Mass parody

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A mass parody was a medieval way of alienating the texts of the Holy Mass frivolously into a parody and performing it in fools ' masses at "fools' festivals" ( Latin Festa stultorum , French Fêtes du fous ). A better known form of such parodies was the so-called donkey fair in early January.

The texts of the mass, from the gradual prayer to the Ite, missa est , were imitated and turned into comic, sometimes blasphemous . The exception was, however, the measurement canon with the change , possibly out of shyness or because the softly spoken text of the canon was unknown. The first evidence dates from the 13th century, there were numerous parodies of the Mass in the 15th and 16th centuries. Century, after which they were partly suppressed and disappeared.

One element was the reversal of roles: members of the minor ordinations such as the subdeacons took on the role of bishops and priests for one day , satirizing them and practicing jokes with the rites, for example by pouring water over the celebrant instead of Asperges . Not infrequently, criticism of existing conditions in the monastery and church was expressed in a poetically artistic manner. In most cases, the authors came from within the church.

Thematically, the measurement parodies could vary. A “drunkard or gambler's mass” (Missa potatorum et lusorum) began, for example, with Introibo ad altare Bacchi (“I want to step up to the altar of the [wine god] Bacchus ” instead of “to the altar of God”, Introibo ad altare Dei in the step prayer) and ended with Ite, missa est - Deo gratias with Ite bursa vacua - Reo gratias ("Go, the bag is empty" - "Thanks be to the accused").

There were “game fairs”, the most common being the “donkey fairs”. There were also parodies directed against other Masses, for example against the followers of John Wyclif and Jan Hus (Missa contra Hussitas) or - as an isolated late form in the 18th century - as Messa della defonta compagnia Loiolitica directed against the Jesuit order .

literature

  • Paul Lehmann : The parody in the Middle Ages. With 24 selected parody texts. 2nd Edition. Hiersemann, Stuttgart 1963 (first edition: Drei Masken, Munich 1922 - archive.org ).
  • Paul Lehmann (Ed.): Parodistic texts. Examples of Latin parody in the Middle Ages. Three masks, Munich 1923.
  • Hans Bernhard Meyer SJ: Eucharist. History, theology, pastoral care (= church service. Handbook of liturgical science, part 4). Pustet, Regensburg 1989, ISBN 3-7917-1200-4 , pp. 229-231.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hansjörg Auf der Maur : Celebrations in the rhythm of time I. Gentlemen's festivals in week and year (= church service. Handbook of liturgical science , part 5). Pustet, Regensburg 1983, ISBN 3-7917-0788-4 , p. 173.
  2. ↑ Michael B. Merz: Prayer forms of the liturgy. In: Rupert Berger u. a. (Ed.): Shape of worship. Linguistic and non-linguistic forms of expression (= church service. Handbook of liturgical science , part 3). Pustet, Regensburg 1987, ISBN 3-7917-1045-1 , pp. 97-130, here pp. 129 f.
  3. ↑ Examples in: Paul Lehmann (Ed.): Parodistische texts. Examples of Latin parody in the Middle Ages. Munich 1923, pp. 59-67 ( missa potatorum ), pp. 42-48, 68 f. ( missa contra Hussitas ), quoted in: Hans Bernhard Meyer SJ: Eucharist. History, theology, pastoral care. Pustet, Regensburg 1989, ISBN 3-7917-1200-4 , p. 230.