A Theatrical and Spiritual Doubling of The Church

“So, Nicolas, without delay, Made them carry back the treasure / Without wasting a single moment / And place his image on the top, Just exactly as they’d found it. / When in this way the kind had tested / The Saint and his great miracle / He gave command for them to bring / The Christian in and not to harm him. He had himself baptized at the font, / Not only himself but the other pagans; He became an honest and decent Christian, And never wanted to sin again” p79
Jehan Bodel’s political message in this passage is almost comically clear, and I can almost imagine the audience at the time almost rolling their eyes at the simplicity of this message. It resembles the children’s stories where little kids are taught not to steal (or some such moral lesson) in the most basic and unambiguous terms. The narrative of the King is one of redemption rather than damnation. The church would have wanted to enforce this, as rather than having to authorize the killing of potential heretics it would be easier to convert them. This would add to their strength as a political and religious force. Carol Symes discusses how the location of the play “heightens and collapses the distinction between reality and fiction” – this would have been particularly necessary as the church would not be enforcing these plays for purely entertainment value. The Jeu de Saint Nicholas’ play is in some way a call to arms to the Christians to convert the Pagans and be like the laudable Prudhomme. It would have also served as an incentive to any covert heretics, sending the message that they would be met with redemption just as the Pagan King was. Symes explains that if the play was “mounted in a church, it would draw on the perennial associations of liturgical plays, which regularly staged the betrayal and arrest of virtuous men.” While I think this is true, I think this de-emphasizes the political importance of this staging. It goes back to Symes earlier quote that the “distinction between reality and fiction” would partially collapse. It is equally a threat and an assertion of power. By performing a story of one of Christianity’s triumphs on the foundation of the current religious center, reemphasizes the almost all-powerful nature of the organization. It also reminds the audience that it is not merely a building, but one blessed with supernatural aid. With Bodel’s story a kind of fictitious proof is given, as “the Saint and his great miracle” is depicted as a validation for the church’s complete authority over the populous lives. There is also the literal building to consider, as the pagan King is “himself baptized at the font”, it is a reminder that any one can be baptized and the same font that baptizes the actor “king” could be used to baptize any citizen. This would elevate the stature of Christianity and give it an immediacy and status in which the citizens could take pride in.