Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean
While being the first to assert that Christ never laughed, John Chrysostom does not condemn laughter itself. Moreover, he does not hesitate to use laughter when he engages as a preacher in a theological controversy. An enquiry into the eighty-eight Homilies on the Gospel of John shows three function...
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Institut du Monde Anglophone
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Etudes Epistémè |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/8788 |
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| author | Catherine Broc-Schmezer |
| author_facet | Catherine Broc-Schmezer |
| author_sort | Catherine Broc-Schmezer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While being the first to assert that Christ never laughed, John Chrysostom does not condemn laughter itself. Moreover, he does not hesitate to use laughter when he engages as a preacher in a theological controversy. An enquiry into the eighty-eight Homilies on the Gospel of John shows three functions of laughter in his preaching: first, laughter contributes to the moral condemnation of vices while showing what is indecent (aschèmôn), or relocating the latter to its proper place, even against social conventions; second, it allows the writer to truncate refutations which would otherwise be too long, while gathering the multiple positions of his adversaries into a single absurdity so that the audience concentrates on what unifies the community; and, conversely, laughter, presented as the adversary’s response to the Gospel, highlights his non-receptivity. We can explain Chrysostom’s use of reductionist laughter by the fact that he is very conscious of the fragility of his audience. In this sense, laughter is an aspect of the well-known “condescension” (synkatabasis) of John Chrysostom. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5520bad7b42e4b01a5f6f43d9d2c0ab1 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1634-0450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Institut du Monde Anglophone |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Etudes Epistémè |
| spelling | doaj-art-5520bad7b42e4b01a5f6f43d9d2c0ab12025-08-20T03:47:25ZengInstitut du Monde AnglophoneEtudes Epistémè1634-04502021-02-013810.4000/episteme.8788Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de JeanCatherine Broc-SchmezerWhile being the first to assert that Christ never laughed, John Chrysostom does not condemn laughter itself. Moreover, he does not hesitate to use laughter when he engages as a preacher in a theological controversy. An enquiry into the eighty-eight Homilies on the Gospel of John shows three functions of laughter in his preaching: first, laughter contributes to the moral condemnation of vices while showing what is indecent (aschèmôn), or relocating the latter to its proper place, even against social conventions; second, it allows the writer to truncate refutations which would otherwise be too long, while gathering the multiple positions of his adversaries into a single absurdity so that the audience concentrates on what unifies the community; and, conversely, laughter, presented as the adversary’s response to the Gospel, highlights his non-receptivity. We can explain Chrysostom’s use of reductionist laughter by the fact that he is very conscious of the fragility of his audience. In this sense, laughter is an aspect of the well-known “condescension” (synkatabasis) of John Chrysostom.https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/8788laughtercontroversyJohn ChrysostomHomilies on the Gospel of Johnaschèmônalogos |
| spellingShingle | Catherine Broc-Schmezer Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean Etudes Epistémè laughter controversy John Chrysostom Homilies on the Gospel of John aschèmôn alogos |
| title | Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean |
| title_full | Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean |
| title_fullStr | Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean |
| title_full_unstemmed | Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean |
| title_short | Qu’est-ce qui fait rire Jean Chrysostome ?L’usage du rire dans les Homélies sur l’Évangile de Jean |
| title_sort | qu est ce qui fait rire jean chrysostome l usage du rire dans les homelies sur l evangile de jean |
| topic | laughter controversy John Chrysostom Homilies on the Gospel of John aschèmôn alogos |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/episteme/8788 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT catherinebrocschmezer questcequifaitrirejeanchrysostomelusageduriredansleshomeliessurlevangiledejean |