Jenny Labendz: Eschatological Laughter: Tertullian and the Rabbis

This paper will examine the role of laughter in the eschatological discourse of Tertullian and the rabbis of Talmud. While the laughter in the biblical verses that inspire some of these later texts appears to reflect merely the release of cathartic anger or scorn at those whom God will punish, along with delight at their downfall, the rabbinic and patristic texts are more complex. Laughter in these sources is connected to dramatic irony, relief, and the fulfillment of delayed laughter. The narrative contexts in which the laughter appears in these sources helps shed light on its significance in and of itself and its relevance to other messages about both this world and the next. Laughter and entertainment have been insufficiently explored in the broader literature on eschatology in ancient sources, and this paper will contribute to a larger project to problematize the standard categories of analysis we apply to early Jewish and Christian eschatology.