Laughing Gods, Weeping Virgins : Laughter in the History of Religion

Laughing Gods, Weeping Virgins analyses how laughter has been used as a symbol in myths, rituals and festivals of Western religions, and has thus been inscribed in religious discourse. The Mesopotamian Anu, the Israelite Jahweh, the Greek Dionysos, the Gnostic Christ and the late modern Jesus were all laughing gods. Through their laughter, gods prove both their superiority and their proximity to humans. In this comprehensive study, Professor Gilhus examines the relationship between corporeal human laughter and spiritual divine laughter from c'ussical antiquity, to the Christian West and the modern era. She combines the study of the history of religion with social-scientific approaches, to provide an original and pertinent exploration of a universal human phenomenon, and its significance for the development of religions. Laughing Gods, Weeping Virgins analyses how laughter has been used as a symbol in myths, rituals and festivals of Western religions, and has thus been inscribed in religious discourse. The Mesopotamian Anu, the Israelite Jahweh, the Greek Dionysos, the Gnostic Christ and the late modern Jesus were all laughing gods. Through their laughter, gods prove both their superiority and their proximity to humans. In this comprehensive study, Professor Gilhus examines the relationship between corporeal human laughter and spiritual divine laughter from c`ussical antiquity, to the Christian West and the modern era. She combines the study of the history of religion with social-scientific approaches, to provide an original and pertinent exploration of a universal human phenomenon, and its significance for the development of religions. 1. The Ancient Near East: Laughter Of Derision And Laughter Of Regeneration -- 2. Greece: When Laughter Touches The Unthought -- 3. Rome: Critic Of Laughter And Critical Laughter -- 4. Early Christianity: Laughter Between Body And Spirit -- 5. Medieval Christianity: Carnival Corpus Christi And Bodily Laughter -- 6. Modernity And The Remythologization Of Laughter: Churchly Boredom And Therapeutic Laughter -- 7. Religion Of Jokes: Flirtation With The East. Ingvild Sælid Gilhus. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 153-166) And Index.