552028382 03 01 01 JB John Benjamins Publishing Company 01 JB code THR 10 Eb 15 9789027257468 06 10.1075/thr.10 13 2022026494 DG 002 02 01 THR 02 2212-8999 Topics in Humor Research 10 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour in the Beginning</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Religion, humour and laughter in formative stages of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism</Subtitle> 01 thr.10 01 https://benjamins.com 02 https://benjamins.com/catalog/thr.10 1 B01 Roald Dijkstra Dijkstra, Roald Roald Dijkstra KU Leuven 2 B01 Paul van der Velde Velde, Paul van der Paul van der Velde Radboud University 01 eng 318 xii 306 REL051000 v.2006 HRAB 2 24 JB Subject Scheme LIN.HUMOR Humor studies 06 01 <i>Humour in the Beginning</i> presents a multidisciplinary collection of fourteen in-depth case-studies on the role of humour – both benign and blasphemous, elitist and ordinary, orthodox and heterodox – in early, formative stages of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and (late-antique) Judaism. Its coherence is strengthened by four preceding theoretical essays, many cross-references and a conclusion. Thus, the volume allows for a methodologically sound comparison and explanation of historical views on humour in the world’s most important religions. At first sight, the foundational period of religions do not seem to offer much opportunities for humour. A closer look on primary sources, however, reveals the ways in which people formulated answers to existing ideas on humour and laughter, in moments of religious renewal. Main topics include the incongruous nature of the divine, the role of anthropomorphism, superior and didactic humour, moderate laughter, responses from dissenters and the gap between religious regulations and reality. 04 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/475/thr.10.png 04 03 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/475_jpg/9789027211538.jpg 04 03 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/475_tif/9789027211538.tif 06 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/1200_front/thr.10.hb.png 07 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/125/thr.10.png 25 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/1200_back/thr.10.hb.png 27 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/3d_web/thr.10.hb.png 10 01 JB code thr.10.pre vii viii 2 Miscellaneous 1 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Preface</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.authors ix xii 4 Miscellaneous 2 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">About the contributors</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.p1 4 30 27 Section header 3 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part I. Humour as tool and topic (essays)</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.01kui 4 10 7 Chapter 4 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour, risk and religion</TitleText> 1 A01 Giselinde Kuipers Kuipers, Giselinde Giselinde Kuipers 10 01 JB code thr.10.02sch 12 16 5 Chapter 5 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Religion and humour</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">The big picture</Subtitle> 1 A01 Bernard Schweizer Schweizer, Bernard Bernard Schweizer 10 01 JB code thr.10.03kui 18 22 5 Chapter 6 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">The unquenchable laughter of the gods</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>The </TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix textformat="02">unquenchable laughter of the gods</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Inger Kuin Kuin, Inger Inger Kuin 10 01 JB code thr.10.04ami 24 30 7 Chapter 7 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Is the application of modern humour theories on historical cases a joke?</TitleText> 1 A01 Yasmin Amin Amin, Yasmin Yasmin Amin 10 01 JB code thr.10.p2 34 142 109 Section header 8 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part II. Christianity and Judaism in Late Antiquity</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.05sel 34 46 13 Chapter 9 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Derisive laughter and religious identity in ancient Christianity</TitleText> 1 A01 Anne Ingvild Sælid Gilhus Sælid Gilhus, Anne Ingvild Anne Ingvild Sælid Gilhus 20 derisive laughter 20 exegesis 20 mockery 20 monasticism 20 Nag Hammadi texts 01 Polemic and mockery were part of Christian identity-making, especially in apologies and heresiologies, where boundaries were created against pagans and other Christians. In this paper, the focus is on the use of derisive laughter in the Nag Hammadi texts. This chapter presents a survey of four variants of the laughter-motif, discusses them and investigates what they have to say about Christian monastic identity in the fourth to fifth century in Upper Egypt. It appears that the motif works as a powerful rhetorical instrument and pedagogical tool. It contributed to guide the readers in the right direction – towards spirituality and superior knowledge, but it was not necessarily intended to make them laugh out loud. 10 01 JB code thr.10.06gra 48 62 15 Chapter 10 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Opponent or advocate?</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Exploring Clement of Alexandria’s attitude(s) towards laughter</Subtitle> 1 A01 Nicole Graham Graham, Nicole Nicole Graham 20 Christianity 20 Clement of Alexandria 20 Greek philosophy 20 laughter 20 patristics 20 pedagogy 20 the body 01 This chapter explores one of the earliest Christian commentators on laughter, Clement of Alexandria. It argues that his views on laughter were more nuanced than the fervent opposition with which he is often characterised and that, at times, he advocates for laughter. With particular reference to ‘On laughter’ in his Paedagogus, this chapter will demonstrate how Clement was influenced by Greek philosophy, Scripture, and the Hellenistic society within which he lived when forming his ambiguous views on laughter. Indeed, by exploring laughter in various forms, e.g. drunken laughter, erotic laughter, comic laughter, and pedagogical laughter, it will become clear that Clement’s beliefs about laughter vary depending on the context, the intention, and the consequences of the laughter. 10 01 JB code thr.10.07ber 64 80 17 Chapter 11 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">“This joke has gone on for long enough”</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour, derision, and allusion in the letters of Gregory of Nazianzus</Subtitle> 1 A01 Floris Bernard Bernard, Floris Floris Bernard 20 allusion 20 Christianity 20 epistolography 20 Gregory of Nazianzus 20 Late Antiquity 01 Gregory of Nazianzus is one of the foundational theologians of Eastern Christianity, greatly contributing to the development of an authoritative body of texts that is generally averse to humour. Due to this, he is generally not read with humoristic interests in mind. Yet, his letters are a genre that is more than others entrenched in the social realities of his time. In these letters, Gregory uses witticisms and playful derision as a means to forge a bond of exclusivity with his epistolary friends. Frequently, these witticisms hinge on intertextual allusions. In these allusions, Gregory plays a game that is based on erudition in both the (pagan) classics and the bible, thus constructing a kind of witty sophisticated discourse that is undeniably Christian, and at the same time meets all the standards of elitist classical paideia. 10 01 JB code thr.10.08lan 82 92 11 Chapter 12 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">The smile of the martyr</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>The </TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix textformat="02">smile of the martyr</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Pierluigi Lanfranchi Lanfranchi, Pierluigi Pierluigi Lanfranchi 20 Early Christianity 20 laughter 20 martyr acts and passions 20 martyrdom 20 rabbi Akiva 20 smile 20 violence 01 A martyr smiling while interrogated or tortured is a topos of Early Christian martyrological literature. It is also present in stories on Jewish martyrs in the rabbinic literature. Authors of Acta and Passiones often oppose the laughter of the pagan crowd to the smile of the Christian martyr. The Greek word μειδιᾶν (‘to smile’) and γελᾶν (‘to laugh’) suppose different emotional attitudes as well as different facial expressions. This article aims to show how Christian authors use this opposition and propose the martyr’s smile as the final strategy of resistance against violence and as an ideal paradigm of Christian behaviour. 10 01 JB code thr.10.09kip 94 106 13 Chapter 13 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Divine mockery and laughing Rabbis</TitleText> 1 A01 Reuven Kiperwasser Kiperwasser, Reuven Reuven Kiperwasser 20 Arameans 20 Assyria 20 Babylonian Talmud 20 beard 20 hair 20 masculinity 20 mockery 20 narrative 20 rabbis 20 Sennacherib 20 theology 01 My paper is dedicated to the role of humour in expressing theological ideas in the Babylonian Talmud. As an example, I analyse the narrative with a strong theological focus. In stories of this kind the acting characters are God and the Other involved in an ongoing collision. God plays the role of a scoffer, exposing the Other as an object of derision. The real objects of the mockery are theological views that the narrator would not like to have in his own environment: therefore, he projects them on the Other. Analysing appearances of mockery through theological debates I will show that ridicule here does not demonize the Other or minimize his importance nor does it pursue the goal of alienating him. As a rule, the laughter opens a moment of potential rupture in the continuity of interactions and produces some re-organization in order to steer the interaction once more towards continuity rather than towards chaotic turbulence. With the paradox, it is thoughtfully tried to subject the system of coexistence with the Other to the shock caused by the usage of the weapon of laughter; however, after the laughing situation, the previously inhabited borders are sought again in order to ensure the continuity of an updated order. 10 01 JB code thr.10.10dij 108 126 19 Chapter 14 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Converting comedians</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour and laughter as a way to interpret the early Christian mime reports</Subtitle> 1 A01 Roald Dijkstra Dijkstra, Roald Roald Dijkstra 20 actors 20 anti-gelasticism 20 conversion 20 early Christian comedy 20 late antique theatre 20 laughter versus joy 20 mimes 20 mimesis 01 The early Christian aversion for the comic and for theatre has been much discussed. The ongoing large popularity of the theatre, predominantly comical in nature, long after the establishment of Christianity as the leading religion of the Roman empire, tells a different story. Theatre and Christianity meet in a remarkable way in reports of mimes that were originally meant to mock the Christian faith. Suddenly, the protagonist converted on stage, and died as a martyr. The mime reports that have been transmitted are briefly presented and discussed in their historical context. Instances of laughter and humorous twists in the mimes and in the mime reports are analysed separately. The reports meet most of the characteristics of comical texts and could have been written by Christians who tried to reconcile Church and theatre. 10 01 JB code thr.10.11hun 128 142 15 Chapter 15 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Biblical fun</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour in the Cena Cypriani</Subtitle> 1 A01 Vincent Hunink Hunink, Vincent Vincent Hunink 20 Biblical characters 20 Cena Cypriani 20 early Christian Latin 20 irreverence 20 riddles 01 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. 10 01 JB code thr.10.p3 146 218 73 Section header 16 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part III. The Qur’an and early Arabic literature</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.12has 146 154 9 Chapter 17 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour and its ethics</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Reflections from the early Islamic era</Subtitle> 1 A01 Farooq Hassan Hassan, Farooq Farooq Hassan 20 benign humour 20 hopeful attitude 20 Islamic sense of humour 20 Qur’an and Sunnah 20 religious humour 01 Today Islam appears to many to be a stiffly austere religion that denigrates humour, but in its earliest phase of development it endorsed humour and set guidelines in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Islam encourages humour of the positive kind and discourages the humour, which becomes a tool for insulting people. This paper aims to discuss the permissible and forbidden kinds of humour, its need, benefits, and specifications along with its assigned place in medieval Islamic heritage. This paper focuses on the ethics of humour and Muslim responses to it and argues that humour needs to be incorporated in communication for a more tolerant and enlightened society. 10 01 JB code thr.10.13ami 156 182 27 Chapter 18 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">A laughing God, between Sunni approval and Shi’ite rejection</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>A </TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix textformat="02">laughing God, between Sunni approval and Shi’ite rejection</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Yasmin Amin Amin, Yasmin Yasmin Amin 20 ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib 20 anthropomorphism 20 God’s laughter 20 humour 20 laughter 20 Sunni vs Shi’ite Ḥadith 01 In the Sunni Ḥadīth (henceforth: Hadith) collections a number of distinctive narrations describe the Prophet laughing, while telling his community about various instances when God himself laughs. The reasons for God’s laughter vary, but mostly reassure the believers that there is nothing to fear from a ‘laughing God’. God’s laughter is generally interpreted in the commentaries to the Hadith to mean mercy and benevolence. Though two traditions are narrated on the authority of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, the first Shi’ite imam, they are not preserved in the Shi’ite Hadith corpus, except to challenge its veracity along with the authenticity of all the other traditions mentioning a ‘laughing God’. This essay attempts to determine why they are rejected. 10 01 JB code thr.10.14van 184 206 23 Chapter 19 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Poetic parodies of Islamic discourses by Abū Nuwās</TitleText> 1 A01 Geert Jan van Gelder Gelder, Geert Jan van Geert Jan van Gelder 20 antinomianism 20 Arabic 20 Hadith 20 humour 20 Islam 20 libertinism 20 parody 20 poetry 20 religion 01 Abū Nuwās (d. c. 813), one of the greatest and most versatile of Arabic poets, practised every major genre. His fame and notoriety rest especially on his large corpus of Bacchic verse and love poetry, most of which is homoerotic. All his poetry is secular: no mystical verse, hymns on God or praise of the Prophet, but religion is never very far, if not in the foreground then in the background. Much of his verse is explicitly antinomian, flouting the prescripts of Islam. The present paper deals with his humorous and often obscene verse parodies of two kinds of Islamic discourse, the waṣiyyah (‘pious instruction’ or ‘testament’), and Hadith, the corpus of sayings and doings of the prophet Muhammad. 10 01 JB code thr.10.15mar 208 218 11 Chapter 20 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Greek and Buddhist jokes and their corresponding versions in classical Arabic literature</TitleText> 1 A01 Ulrich Marzolph Marzolph, Ulrich Ulrich Marzolph 20 Arabic jokes 20 book of 100 parables 20 Buddhist jokes 20 Classical Arabic literature 20 comparative folkloristics 20 Greek jokes 20 Philogelos 01 Classical Arabic literature preserves one of the internationally largest repertoires of jokes and humorous anecdotes. As a rule, Arab humour focuses on human foibles, particularly ignorance and stupidity, and does not ridicule the basics of the religion of Islam. Although most of the texts relate to indigenous Arabic tradition, a certain amount can be traced to ancient Greek and Buddhist sources. The present contribution discusses this material. Whereas a relation between Greek and Arabic jokes, however difficult to prove with certainty, is fairly likely, the problematic aspects of hypothesizing about any direct relationship multiply when we consider Buddhist jokes. 10 01 JB code thr.10.p4 222 270 49 Section header 21 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part IV. Buddhism</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.16dij 222 234 13 Chapter 22 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">How is this sutra different from my ass?</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour as a gateway to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism</Subtitle> 1 A01 Michel Dijkstra Dijkstra, Michel Michel Dijkstra 20 Daoist relativism 20 enlightened communication 20 enlightenment 20 kōan 20 Lie Zi 20 Linji 20 Mazu 20 Satsujo 20 Zen Buddhism 20 Zen relativism 20 Zhuang Zi 01 In Zen Buddhism humour is used in a soteriological way. Zen masters confront their disciples with (practical) jokes in order to free their minds and discover enlightenment. In this essay, I investigate the humour of enlightenment by first pointing out the influence of Daoist humoristic stories on Zen. Next, three dimensions of Zen jokes are highlighted, namely relativism, the way of cutting through illusion and liberating intimacy. With the help of humour, Zen masters like Linji and the Japanese teenager Satsujo teach their disciples that they should not cling to their views. This relativism leads to an insight into one’s own illusions. Once these false views are literally ‘laughed away’ one can discover a liberating connection with all things. 10 01 JB code thr.10.17ste 236 252 17 Chapter 23 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Finicking monkeys</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Sun Wukong (Monkey King) as a humorous force in the Chinese discourse on the Three Teachings</Subtitle> 1 A01 Arjan Sterken Sterken, Arjan Arjan Sterken 20 Buddhism 20 China 20 Confucianism 20 Daoism 20 folklore 20 literature 20 mythology 20 Sun Wukong (Monkey King) 20 superior laughter 20 Three Teachings (sanjiao) 01 This chapter discusses the Chinese trickster figure Monkey King in narrative scenes in which he either steals or is tempted to steal food. It explores the way in which Monkey King is humorously utilised in the discourse on which of the Three Teachings (sanjiao), Daoism, Confucianism, or Buddhism, is superior to the others. First, this chapter discusses Monkey King’s multifarious origins. Afterwards, three texts are analysed: The story of how the monk Tripiṭaka of the great country of Tang brought back the Sūtras; The interpreter Pak; and The journey to the West. In all these texts, the type of humour utilised is best described by the superiority theory. 10 01 JB code thr.10.18van 254 270 17 Chapter 24 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">“Are you really serious?”</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">The Buddha, the Brahmins and humour in the śramaṇa tradition of India</Subtitle> 1 A01 Paul van der Velde Velde, Paul van der Paul van der Velde 20 asceticism and erotics 20 Brahmins 20 Buddhist origin of the universe 20 humour and Pāli 20 Veda 01 Four possible examples of humour, jokes or puns from early India are discussed: two from Buddhism (the Khaggavisāṇa-sutta or ‘Song of the Rhinoceros’ and an example from the sermons of the Buddha on the mythical origin of the Brahmin caste system) and two from the Ṛgveda. It appears that humour quickly loses its value and meaning once the original context is forgotten. What was once maybe intended as a joke or persiflage may soon change into something serious. What was then maybe cynically intended had to be reinterpreted to fit in the authoritative tradition. For recognizing what may have been humorous, we have to reconstruct the original context, meanwhile accepting the influence of changing contexts on the reception of ancient texts. 10 01 JB code thr.10.p5 274 300 27 Section header 25 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part V. Conclusion</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.19dij 274 300 27 Chapter 26 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour in religion</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">A Protean phenomenon</Subtitle> 1 A01 Roald Dijkstra Dijkstra, Roald Roald Dijkstra 10 01 JB code thr.10.index Miscellaneous 27 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Index</TitleText> 02 JBENJAMINS John Benjamins Publishing Company 01 John Benjamins Publishing Company Amsterdam/Philadelphia NL 04 20221027 2022 John Benjamins B.V. 02 WORLD 13 15 9789027211538 01 JB 3 John Benjamins e-Platform 03 jbe-platform.com 09 WORLD 21 01 00 99.00 EUR R 01 00 83.00 GBP Z 01 gen 00 149.00 USD S 429028381 03 01 01 JB John Benjamins Publishing Company 01 JB code THR 10 Hb 15 9789027211538 13 2022026493 BB 01 THR 02 2212-8999 Topics in Humor Research 10 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour in the Beginning</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Religion, humour and laughter in formative stages of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism</Subtitle> 01 thr.10 01 https://benjamins.com 02 https://benjamins.com/catalog/thr.10 1 B01 Roald Dijkstra Dijkstra, Roald Roald Dijkstra KU Leuven 2 B01 Paul van der Velde Velde, Paul van der Paul van der Velde Radboud University 01 eng 318 xii 306 REL051000 v.2006 HRAB 2 24 JB Subject Scheme LIN.HUMOR Humor studies 06 01 <i>Humour in the Beginning</i> presents a multidisciplinary collection of fourteen in-depth case-studies on the role of humour – both benign and blasphemous, elitist and ordinary, orthodox and heterodox – in early, formative stages of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and (late-antique) Judaism. Its coherence is strengthened by four preceding theoretical essays, many cross-references and a conclusion. Thus, the volume allows for a methodologically sound comparison and explanation of historical views on humour in the world’s most important religions. At first sight, the foundational period of religions do not seem to offer much opportunities for humour. A closer look on primary sources, however, reveals the ways in which people formulated answers to existing ideas on humour and laughter, in moments of religious renewal. Main topics include the incongruous nature of the divine, the role of anthropomorphism, superior and didactic humour, moderate laughter, responses from dissenters and the gap between religious regulations and reality. 04 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/475/thr.10.png 04 03 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/475_jpg/9789027211538.jpg 04 03 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/475_tif/9789027211538.tif 06 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/1200_front/thr.10.hb.png 07 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/125/thr.10.png 25 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/1200_back/thr.10.hb.png 27 09 01 https://benjamins.com/covers/3d_web/thr.10.hb.png 10 01 JB code thr.10.pre vii viii 2 Miscellaneous 1 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Preface</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.authors ix xii 4 Miscellaneous 2 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">About the contributors</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.p1 4 30 27 Section header 3 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part I. Humour as tool and topic (essays)</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.01kui 4 10 7 Chapter 4 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour, risk and religion</TitleText> 1 A01 Giselinde Kuipers Kuipers, Giselinde Giselinde Kuipers 10 01 JB code thr.10.02sch 12 16 5 Chapter 5 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Religion and humour</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">The big picture</Subtitle> 1 A01 Bernard Schweizer Schweizer, Bernard Bernard Schweizer 10 01 JB code thr.10.03kui 18 22 5 Chapter 6 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">The unquenchable laughter of the gods</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>The </TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix textformat="02">unquenchable laughter of the gods</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Inger Kuin Kuin, Inger Inger Kuin 10 01 JB code thr.10.04ami 24 30 7 Chapter 7 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Is the application of modern humour theories on historical cases a joke?</TitleText> 1 A01 Yasmin Amin Amin, Yasmin Yasmin Amin 10 01 JB code thr.10.p2 34 142 109 Section header 8 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part II. Christianity and Judaism in Late Antiquity</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.05sel 34 46 13 Chapter 9 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Derisive laughter and religious identity in ancient Christianity</TitleText> 1 A01 Anne Ingvild Sælid Gilhus Sælid Gilhus, Anne Ingvild Anne Ingvild Sælid Gilhus 20 derisive laughter 20 exegesis 20 mockery 20 monasticism 20 Nag Hammadi texts 01 Polemic and mockery were part of Christian identity-making, especially in apologies and heresiologies, where boundaries were created against pagans and other Christians. In this paper, the focus is on the use of derisive laughter in the Nag Hammadi texts. This chapter presents a survey of four variants of the laughter-motif, discusses them and investigates what they have to say about Christian monastic identity in the fourth to fifth century in Upper Egypt. It appears that the motif works as a powerful rhetorical instrument and pedagogical tool. It contributed to guide the readers in the right direction – towards spirituality and superior knowledge, but it was not necessarily intended to make them laugh out loud. 10 01 JB code thr.10.06gra 48 62 15 Chapter 10 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Opponent or advocate?</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Exploring Clement of Alexandria’s attitude(s) towards laughter</Subtitle> 1 A01 Nicole Graham Graham, Nicole Nicole Graham 20 Christianity 20 Clement of Alexandria 20 Greek philosophy 20 laughter 20 patristics 20 pedagogy 20 the body 01 This chapter explores one of the earliest Christian commentators on laughter, Clement of Alexandria. It argues that his views on laughter were more nuanced than the fervent opposition with which he is often characterised and that, at times, he advocates for laughter. With particular reference to ‘On laughter’ in his Paedagogus, this chapter will demonstrate how Clement was influenced by Greek philosophy, Scripture, and the Hellenistic society within which he lived when forming his ambiguous views on laughter. Indeed, by exploring laughter in various forms, e.g. drunken laughter, erotic laughter, comic laughter, and pedagogical laughter, it will become clear that Clement’s beliefs about laughter vary depending on the context, the intention, and the consequences of the laughter. 10 01 JB code thr.10.07ber 64 80 17 Chapter 11 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">“This joke has gone on for long enough”</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour, derision, and allusion in the letters of Gregory of Nazianzus</Subtitle> 1 A01 Floris Bernard Bernard, Floris Floris Bernard 20 allusion 20 Christianity 20 epistolography 20 Gregory of Nazianzus 20 Late Antiquity 01 Gregory of Nazianzus is one of the foundational theologians of Eastern Christianity, greatly contributing to the development of an authoritative body of texts that is generally averse to humour. Due to this, he is generally not read with humoristic interests in mind. Yet, his letters are a genre that is more than others entrenched in the social realities of his time. In these letters, Gregory uses witticisms and playful derision as a means to forge a bond of exclusivity with his epistolary friends. Frequently, these witticisms hinge on intertextual allusions. In these allusions, Gregory plays a game that is based on erudition in both the (pagan) classics and the bible, thus constructing a kind of witty sophisticated discourse that is undeniably Christian, and at the same time meets all the standards of elitist classical paideia. 10 01 JB code thr.10.08lan 82 92 11 Chapter 12 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">The smile of the martyr</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>The </TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix textformat="02">smile of the martyr</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Pierluigi Lanfranchi Lanfranchi, Pierluigi Pierluigi Lanfranchi 20 Early Christianity 20 laughter 20 martyr acts and passions 20 martyrdom 20 rabbi Akiva 20 smile 20 violence 01 A martyr smiling while interrogated or tortured is a topos of Early Christian martyrological literature. It is also present in stories on Jewish martyrs in the rabbinic literature. Authors of Acta and Passiones often oppose the laughter of the pagan crowd to the smile of the Christian martyr. The Greek word μειδιᾶν (‘to smile’) and γελᾶν (‘to laugh’) suppose different emotional attitudes as well as different facial expressions. This article aims to show how Christian authors use this opposition and propose the martyr’s smile as the final strategy of resistance against violence and as an ideal paradigm of Christian behaviour. 10 01 JB code thr.10.09kip 94 106 13 Chapter 13 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Divine mockery and laughing Rabbis</TitleText> 1 A01 Reuven Kiperwasser Kiperwasser, Reuven Reuven Kiperwasser 20 Arameans 20 Assyria 20 Babylonian Talmud 20 beard 20 hair 20 masculinity 20 mockery 20 narrative 20 rabbis 20 Sennacherib 20 theology 01 My paper is dedicated to the role of humour in expressing theological ideas in the Babylonian Talmud. As an example, I analyse the narrative with a strong theological focus. In stories of this kind the acting characters are God and the Other involved in an ongoing collision. God plays the role of a scoffer, exposing the Other as an object of derision. The real objects of the mockery are theological views that the narrator would not like to have in his own environment: therefore, he projects them on the Other. Analysing appearances of mockery through theological debates I will show that ridicule here does not demonize the Other or minimize his importance nor does it pursue the goal of alienating him. As a rule, the laughter opens a moment of potential rupture in the continuity of interactions and produces some re-organization in order to steer the interaction once more towards continuity rather than towards chaotic turbulence. With the paradox, it is thoughtfully tried to subject the system of coexistence with the Other to the shock caused by the usage of the weapon of laughter; however, after the laughing situation, the previously inhabited borders are sought again in order to ensure the continuity of an updated order. 10 01 JB code thr.10.10dij 108 126 19 Chapter 14 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Converting comedians</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour and laughter as a way to interpret the early Christian mime reports</Subtitle> 1 A01 Roald Dijkstra Dijkstra, Roald Roald Dijkstra 20 actors 20 anti-gelasticism 20 conversion 20 early Christian comedy 20 late antique theatre 20 laughter versus joy 20 mimes 20 mimesis 01 The early Christian aversion for the comic and for theatre has been much discussed. The ongoing large popularity of the theatre, predominantly comical in nature, long after the establishment of Christianity as the leading religion of the Roman empire, tells a different story. Theatre and Christianity meet in a remarkable way in reports of mimes that were originally meant to mock the Christian faith. Suddenly, the protagonist converted on stage, and died as a martyr. The mime reports that have been transmitted are briefly presented and discussed in their historical context. Instances of laughter and humorous twists in the mimes and in the mime reports are analysed separately. The reports meet most of the characteristics of comical texts and could have been written by Christians who tried to reconcile Church and theatre. 10 01 JB code thr.10.11hun 128 142 15 Chapter 15 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Biblical fun</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour in the Cena Cypriani</Subtitle> 1 A01 Vincent Hunink Hunink, Vincent Vincent Hunink 20 Biblical characters 20 Cena Cypriani 20 early Christian Latin 20 irreverence 20 riddles 01 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. 10 01 JB code thr.10.p3 146 218 73 Section header 16 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part III. The Qur’an and early Arabic literature</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.12has 146 154 9 Chapter 17 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour and its ethics</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Reflections from the early Islamic era</Subtitle> 1 A01 Farooq Hassan Hassan, Farooq Farooq Hassan 20 benign humour 20 hopeful attitude 20 Islamic sense of humour 20 Qur’an and Sunnah 20 religious humour 01 Today Islam appears to many to be a stiffly austere religion that denigrates humour, but in its earliest phase of development it endorsed humour and set guidelines in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Islam encourages humour of the positive kind and discourages the humour, which becomes a tool for insulting people. This paper aims to discuss the permissible and forbidden kinds of humour, its need, benefits, and specifications along with its assigned place in medieval Islamic heritage. This paper focuses on the ethics of humour and Muslim responses to it and argues that humour needs to be incorporated in communication for a more tolerant and enlightened society. 10 01 JB code thr.10.13ami 156 182 27 Chapter 18 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">A laughing God, between Sunni approval and Shi’ite rejection</TitleText> <TitlePrefix>A </TitlePrefix> <TitleWithoutPrefix textformat="02">laughing God, between Sunni approval and Shi’ite rejection</TitleWithoutPrefix> 1 A01 Yasmin Amin Amin, Yasmin Yasmin Amin 20 ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib 20 anthropomorphism 20 God’s laughter 20 humour 20 laughter 20 Sunni vs Shi’ite Ḥadith 01 In the Sunni Ḥadīth (henceforth: Hadith) collections a number of distinctive narrations describe the Prophet laughing, while telling his community about various instances when God himself laughs. The reasons for God’s laughter vary, but mostly reassure the believers that there is nothing to fear from a ‘laughing God’. God’s laughter is generally interpreted in the commentaries to the Hadith to mean mercy and benevolence. Though two traditions are narrated on the authority of ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, the first Shi’ite imam, they are not preserved in the Shi’ite Hadith corpus, except to challenge its veracity along with the authenticity of all the other traditions mentioning a ‘laughing God’. This essay attempts to determine why they are rejected. 10 01 JB code thr.10.14van 184 206 23 Chapter 19 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Poetic parodies of Islamic discourses by Abū Nuwās</TitleText> 1 A01 Geert Jan van Gelder Gelder, Geert Jan van Geert Jan van Gelder 20 antinomianism 20 Arabic 20 Hadith 20 humour 20 Islam 20 libertinism 20 parody 20 poetry 20 religion 01 Abū Nuwās (d. c. 813), one of the greatest and most versatile of Arabic poets, practised every major genre. His fame and notoriety rest especially on his large corpus of Bacchic verse and love poetry, most of which is homoerotic. All his poetry is secular: no mystical verse, hymns on God or praise of the Prophet, but religion is never very far, if not in the foreground then in the background. Much of his verse is explicitly antinomian, flouting the prescripts of Islam. The present paper deals with his humorous and often obscene verse parodies of two kinds of Islamic discourse, the waṣiyyah (‘pious instruction’ or ‘testament’), and Hadith, the corpus of sayings and doings of the prophet Muhammad. 10 01 JB code thr.10.15mar 208 218 11 Chapter 20 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Greek and Buddhist jokes and their corresponding versions in classical Arabic literature</TitleText> 1 A01 Ulrich Marzolph Marzolph, Ulrich Ulrich Marzolph 20 Arabic jokes 20 book of 100 parables 20 Buddhist jokes 20 Classical Arabic literature 20 comparative folkloristics 20 Greek jokes 20 Philogelos 01 Classical Arabic literature preserves one of the internationally largest repertoires of jokes and humorous anecdotes. As a rule, Arab humour focuses on human foibles, particularly ignorance and stupidity, and does not ridicule the basics of the religion of Islam. Although most of the texts relate to indigenous Arabic tradition, a certain amount can be traced to ancient Greek and Buddhist sources. The present contribution discusses this material. Whereas a relation between Greek and Arabic jokes, however difficult to prove with certainty, is fairly likely, the problematic aspects of hypothesizing about any direct relationship multiply when we consider Buddhist jokes. 10 01 JB code thr.10.p4 222 270 49 Section header 21 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part IV. Buddhism</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.16dij 222 234 13 Chapter 22 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">How is this sutra different from my ass?</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Humour as a gateway to enlightenment in Zen Buddhism</Subtitle> 1 A01 Michel Dijkstra Dijkstra, Michel Michel Dijkstra 20 Daoist relativism 20 enlightened communication 20 enlightenment 20 kōan 20 Lie Zi 20 Linji 20 Mazu 20 Satsujo 20 Zen Buddhism 20 Zen relativism 20 Zhuang Zi 01 In Zen Buddhism humour is used in a soteriological way. Zen masters confront their disciples with (practical) jokes in order to free their minds and discover enlightenment. In this essay, I investigate the humour of enlightenment by first pointing out the influence of Daoist humoristic stories on Zen. Next, three dimensions of Zen jokes are highlighted, namely relativism, the way of cutting through illusion and liberating intimacy. With the help of humour, Zen masters like Linji and the Japanese teenager Satsujo teach their disciples that they should not cling to their views. This relativism leads to an insight into one’s own illusions. Once these false views are literally ‘laughed away’ one can discover a liberating connection with all things. 10 01 JB code thr.10.17ste 236 252 17 Chapter 23 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Finicking monkeys</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">Sun Wukong (Monkey King) as a humorous force in the Chinese discourse on the Three Teachings</Subtitle> 1 A01 Arjan Sterken Sterken, Arjan Arjan Sterken 20 Buddhism 20 China 20 Confucianism 20 Daoism 20 folklore 20 literature 20 mythology 20 Sun Wukong (Monkey King) 20 superior laughter 20 Three Teachings (sanjiao) 01 This chapter discusses the Chinese trickster figure Monkey King in narrative scenes in which he either steals or is tempted to steal food. It explores the way in which Monkey King is humorously utilised in the discourse on which of the Three Teachings (sanjiao), Daoism, Confucianism, or Buddhism, is superior to the others. First, this chapter discusses Monkey King’s multifarious origins. Afterwards, three texts are analysed: The story of how the monk Tripiṭaka of the great country of Tang brought back the Sūtras; The interpreter Pak; and The journey to the West. In all these texts, the type of humour utilised is best described by the superiority theory. 10 01 JB code thr.10.18van 254 270 17 Chapter 24 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">“Are you really serious?”</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">The Buddha, the Brahmins and humour in the śramaṇa tradition of India</Subtitle> 1 A01 Paul van der Velde Velde, Paul van der Paul van der Velde 20 asceticism and erotics 20 Brahmins 20 Buddhist origin of the universe 20 humour and Pāli 20 Veda 01 Four possible examples of humour, jokes or puns from early India are discussed: two from Buddhism (the Khaggavisāṇa-sutta or ‘Song of the Rhinoceros’ and an example from the sermons of the Buddha on the mythical origin of the Brahmin caste system) and two from the Ṛgveda. It appears that humour quickly loses its value and meaning once the original context is forgotten. What was once maybe intended as a joke or persiflage may soon change into something serious. What was then maybe cynically intended had to be reinterpreted to fit in the authoritative tradition. For recognizing what may have been humorous, we have to reconstruct the original context, meanwhile accepting the influence of changing contexts on the reception of ancient texts. 10 01 JB code thr.10.p5 274 300 27 Section header 25 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Part V. Conclusion</TitleText> 10 01 JB code thr.10.19dij 274 300 27 Chapter 26 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Humour in religion</TitleText> <Subtitle textformat="02">A Protean phenomenon</Subtitle> 1 A01 Roald Dijkstra Dijkstra, Roald Roald Dijkstra 10 01 JB code thr.10.index Miscellaneous 27 <TitleType>01</TitleType> <TitleText textformat="02">Index</TitleText> 02 JBENJAMINS John Benjamins Publishing Company 01 John Benjamins Publishing Company Amsterdam/Philadelphia NL 04 20221027 2022 John Benjamins B.V. 02 WORLD 08 705 gr 01 JB 1 John Benjamins Publishing Company +31 20 6304747 +31 20 6739773 bookorder@benjamins.nl 01 https://benjamins.com 01 WORLD US CA MX 21 46 10 01 02 JB 1 00 99.00 EUR R 02 02 JB 1 00 104.94 EUR R 01 JB 10 bebc +44 1202 712 934 +44 1202 712 913 sales@bebc.co.uk 03 GB 21 10 02 02 JB 1 00 83.00 GBP Z 01 JB 2 John Benjamins North America +1 800 562-5666 +1 703 661-1501 benjamins@presswarehouse.com 01 https://benjamins.com 01 US CA MX 21 4 10 01 gen 02 JB 1 00 149.00 USD