Easter humour in the pulpit

Public displays of clerical humour does not necessarily have a good reputation. It is often seen as either weak when delivered by the archetypical “wet curate” or as being unsuitable coming from a man of the cloth. Very different is the genuine wit and humour I have experienced from clergy over the years, but that was less often from the pulpit and more in private conversation.

Our ancestors had perhaps not dissimilar views but it appears that at Easter in particular medieval clergy felt they were expected to make jokes as part of the mood of celebration and to tie in with the notion that God had played the ultimate practical joke on the Devil by fooling him into thinking he could destroy, or misidentify, Christ.

I came across an article by a scholar of medieval German literature on The Conversation website about this topic which can be read at Easter laughter: the hilarious and controversial medieval history of religious jokes