Gun Accidentally Discharged in Church. A clergyman comes to the service directly from hunting (from getting his gun). By accident, during the sermon, as he gesticulates, the gun goes off. The clergyman says that it will be louder at the Last…
Not to Turn Around. A clergyman forbids the people to look behind themselves during the service (sermon). Instead, he will call out the names of the people who arrive late.
A Fool’s Vocation. A man (innkeeper, shoemaker) wants his son to become a clergyman because he is too stupid to take up his father’s line of work [X426].
The Person from Another Congregation. During the sermon, all the congregation weeps except one visitor. After the service, the clergyman asks him why he did not weep. He replies that he does not belong to this congregation.
The Clergyman with the Fine Voice. A clergyman notices that when he sings (preaches), an old woman starts to cry. He thinks his singing is affecting her deeply and so he sings more forcefully. After the service he asks her why she was crying. She…
The Long Sermon. A clergyman is so preoccupied with his long sermon that he does not notice that his congregation is becoming restless. Little by little, all the people leave. Finally the sexton gives the key to the clergyman, and tells him to lock…
A Clergyman Wakes his Sleeping Congregation. A clergyman wakes his sleepy congregation by calling out, “Fire!” Someone asks excitedly where the fire is, and the clergyman answers, “In hell.”
The Thief Betrays Himself. In order to expose a thief (adulterer), a clergyman threatens during his sermon to throw something (stone, fruit, Bible) at the sinner’s head. The clergyman swings his arm back to throw. Someone else in the congregation…
“Abraham, What Do You Have on Your Breast?” A man named Abraham (Joseph), on his way to church, steals a ham (pair of ducks) and hides it under his jacket. In his sermon, the clergyman asks rhetorically what Abraham has on his breast (repeats…
The Large Loaves. This miscellaneous tale exists chiefly in four different forms: (1) A clergyman preaches about the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when 5000 people were fed with seven loaves and two fish. The congregation doubts whether this is…
The Same Old Story. This tale exists chiefly in two different forms: (1) A man goes to church on Good Friday (Christmas Eve) and hears the sermon. The next year, he goes again on that day (his son goes forty years later) and hears the same sermon. He…
God Is Dead (previously God Died for You). An old woman (other member of the congregation, child) hears from the clergyman (other person) that Christ died for our sins (God is dead). She says she is sorry for the death, and that she did not know of…
The Names of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. (Including the previous Type 1832G*.) A clergyman wants to teach a boy (shepherd, cowherd) the names of the persons of the Holy Trinity (a prayer). To help him, the boy is to associate the names with…
“Where Was Christ when he Was Neither in Heaven nor on Earth?” The clergyman asks where Christ was, when he was neither in heaven nor on earth (he asks, what does God do). The answer is, he was looking for a good stick (getting a whip ready) to beat…
“Where Is the Father?” (previously “Where Did Our Father Stay?”). A clergyman asks a boy (man) who the personages in the Trinity are (asks someone how he crosses himself or how he has baptized his child). The boy answers, “God the Son (Father) and…
“What Does David Say?” A clergyman sends his servant to buy something from the butcher David (Paul, Moses). The servant returns to the church just as the clergyman asks in his sermon, “What does David say?” The servant thinks the question is…
The Clergyman’s Rhetorical Question Misunderstood (previously Application of the Sermon). (Including the previous Type 1833**.) This miscellaneous type consists of various anecdotes in which a person (who arrives late to church) thinks that he has to…
“Who Was the Father of Noah’s Sons?” A foolish farmer (young man) wants to become a sexton (teacher). Among other questions, the clergyman (landlord) asks him, “Who was the father of Noah’s sons?” The farmer cannot answer this question and tells his…
Church of Dung. Boys are playing in the dung (with mud). The clergyman asks them what they are making. One boy answers, “A church.” The clergyman asks if they are going to make a clergyman to go along with it. The boy answers, “If we have enough mud…
Hymnbook Upside Down. A person in church who cannot read holds his (her) hymnbook upside down. When the person beside him tries to correct him, the man with the book explains that he is left-handed [J1746]. Cf. Type 1331*.
A Clergyman Asks for the Way. A clergyman asks a boy the way to the next village. He also warns the boy not to smoke, or he will not go to heaven. The boy replies that if the clergyman knows the way to heaven, he must surely know the way to the next…
“The Devil!” (Including the previous Type 1810C*.) The clergyman asks a boy in the confirmation class, “Who is the worst enemy of mankind?” The boy does not know the answer. For some other reason, another boy curses, “The devil!” The clergyman…
Lamb of God Becomes Sheep of God. A man (boy, farmer, shepherd) comes to confession but does not know any prayers. The clergyman teaches him a short prayer that begins with the words, “Lamb of God.” Later the clergyman asks the man if he still…