Charles Jennens' Libretto - 5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols

Summary4 min read

Episode Overview

Podcast: 5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols
Episode: Charles Jennens' Libretto (November 12, 2025)

This episode spotlights Charles Jennens, the lesser-known but pivotal figure behind the libretto of Handel’s Messiah. Host Stephen Nichols offers a swift yet insightful journey into Jennens’ personal history, his intellectual and theological motivations, and how his arrangement of Scripture shaped one of the most beloved works in church music. The episode underlines Jennens’ role in defending orthodox Christianity in an age of rising Deism, and provides a cogent overview of how Messiah’s structure and scriptural choices accomplish that apologetic aim.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Charles Jennens' Life and Times

[00:07–02:54]

Background: Jennens was born in 1700 into wealth, growing up on a large estate in Leicestershire, England.
Education: At 16, Jennens attended Balliol College, Oxford—one of the oldest colleges, rich in history.
- Historical aside: John Wycliffe had also been a master at Balliol.
Early Career: After college, Jennens managed his family's estate for two decades.
Religious Conviction: He was a devout Christian deeply opposed to Deism, which was on the rise in 18th-century England.
- Deism “denies the virgin birth, denies that Jesus is the God man, and absolutely denies the gospel.”
Patron of the Arts: Jennens began collaborating with composer George Frideric Handel in 1735, first with Saul, then Israel in Egypt, and finally Messiah (1741).
Last Endeavors: Around 1770, Jennens undertook the editing of Shakespeare’s plays—creating the first critical editions with footnotes, publishing five before his death in 1773.

The Making of Messiah’s Libretto

[02:55–04:15]

Jennens’ Role:
- “It’s better not to say that Jennens wrote the Messiah. The text of the Messiah is all Bible citations. What Jennens did do was to select and compile and arrange those texts.”
Source Material:
- Roughly 60% of the libretto comes from the Old Testament, notably Isaiah.
Theological Purpose:
- Jennens sought to “underscore Jesus’ authority” and demonstrate “that Jesus was the true Messiah,” intentionally highlighting Christ’s fulfillment of prophecy to counter Deism.
Opening Lines:
- The opening of Part One derives from Isaiah 40: “Comfort, O comfort my people.”
  - “If you’re like me, you can’t read those words without hearing them sung.”
New Testament Sources:
- Heavy use of Matthew and Revelation, which provides the lyrics for the Hallelujah Chorus.

Structure of the Libretto

[04:16–05:13]

Three Part Structure:
- Part One: Messiah’s coming—prophetic pronouncements, angelic announcements, and the shepherds (Luke 2).
- Part Two: Christ’s passion—crucifixion, burial, resurrection. Ends with the Hallelujah chorus.
- Part Three: The resurrection and Christ’s exalted state—his session at God’s right hand.
The libretto’s movement mirrors the story of redemption in Scripture.

The Hallelujah Chorus: Scriptures and Significance

[05:14–end]

Scriptural Sequence:
- Begins with Revelation 19:6: “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.”
- Then Revelation 11:15: “The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”
- Closes with Revelation 19:16: “King of kings and Lord of Lords.”
Nichols’ Emphasis:
- “King of kings and Lord of Lords. That is indeed who Christ is.”
Jennens’ Legacy:
- Through his careful compilation, Jennens crafted a text that celebrates Christ’s divinity and kingship with clarity and biblical depth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Deism and Apologetic Purpose — [01:09]:
- “Deism was on a meteoric rise in England in the 1700s. Of course, Deism denies the virgin birth, denies that Jesus is the God man, and absolutely denies the gospel. And so much of Jenin's efforts were aimed at responding to and answering Deism.”
On the Textual Nature of Messiah — [03:06]:
- “It’s better not to say that Jennens wrote the Messiah. The text of the Messiah is all Bible citations. What Jennens did do was to select and compile and arrange those texts.”
On Fulfilled Prophecy — [03:33]:
- “He wanted to show all of that fulfilled prophecy surrounding Christ's first coming in the incarnation. From those Old Testament texts. Genens of course drew very heavily from the book of Isaiah...”
On the Hallelujah Chorus — [05:26]:
- “King of kings and Lord of Lords. That is indeed who Christ is.”

Key Timestamps

00:07 — Introduction to Charles Jennens and his background
01:09 — Jennens' fight against Deism and role as patron of the arts
02:55 — Move to focus on Messiah: Jennens compiles, not composes
03:33 — Theological strategy: Old Testament as apologetic against Deism
04:16 — Overview of libretto’s three-part structure
05:14 — Dissection of the Hallelujah Chorus sources and meaning
05:26 — Emphasis on Christ as “King of kings and Lord of Lords”

Tone and Style

Nichols maintains an engaging, informative, and reverent tone throughout, encouraging listeners to appreciate both the historical context and the enduring spiritual significance of Jennens’ work. The language is warm and accessible, blending personal reflections (“if you’re like me, you can’t read those words without hearing them sung”) with clear explanation.

Summary

In five fast-moving minutes, Stephen Nichols brings to light Charles Jennens, whose careful scriptural arrangements for Messiah powerfully defend the gospel and Christ’s kingship. This episode not only introduces Jennens’ biography, but vividly frames his labor as both artistic and apologetic—a legacy still resounding each time “King of kings and Lord of Lords” is sung.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:08]
A
Welcome back to another episode of five Minutes in Church History. Charles Jennens was born in the year 1700. My guess is that most of you don't know him, but I also guess that many, many of you have heard his work. Jennings wrote the libretto of Handel's Messiah. First we'll look at Jennens life and then we'll look at his famous libretto. His family had significant means and he grew up on a sprawling estate in Leicestershire, England that's located about 90 miles straight north of Oxford. When the time came for college, Jennings went those 90 miles south and studied at Balliol College in Oxford. When he got there in 1716, Balliol was all of 453 years old, deep in its history. John Wycliffe had been a master at Ball well after college and for the next 20 years or so he managed his family estate. He was a devout Christian and he fought against Deism. Deism was on a meteoric rise in England in the 1700s. Of course, Deism denies the virgin birth, denies that Jesus is the God man, and absolutely denies the gospel. And so much of Jenin's efforts were aimed at responding to and answering Deism. He was also a patron of the arts. In 1735, he began his collaborations with Handel, who was living in England at the time. First came the Oratorio Saul and then followed Israel and Egypt. And then in 1741 he began work on the Messiah. It was also Jennens who commissioned the famous and sort of standard portrait of Handel hanging in London's National Portrait gallery. Right around 1770, Jennens began working on critical editions of Shakespeare's plays. This is really the first undertaking of critical editions with footnotes. And Jennens managed to publish five of Shakespeare's plays before his death on November 20, 1773. Well, that's his life. Now let's get to the Messiah. It's better not to say that Jennens wrote the Messiah. The text of the Messiah is all Bible citations. What Jennens did do was to select and compile and arrange those texts. It is estimated that 60% of the Messiah comes from the Old Testament. This of course, had an apologetic angle to it. Here we are back to Deism. Genens wanted to underscore Jesus authority. He wanted to show that Jesus was the true Messiah, had that rightful claim to be the Messiah. And so he wanted to show all of that fulfilled prophecy surrounding Christ's first coming in the incarnation. From those Old Testament texts. Genens of course drew very heavily from the book of Isaiah, the opening Lines of part one of the libretto, of course, come directly from that beautiful poem that is Isaiah, chapter 40. Comfort, O comfort my people. And if you're like me, you can't read those words without hearing them sung. As for New Testament books, Genens drew heavily from Matthew and of course, Revelation, which provides the lyrics for the Hallelujah chorus. Little Britto has three parts. The first is Messiah's coming. So from the herald of the prophets predicting his birth to the herald of the angels to those shepherds on a hillside in Luke 2 is part one. Then in part two, we move into Christ's passion, to his crucifixion, to his burial, and to his resurrection. And it is part two that ends with the Hallelujah course. And then part three picks up with that theme of the resurrection and also moves into Christ's exalted state, his current session seated at the Father's right hand in heaven. Well, let's take a closer look at that Hallelujah course. For the Hallelujah course, Jennens begins with Revelation 19:6. For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Then he goes back to Revelation 11:15. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Then he goes back to Revelation, chapter 19, this time verse 16. King of kings and Lord of Lords. King of kings and Lord of Lords. That is indeed who Christ is. And that's Charles Jennin and his libretto, and I'm Steve Nichols, and thanks for joining us for five minutes in church history.