Edited by Roald Dijkstra and Paul van der Velde
[Topics in Humor Research 10] 2022
► pp. 128–142
In this chapter I discuss the Cena Cypriani, a 4th century curiosum in early Christian literature, describing a special wedding attended by a great number of biblical characters. First I run through the text as a whole and discuss the few known facts about the background of the text. Next I concentrate on the four final sections, which show some surprising features. These in turn bring me to concluding observations on the type of fun aimed at in this text. I argue that the Cena Cypriani consistently aims at playful irreverence and seems intended for a learned Christian readership. Some final remarks about the later reception of the text conclude the paper.