▁was ▁heard ▁a ▁few ▁weeks ▁later ▁after ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁L ent , ▁and ▁thus ▁it ▁may ▁have ▁formed ▁a ▁test - pie ce ▁for ▁the ▁M ühl hausen ▁appointment , ▁composed ▁in ▁Arn stadt ▁with ▁Bach ' s ▁supp orter ▁Me ck bach ▁in ▁mind . ▁ ▁The ▁cant ata ▁is , ▁as ▁John ▁Eli ot ▁Gard iner ▁notes , ▁" gener ally ▁accepted ▁to ▁be ▁Bach ' s ▁very ▁first ▁church ▁cant ata ." ▁Gard iner ▁conducted ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 0 ▁the ▁Bach ▁Cant ata ▁Pil gr image ▁and ▁performed ▁the ▁cant ata ▁in ▁the ▁church ▁for ▁which ▁it ▁was ▁then ▁probably ▁composed , ▁at ▁Bach ' s ▁time ▁called ▁Neue ▁Kirche ▁( new ▁church ), ▁now ▁the ▁Johann - S eb ast ian - B ach - K irche . ▁ ▁The ▁libre tto ▁altern ates ▁between ▁bib lic al ▁vers es ▁and ▁free ▁contemporary ▁poetry , ▁which ▁is ▁common ▁in ▁Bach ' s ▁later ▁cant at as , ▁but ▁rare ▁among ▁his ▁early ▁cant at as . ▁The ▁text ▁of ▁movements ▁ 2 , ▁ 4 , ▁and ▁ 6 ▁are ▁selected ▁ps alm ▁vers es , ▁. ▁The ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁poetry ▁is ▁unknown . ▁On ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁the ▁text , ▁it ▁has ▁been ▁suggested ▁that ▁the ▁work ▁was ▁written ▁for ▁a ▁pen it ential ▁service . ▁ ▁The ▁cant ata ▁was ▁first ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 8 4 ▁in ▁the ▁Bach - G es ellschaft - Aus gabe , ▁the ▁first ▁edition ▁of