This book, published in 1999 contains both German language and English versions of the Oberammergau Passion Play. The play was originally written by Othmar Weis (1769-1843) in 1811, 15 and 20 and was based on the texts of earlier plays; rewritten in 1860/1870 by the Reverend Joseph Alois Daisenberger (1799-1883); extensively revised and expanded for the Play 2000 by Otto Huber and Christian Stueckl. For the production 2000, the text of the passion play by Joseph Daisenberger has been revised to emphasize the prophetic elements in order to show that Jesus, a Jew among Jews wanted to fulfill the law and the prophets. He wanted to accomplish this by linking everything to the Eternal One. Humans should not be called primarily to order, because order itself can cause a great deal of injustice, as become abundantly clear when we consider the perfect machinery of death installed by unjust tyrants. Jesus wanted to give hope to those who believed that in and through him divine reality was manifested in the world and that his spirit could renew the face of the Earth. The people of Oberammergau have enthusiastically committed themselves to the Passion Play of the Year 2000. They know that it is their duty to fulfill the vow of their ancestors in a way that comes as close as possible to the inner meaning of that promise. Performing the "Play of Redemption" at regular intervals means that the fears and the longings of each respective generation must be reflected. The people of Oberammergau are determined that the play should not deteriorate into some kind of "nostalgic folk drama." While this kind of work might at one time have grown out of the fullness of life; today it would turn the audience into museum visitors. At the same time, however, they wanted to keep the play's tradition as a "drama for the people", a play that is deeply rooted in life. The Passion Play is meant to convey hope as a "Play of Redemption"