Cohen was almost certainly thinking of the Abraham/Isaac story, where he responds "hineni" to G-d at the beginning when he is called. He's used that story many times in his songs.
"Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name,
vilified, crucified, in the human frame"
are two lines, that are from two different sources. The first part does not have anything to do with Christian themes.
"Magnified, Sanctified be thy holy name" is a straight English translation of the first four words of the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer. and while all versions of that prayer start this way, he is no doubt in context referencing the Mourner's Kaddish that is said by close relatives of a deceased person after their burial.
However, "villified, crucified, in the human frame" is certainly a reference to Jesus.
He's flowing between different traditions here taking from each what fits his litany of suffering that he addresses to G-d in this song.
@icebox Cohen always has a fascination with Jesus Christ as some sort of a universal figure and I think he said (correct me if I'm wrong) "I'm very fond of Jesus Christ. He may be the most beautiful guy who walked the face of this earth. Any guy who says 'Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek' has got to be a figure of unparalleled generosity and insight and madness...A man who declared himself to stand among the thieves, the prostitutes and the homeless. His position cannot be comprehended. It is an inhuman generosity. A generosity that would...
@icebox Cohen always has a fascination with Jesus Christ as some sort of a universal figure and I think he said (correct me if I'm wrong) "I'm very fond of Jesus Christ. He may be the most beautiful guy who walked the face of this earth. Any guy who says 'Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek' has got to be a figure of unparalleled generosity and insight and madness...A man who declared himself to stand among the thieves, the prostitutes and the homeless. His position cannot be comprehended. It is an inhuman generosity. A generosity that would overthrow the world if it was embraced because nothing would weather that compassion. I'm not trying to alter the Jewish view of Jesus Christ. But to me, in spite of what I know about the history of legal Christianity, the figure of the man has touched me." from Leonard Cohen in His Own Words by Jim Devlin
Cohen was almost certainly thinking of the Abraham/Isaac story, where he responds "hineni" to G-d at the beginning when he is called. He's used that story many times in his songs.
"Magnified, sanctified, be thy holy name, vilified, crucified, in the human frame" are two lines, that are from two different sources. The first part does not have anything to do with Christian themes.
"Magnified, Sanctified be thy holy name" is a straight English translation of the first four words of the Kaddish, a Jewish prayer. and while all versions of that prayer start this way, he is no doubt in context referencing the Mourner's Kaddish that is said by close relatives of a deceased person after their burial.
However, "villified, crucified, in the human frame" is certainly a reference to Jesus.
He's flowing between different traditions here taking from each what fits his litany of suffering that he addresses to G-d in this song.
@icebox This is great. I come from the Christian tradition and the knowledge about that Kaddish here is very helpful. Thanks!
@icebox This is great. I come from the Christian tradition and the knowledge about that Kaddish here is very helpful. Thanks!
@icebox Cohen always has a fascination with Jesus Christ as some sort of a universal figure and I think he said (correct me if I'm wrong) "I'm very fond of Jesus Christ. He may be the most beautiful guy who walked the face of this earth. Any guy who says 'Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek' has got to be a figure of unparalleled generosity and insight and madness...A man who declared himself to stand among the thieves, the prostitutes and the homeless. His position cannot be comprehended. It is an inhuman generosity. A generosity that would...
@icebox Cohen always has a fascination with Jesus Christ as some sort of a universal figure and I think he said (correct me if I'm wrong) "I'm very fond of Jesus Christ. He may be the most beautiful guy who walked the face of this earth. Any guy who says 'Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the meek' has got to be a figure of unparalleled generosity and insight and madness...A man who declared himself to stand among the thieves, the prostitutes and the homeless. His position cannot be comprehended. It is an inhuman generosity. A generosity that would overthrow the world if it was embraced because nothing would weather that compassion. I'm not trying to alter the Jewish view of Jesus Christ. But to me, in spite of what I know about the history of legal Christianity, the figure of the man has touched me." from Leonard Cohen in His Own Words by Jim Devlin