Monthly Archives: September 2020

“The Harrowing of Hell” is a story based on only two short lines in the New Testament, but there was an apocryphal Gospel that fleshed the whole thing out in a dramatic way, perfect for a play. The two lines … Continue reading →

The central event of Jesus’ death on the cross was broken into two plays. The Guild of Pinners shared with the Painters the responsibility for producing the play in which Jesus is nailed to the cross, “Crucifixio Christi.” Separately, the … Continue reading →

“The Entry into Jerusalem” depicts Jesus’ entry on a donkey’s colt while crowds cry “Hosanna!” The guild responsible in the registry was the Skinners, and I can’t help thinking it was because they might skin a mule, so they were … Continue reading →

We’re missing several of York’s plays for key events in the life of Jesus; all of the guilds were required to keep a script on file at the city registry and update them as needed, but over time, some scripts … Continue reading →

“The Transfiguration” shows a mysterious, singular event in Jesus’ life when he and a few disciples were alone, praying, and suddenly the disciples could see that Elijah and Moses had come to speak to Jesus. Instead of seeing their dusty, … Continue reading →

The play in which King Herod interviews the Three Kings from the east is an interesting one because it probably used two wagons in tandem, each produced by a different guild. The Masons and the Goldsmiths cooperated in this play. … Continue reading →

There was one whole play about Joseph’s concerns when he found that his betrothed was pregnant. They didn’t make much of the Palestine-era custom of long betrothal that was like a quasi-marriage, since it wasn’t done that way in medieval … Continue reading →

“Noah and the Flood” was a good dramatic story with exciting stage effects, and it was also an image of God saving some of the world from sin, pointing to Christ, so it was a core part of the Mystery … Continue reading →

We have only a fragment of York’s Cain and Abel play; the guild duly submitted its script for the registry, but several pages in the middle were lost, so we have only the beginning and the end. It probably followed … Continue reading →