matthew 6: 23-34
Works: 138, 99, 51, 100

16^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Ephesians 3: 13-21 | Gospel: Luke 7: 11-17
Works: 161, 95, 8, 27

17^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Ephesians 4: 1-6 | Gospel: Luke 14: 1-11
Works: 114, 148, 47

18^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 1: 4-8 | Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-46
Works: 96, 169

19^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Ephesians 4: 22-28 | Gospel: Matthew 9: 1-8
Works: 48, 5, 56, BWV Anh 2

20^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Ephesians 5: 15-21 | Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14
Works: 162, 180, 49

21^st Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Ephesians 6: 10-17 | Gospel: John 4: 46-54
Works: 109, 38, 98, 188

22^nd Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Philippians 1: 3-11 | Gospel: Matthew 18: 23-35
Works: 89, 115, 55

23^rd Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Philippians 3: 17-21 | Gospel: Matthew 22: 15-22
Works: 163, 139, 52

24^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: Colossians 1: 9-14 | Gospel: Matthew 9: 18-26
Works: 60, 26

25^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 | Gospel: Matthew 24: 15-28
Works: 90, 116

26^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 2 Peter 3: 3-13 | Gospel: Matthew 25: 31-46
Works: 70

27^th Sunday after Trinity
Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5: 1-10; 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 | Gospel: Matthew 25: 1-13
Works: 140

Events with fixed date:

Feast of Purification of Mary [February 2]
Epistle: Malachi 3: 1-4 | Gospel: Luke 2: 22-32
Works: BWV 83, BWV 125, BWV 82, BWV 157, BWV 158, BWV 200, BWV 161, BWV Anh 157

Feast of Annunciation of Mary [March 25]
Epistle: Isaiah 7: 10-16 | Gospel: Luke 1: 26-38
Works: BWV 1, BWV 182, BWV Anh 156, BWV Anh 199

Feast of Nativity of St John the Baptist [June 24]
Epistle: Isaiah 40: 1-5 | Gospel: Luke 1: 57-80
Works: BWV 167, BWV 7, BWV 30, BWV 220

Feast of Visitation of Mary [July 2]
Epistle: Isaiah 11: 1-5 | Gospel: Luke 1: 39-56
Works: BWV 147, BWV 10, BWV 189, BWV 223

Feast of St Michael and All Angels [September 29]
Epistle: Revelations 12: 7-12 | Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-11
Works: BWV 130, BWV 19, BWV 149, BWV 50, BWV 219, BWV Anh 198

Feast of Reformation [October 31]
Epistle: 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8 | Gospel: Revelations 14: 6-8
Works: BWV 80, BWV80b, BWV 79, BWV 129 (?), BWV 192

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Prepared by Francis Browne & Aryeh Oron (December 2004 - June 2017)