The Quem Quaeritis Trope
It is something of an irony in the history of the drama that the Church, which had brought about the demise of theatrical spectacle at the end of the Roman Empire, brought it back into being, and that because dramatic presentation apparently came to be seen as an effective method for bringing home the most important episodes of the Bible, the Birth and the Resurrection of Christ. This trope survives from the ninth century. Not much later stage directions, costume, and props were added to the simple Latin dialogue translated and reproduced below :

[ Angels ] : " Whom do ye seek in the tomb, O Worshippers of Christ ?
[ Worshippers ] : " Jesus the Nazarene, the Crucified, O Heavenly Beings.
[ Angels ] : " He is not here; He has risen, just as He predicted. Go and announce that He has risen from the tomb. "

These simple dramatic presentations were originally given inside the church and as part of the Easter ( or Christmas ) service. As they got longer and more elaborate, they were moved outside of the church, and thus, once liberated, the drama was able to develop, first of all into the ' mystery cycles ', which presented highlights of the entire Bible from creation to judgement day.

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