Like many of his works, Bach has also edited the St. John Passion several times. A final version of Bach's hand is not available. The reworking concerns both the instrumentation as well as changes in the sequence of movements. The textual basis is the biblical account of the evangelist John (John 18 and 19) with the insertions from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 26:75 and 27, 51-52). The hymns come from the current repertoire of the Bach's time and deviate only in a few cases from the original form. Due to the source material, the (complete) world premiere can be dated with sufficient certainty on April 7, 1724.