Literary allusions serving as tools for comic effect in the works of Tertullian

Abstract The overwhelming majority of early Christian authors considered humour and laughter inappropriate. A significant exception to this is Tertullian, who ‒ as a trained orator ‒ was well aware of the importance of verbal humour, particularly as manifested in his apologetic works. In his disputes with heretics and pagans Tertullian practically destroyed his opponents with the weapons of irony, sarcasm, and mockery. However, in this article, we only examine the role of literary allusions in Tertullian's humour. Both Cicero and Quintilian approved of the use of quotations from classical authors for the sake of humorous effect. To our greatest surprise, Tertullian went so far even as to quote from the low-down comedy writers (mimographoi) to achieve this effect. He did all this despite the fact that ‒ as a Christian moralist ‒ he deeply despised and condemned these lowly theatre plays.