Chapter published in:
Humour in the Beginning: Religion, humour and laughter in formative stages of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism
Edited by Roald Dijkstra and Paul van der Velde
[Topics in Humor Research 10] 2022
► pp. 128–142

Biblical fun

Humour in the Cena Cypriani

| Radboud University

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.

Keywords: Cena Cypriani , Biblical characters, riddles, irreverence, early Christian Latin
Article outline
  • A biblical wedding
  • Lists of names
  • Author, date, place
  • In cauda venenum
  • Follow up
  • Appendix: From Umberto Eco, The name of the Rose
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
Published online: 27 October 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/thr.10.11hun
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