Quem quaeritis?

The Quem - quaeritis - trope (also Visitatio sepulchri: visit to the grave ' ) is the first recorded dialogic text in the frame of the medieval liturgy, a question - answer game between angels and mourning women (sometimes called Mary ) at the empty grave of Christ. Presumably it was sung in worship antiphonal, ie by dividing the Singing into two halves. He is regarded as the nucleus of the medieval theater.

In the words Quem quaeritis (Latin, Whom seek ye? ' ) Starts a new sealed additive ( trope ) to the Introit of the Easter Fair. He first appears in a manuscript of the St. Gallen monastery from the 10th century, spreading in the following years all over Europe and in later versions also extensive religious plays, later extended to mystery plays in the urban public ( eg. the Easter play of Muri, 1250).

Text

Importance

The salvation is not only told here, but the acting characters make themselves known to speak. This is a break with the ( influenced by Neo-Platonism ) biblical and liturgical custom that only tells, but the narrative should not be visualized in the dialog (say instead of Show ). As a question in direct speech Quem is quaeritis? handed down only in the non - liturgical Gospel of Peter.

In the Regularis Concordia the Benedictine monks of Winchester by about 970 stage directions to the sung text are obtained, which show that the trope was actually staged in the manner of a small theater piece. Three figures detach themselves from the choir of the monks and go towards the altar to an "angel " who sent them the message of the resurrection of Christ. To overcome cross occurs in these instructions the leftover tunic of Christ be added (which he had taken, he would be alive gone ). The relics prove both the absence and the ubiquity of Christ, so there are no traces in the criminal sense.

The misleading impression of medieval view that performers and spectators saw added directly to the grave, is outweighed by the Embassy of the traceless disappearance of Christ and justified. The message of the angel to be believed, without, however, allowing safeguard evidence on the ground that make the faith to knowledge.

Only the lack of essence can be shown. This is already in the core of the medieval Vanitas rhetoric: By warning of the nullity of showing the showing is legitimate. This paradoxical justification of showing is significant for its emancipation in Europe's media history.

Whether the defense of mimesis by Aristotle in the 10th century was already noted, can only speculate. Is busy at that time, an influence of the Eastern Churches, in which ancient theater traditions had kept rather than in the West. Certainly, the increased importance of public and representativeness has contributed as part of the enlargement of monasteries and cities at that appreciation of showing.