The performance of the Passion according to the Gospel texts is a rite of liturgical deciption of Jesus' passion and death and is part of an early Christian tradition dating back to the earliest of the fourth century. It is developed through middleage and renaissance, and reached itd peak in the baroque. The passions of J. S. Bach are considered the greatest achivement in this type of musical work. After Bach's time, they take on a concert character and slowly go into oblivion. The fully preserved St. John and St. Matthew passion provides an insight into the musical component of the protestant tradition, its application in the liturgy and the composer's religiosity. During 20th century, with the emergence of pluralism and musical languages and styles, the composer A. Pärt revived and connected religiosity with music. Encouraged by his personal faith, he studied medieval and renaissance sacred music and by implementing it into modern musical language, developed the tintinnabuli compositional technique. The composer expresses the culmination of the tintinnabuli technique in the composition Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Ioannem. Pärt is considered one of the most religious composers of the present and his composing technique is often called Holy minimalism. Encouraged by the same idea, Bach and Pärt convey a spiritual message to the listener through their passions. Keywords: passion, gospel. J. S. Bach, A. Pärt, tintinnabuli technique