Preaching on Laughter: The Theology of Laughter in Augustine’s Sermons

Abstract

Although Augustine never wrote a treatise on laughter, a clear theology of laughter emerges from a systematic engagement with his Sermones ad populum and his Enarrationes in Psalmos. Revising previous scholarship on Augustine’s theology of laughter, this article provides extensive evidence to argue that Augustine had a nuanced, sympathetic notion of laughter, understanding it as a human good subject to moral evaluation, and as a theological symbol for salvation and the triumph of Christ’s mercy over the wicked’s mockery.