Humour and loving of the prophets

One of the best ways to identify an author is by his humour, since every man has his own sense of it.

I already touched upon the humour of Damascius, I'll be a little more extensive this time. Also, I'll cover the humour of Jesus Christ.

Although I'm sympathetic to the view expressed by Jorge of Burgos in The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (and prior to that by the Athenian in The Laws by Plato), not every form of humour is conducive to silliness. For instance Plato's humour, when he lets Aristophanes say in the Symposium that

Men who are sections of the male pursue the masculine, and so long as their boyhood lasts they show themselves to be slices of the male by making friends with men and delighting to lie with them and to be clasped in men's embraces; these are the finest boys and striplings, for they have the most manly nature. Some say they are shameless creatures, but falsely: for their behavior is due not to shamelessness but to daring, manliness, and virility, since they are quick to welcome their like. Sure evidence of this is the fact that on reaching maturity these alone prove perfect for a public career. (For whatever reason the English translation here misses the point completely, but it actually says: τελεωθέντες μόνοι ἀποβαίνουσιν εἰς τὰ πολιτικὰ),

is unlikely to make anyone take homosexuality in politics lightly. Then again, it is a very mean form of humour, that is spite.

As we shall see, the humour of Damascius and Jesus is far more subtle. But how do we know, whether something is humour? Obviously the above example wasn't recognised as such. But it shows us one important thing, namely that humour, when it is not recognised, causes uneasiness, and uneasiness in turn causes attempts to change the literal meaning.

So, in order to find the humour of Damascius and Jesus, all we have to do is to look out for the most awkward seeming statements we can find.

Let us begin with Damascius. The following passage seems straight, but actually carries a hidden meaning:

For when Hypatia emerged from her house, in her accustomed manner, a throng of merciless and ferocious men who feared neither divine punishment nor human revenge attacked and cut her down, thus committing an outrageous and disgraceful deed against their fatherland. The Emperor was angry, and he would have avenged her had not Aedesius been bribed. Thus the Emperor remitted the punishment onto his own head and family for his descendant paid the price. The memory of these events is still vivid among the Alexandrians.

This is Damascius announcing that he would take down Justinian's descendant for what had happened to his brother in Alexandria. (You can follow this link, if you're interested in more details.) Though, why take revenge on someone's descendant?

And that gives us the clue to Damascius' humour. It is the humour of a gardener, who has indulged a sickly plant for years only to realise that he needs to cut it down in the end. It flows from the sentiment that you can't help everyone and the love for the unspoiled youth.

Now, there are passages in the Quran that make no sense at all, if not understood in this way. But I will begin with a less obvious example.

Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.

Formulated like this, I cannot but laugh. Up, you lazy bums! If you don't start fighting, the rot will become completely unbearable. I just wonder how often it has worked out like that, kind of like using a donkey for a steed.

Well, as for the obvious examples, they're from the Moses narration in al-Kahf:

So they twain set out till, when they were in the ship, he made a hole therein. (Moses) said: Hast thou made a hole therein to drown the folk thereof? Thou verily hast done a dreadful thing.
He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?

So they twain journeyed on till, when they met a lad, he slew him. (Moses) said: What! Hast thou slain an innocent soul who hath slain no man? Verily thou hast done a horrid thing.
He said: Did I not tell thee that thou couldst not bear with me?

As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working on the river, and I wished to mar it, for there was a king behind them who is taking every ship by force.
And as for the lad, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief.
And we intended that their Lord should change him for them for one better in purity and nearer to mercy.

Even Muslims can't go around killing the children of other Muslims in the hope that their replacements would be more pious. The only way to take this is from the position that life will teach you that you can't help everyone.

So, let us turn to the humour of Jesus Christ.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

Why should he have said that? Any offensive statements by Him? Quite a few, actually, potentially, if understood in the wrong way. Let's see:

Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.

So when He ended up on the cross, that meant that there was no light in Him, right? And just the same when John the Baptist was beheaded?

He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

So we should make your life miserable then for your own good.

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

Well, eat rotten meat then. (Or, if you follow Epiphanius of Salamis: See? He wants us to drink ...)

So what is Jesus really telling us? Is it not that there is no such thing as a homogeneous state in this world? That you can bring light into darkness just by deciding to pursue the light? And that no outward beauty secures that pursuit? In other words, Jesus' humour flows from the sentiment that things always need to be increased in holiness and from the love for those who can recognise the holy.