“I’m hoping that The Man from Nazareth will persuade thousands who have drifted away
to come back to the Church and Christianity.”

- Professor Edward Boatner

> Orginal articles and pictures from the New York Times and the Washington Post, about Edward Boatner and his spirituals

The Man from Nazareth was written, arranged and conducted by Professor Edward Boatner and first performed in 1971 at the largest neo-gothic church in the world, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Since then, it has been performed at Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City, as well as many small and large churches. In the spirit of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the proceeds went to a music scholarship fund for talented but poor youngsters.

The Man from Nazareth features twenty-one beautifully sung spirituals by a forty voice choir, with the miraculous and inspiring events of Jesus’ life dramatically narrated by Vondi Curtis Hall. Max Roach said, “There has been no greater influence on the world of Black choral music than Edward Boatner.”

Spirituals, which originated in the South during slavery, are considered by some to be the most beautiful original American music. Ossie Davis, with Ruby Dee, one of the many celebrities who performed The Man from Nazareth , said, “spirituals will provide a cultural and unforgettable impact on the world.” The Man from Nazareth has been endorsed by many religious and church organizations including the Baptist Ministers Conference, National Council of Churches, United Church of Christ, and the Ministers Alliance.

Professor Boatner said, “I’m hoping that The Man from Nazareth will do much to persuade thousands who have drifted away from the Church and Christianity to come back.” He believed that those who heard this glorious performance would be renewed in their faith, and in their feeling of gratitude and obligation to Jesus who so completely fulfilled in His life the principles of divine peace and love set forth by the Holy Father.