Scholastic texts on theater move from the Greeks and Romans to the theater of Shakespeare's time with little or no acknowledgment of the Middle Ages. From the late thirteenth century until the reformation an active community theater known as the mystery plays existed throughout much of Europe. The York Corpus Christi Cycle was part of that movement. The play was produced by the guilds of York under the supervision of the chamber of commerce with the Church monitoring the theology and morals. Performed yearly on the Feast Day of Corpus Christi, the subject of the play was the salvation of man from the creation through the last judgment. This thesis examines in depth the language and characters of four pageants of the forty-eight pageants of the York Cycle Play and draws connections to the writings and teachings of Bishop Thoresby. While many scholars understand the Cycle Play as a municipal production, this thesis argues that the plays were in fact created by the Church as a means to bring their teachings to the Medieval masses.