Sydney Missionary and Bible College, Australian College of Theology
The Presence and Purpose(s) of Humour in Acts
Little has been done on the presence and function(s) of humour in Acts as a whole and how this might relate to Luke’s overall aims in the book. This paper will argue that although Acts is a historical account of serious matters, including the persecution and suffering of the early church, there is nevertheless evidence of humour in Acts and this humour can be understood in light of Luke’s theological aims in the unfolding of God’s plans in salvation-history. The paper will begin by briefly surveying both the limited literature on humour in Acts and some of the (complicated) theories for identifying humour. With this in mind, the paper will then examine four specific texts in their literary contexts: Acts 12:13–16; 19:13–16; 19:32–34; and 20:9–12. The paper will investigate whether or not humour is present in these common contenders for humour in Acts and suggest some explanations for the how the humour functions in each passage. The paper will then point to other places where humour may be present in Acts and conclude with reflections on the place of humour in the overall aims of Luke’s account of the spread of the Word in Acts.