Table of Contents

To the Reader -- A Note on Translations -- Introduction -- Laughter is the Property of Man -- Laughter in an Evil World -- Christian Humanists -- Jewish and Gentile 'Schoolmasters' -- The Mocking of the Crucified King -- The Old Testament Gospel -- Words and their Meanings -- The Mocking of Christ in the Old Testament -- Unholy Railing -- Good Holy Railing -- Diasyrm -- A God who Laughs to Scorn -- Erasmus on Diasyrm -- The Laughter of Jesus and the Laughter of the Father in the New Testament -- More Irony from Jesus -- Pitiless Laughter at Ugliness -- Ignorance or Madness? The Importance of a Gamma -- Madman Laughs at Madman -- Laughing at Christ and Laughing at Carabba -- Laughing Back -- Christ as Divine Madman -- Madness Providentially Feigned by David: a Silenus -- Theophylact and a Lunatic's Chains -- Laughing with the Great Cardinal of Saint-Cher -- Jesus in Ecstatic Madness -- Lessons in Exegesis -- Plato and Christian Madness -- Drunk with God and Drunk with Wine -- Christ's Mad Disciples: Erotic Madness -- The Philosophy of Christ -- The Foolishness of God -- Socrates -- Christian Laughter all but Nipped in the Bud: Eutrapely Condemned -- The Gospel according to Lucian: Christianity is once again Stupid and Mad -- Lucian in the Pulpit -- A Taste of Lucianic Laughter in the Colloquies -- Laughter in the Annotations -- He who Calleth his Brother a Fool -- Fools in Cap-and-Bells? -- Caps and Bells Sneak In -- Obscure Men -- Dutch Wit, Gallic Licence and the Liturgical Year -- Christian Wit and Christian Comedy: 'The Great Jester of France' -- Christian Laughter at Shrovetide -- Seeking for Signs -- Christian Laughter for Faithful Folk -- Laughter at the Philosophy of Christ -- God's Coadjutors: Deed and Words and Christian Laughter -- Laughing at Idolatry -- Laughter and Christian Mythology -- Gluttony -- Realist Laughter: Laughter and Eternity -- Charity and Joy