Mystery or Miracle Plays?   A play that dramatises an episode from the Old or New Testament is called a mystery; one that dramatises the life of a saint is a miracle.

The word 'mystery' comes from the French mystère meaning craft, and apprentices joined the guilds to learn their 'mystery' or craft. When the guildsmen began dramatising the Bible stories, their plays thus became known as 'mysteries'.

Simultaneously in Europe there arose the French mystère, German Mysterienspiel, Italian sacra rappresentazione and Spanish auto sacramental. Traces of similar plays have been found in Denmark, Russia and states of central Europe. All such Christian epics were in the vernacular, each containing local variations to suit the tastes of the different audiences.