Old Testament
The Bible is renowned for many reasons, but its capacity to elicit laughter isn’t one of them. Profound, boring, thought-provoking, out-moded, terrifying, censorious … take your pick. But funny it is not. The American intellectual Jack Miles claimed recently that the Bible “is morally serious to the virtual exclusion of charm”.
Such sentiments are understandable. There’s no disputing that the Bible’s concerns are, at core, as deep and weighty as they come. Even so, there is humour to be found within its pages. For the most part, however, it’s not of the side-splitting or slapstick variety.
Almost all the intentional humour is in the Old Testament. Sarcasm, irony, punning, wordplay, humorous imagery and exaggeration – each were liberally employed by the ancient Hebrew authors. Like all the best communicators today, they appreciated that humour is an excellent way to win over an audience.
Continue reading "The bible’s old stuff is way funnier than the new stuff" »
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