Passion play

A Passion play is a genre of the miracle play that has survived from the Middle Ages into modern times. Its subject is the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. It originated in the ritual of the Church, which prescribes, among other things, that the Gospel on Good Friday should be sung in parts divided among various persons. Passion plays were first given in Latin. By the 13th century they included German verses, and 200 years later the entire play was performed in German. Nearly all Passion plays have some relation to those coming from the Tyrol. Understanding the influential role that passion plays have exercised in the spread of anti-Semitism, the Catholic Church today urges great caution in all dramatic presentations of the passion to ensure that they not furnish any impetus for anti-Semitic attitude or behaviour.