“Baby, I’m alive…” - Jackson Browne, Lyrics from song, “I’m Alive.” Yes, the blogger C.J. still exists. After a mind-bendingly busy month or so, I promise now to wrap up these humble thoughts on humor. Here we go…
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs seems an odd place, perhaps a blasphemous place, to dig around for humorous things to write about – but “gallows humor” is a well-documented phenomenon. And, as I go about lifting some passages from this celebrated book of antiquity, I find myself encouraged by the good cheer these heroes of the faith demonstrated in their resolve unto death.
We begin with a chap by the name of Dr. Rowland Taylor. Dr. Taylor was an Anglican Bishop and a scholar who became the third “auto-de-fe” enacted by Queen Mary of England during her participation in what was known as the counter-reformation. An auto-de-fe (act of faith) was an actual service prescribed during the inquisition and involved the saying of the Catholic Mass; a prayer; a reading of the sentence against the purported heretic; a parade, with the condemned being marched through the streets; followed by a public execution – usually a burning at the stake. I will quote the account with a few updated words and commentary.
As Dr. Taylor is being led by horse through the town on his way to his execution, the Sheriff is pleading with him to repent of his heretical (Protestant) views, when Dr. Taylor appears to concede by saying: “Master Sheriff, and my masters all, I heartily thank you for your good-will: I have hearkened to your words, and marked well your counsels. And to be plain with you, I do perceive that I have been deceived myself, and am like to deceive a great many of Hadley of their expectations.” A great excitement ensues because the Sheriff and the Queen’s minions all believe that this great man of God is about to recant his faith. The sheriff asks if this is indeed his intent by saying, “Good master Doctor, tell it to us plainly.” To which Dr. Taylor replied, “I will tell you how I have been deceived, and, as I think, I shall deceive a great many. I am, as you see, a man that has a very great carcass, (the dude was fat), which I thought should have been buried in the Hadley churchyard cemetery. If I had died in my bed, as I well hoped I should have done – but herein I see I was deceived - there are a great number of worms in Hadley churchyard, which should have had jolly feeding upon this carrion (my dead, obese body) – which they have looked forward to for many days. But now I know we are both deceived, both I and the worms; for this carcass will be burnt to ashes and they shall lose their bait and feeding that they looked forward to.” Fox goes on to write this: “When the sheriff and his company heard him say so, they were amazed, and looked at one another, and marveled at the man’s constant mind that without any fear, made but a jest at the cruel torment and death now at hand prepared for him.”
Another story involves the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer was the first to compile the first two versions of the Book of Common Prayer – still in use today after many revisions. As Thomas stood before the Pope to answer charges of heresy, he still had the presence of mind to record this humorous incident. (I will have to supply a lot of editing for this old English to make sense). “When the time came that they should declare the cause of their [visit], the Pope, sitting on high in his rich apparel, offered his foot to be kissed…The Earl of Wiltshire, (a companion of Cranmer) disdaining this offer, stood still, and made no motion to the offer – so that all the rest of our company kept themselves from this idolatry. [Yet], one thing is not to be omitted, which when then chanced (came), a spaniel (dog) that belonged to the Earl of Wiltshire. He stood directly between the Earl and the Bishop of Rome. When the Bishop had set forth his foot to be kissed, the spaniel went straightway to the Pope’s feet and not only licked the same unmannerly, but took fast with his mouth the great toe of the Pope, so that in haste, the Pope pulled in his feet: our men smiling in their sleeves.” You gotta love that – you’re getting ready to be sentenced by the Pope as a heretic and: your faithful dog sucks the Pope’s toe. The soon to be condemned shove their heads into their long sleeved robes and bust out laughing like a bunch of school boys and the entire scene is recorded for posterity. Nice. If I am ever martyred for the faith, I am sure I will record something amusing as well. Cranmer’s life ends with a kind of spiritual hokey-pokey – literally. As he is condemned to be burned as a heretic, Cranmer decides to have another look at the Catholicism that he has rejected. To the surprise of everyone, he recants his Protestant faith and says, “Sign me up.” The Catholic bishops rejoice and basically say, “Welcome back brother! But you know, since we have gone to all of this trouble of booking a burning and all – we hate to disappoint, so what the heck – we’ll go ahead with our plans.” Cranmer, then being highly annoyed with himself, recants again and in effect says, “Psych! I was only kidding.” This really angers the clerics and the burning is commenced with gusto. In a last bit of irony – which is a form of humor – Cranmer offers his right hand to the fire first and lets it cook in order to demonstrate his sorrow and his repentance at having used this hand to sign the first document of recantation.
There are numerous such portraits offered in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. One man, while already having been burned to a crisp, raises his hands in praise and begins clapping. Another preaches joyful and loving forgiveness as he is being consumed. One martyr kisses the pole on which he is to be chained and then roasted. A woman martyr smiles and notes that she is being martyred on the very day of her wedding anniversary and welcomes the flames as her second wedding ceremony as she is now about to be joined to her true bridegroom, Jesus Christ. If one can get past the macabre scenes of barrels of pitch, chains, beatings and flames – not a simple task mind you – what emerges is a consistent theme of joy and even playful jest. Each martyr has for so long meditated on the hope of heaven that the immediate prospect of suffering gives way to the joyful reality that is within minutes of consummation.
What is it we can conclude from all of these chats about humor? I can think of several things. Let’s take a last walk through on this topic…
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs seems an odd place, perhaps a blasphemous place, to dig around for humorous things to write about – but “gallows humor” is a well-documented phenomenon. And, as I go about lifting some passages from this celebrated book of antiquity, I find myself encouraged by the good cheer these heroes of the faith demonstrated in their resolve unto death.
We begin with a chap by the name of Dr. Rowland Taylor. Dr. Taylor was an Anglican Bishop and a scholar who became the third “auto-de-fe” enacted by Queen Mary of England during her participation in what was known as the counter-reformation. An auto-de-fe (act of faith) was an actual service prescribed during the inquisition and involved the saying of the Catholic Mass; a prayer; a reading of the sentence against the purported heretic; a parade, with the condemned being marched through the streets; followed by a public execution – usually a burning at the stake. I will quote the account with a few updated words and commentary.
As Dr. Taylor is being led by horse through the town on his way to his execution, the Sheriff is pleading with him to repent of his heretical (Protestant) views, when Dr. Taylor appears to concede by saying: “Master Sheriff, and my masters all, I heartily thank you for your good-will: I have hearkened to your words, and marked well your counsels. And to be plain with you, I do perceive that I have been deceived myself, and am like to deceive a great many of Hadley of their expectations.” A great excitement ensues because the Sheriff and the Queen’s minions all believe that this great man of God is about to recant his faith. The sheriff asks if this is indeed his intent by saying, “Good master Doctor, tell it to us plainly.” To which Dr. Taylor replied, “I will tell you how I have been deceived, and, as I think, I shall deceive a great many. I am, as you see, a man that has a very great carcass, (the dude was fat), which I thought should have been buried in the Hadley churchyard cemetery. If I had died in my bed, as I well hoped I should have done – but herein I see I was deceived - there are a great number of worms in Hadley churchyard, which should have had jolly feeding upon this carrion (my dead, obese body) – which they have looked forward to for many days. But now I know we are both deceived, both I and the worms; for this carcass will be burnt to ashes and they shall lose their bait and feeding that they looked forward to.” Fox goes on to write this: “When the sheriff and his company heard him say so, they were amazed, and looked at one another, and marveled at the man’s constant mind that without any fear, made but a jest at the cruel torment and death now at hand prepared for him.”
Another story involves the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer was the first to compile the first two versions of the Book of Common Prayer – still in use today after many revisions. As Thomas stood before the Pope to answer charges of heresy, he still had the presence of mind to record this humorous incident. (I will have to supply a lot of editing for this old English to make sense). “When the time came that they should declare the cause of their [visit], the Pope, sitting on high in his rich apparel, offered his foot to be kissed…The Earl of Wiltshire, (a companion of Cranmer) disdaining this offer, stood still, and made no motion to the offer – so that all the rest of our company kept themselves from this idolatry. [Yet], one thing is not to be omitted, which when then chanced (came), a spaniel (dog) that belonged to the Earl of Wiltshire. He stood directly between the Earl and the Bishop of Rome. When the Bishop had set forth his foot to be kissed, the spaniel went straightway to the Pope’s feet and not only licked the same unmannerly, but took fast with his mouth the great toe of the Pope, so that in haste, the Pope pulled in his feet: our men smiling in their sleeves.” You gotta love that – you’re getting ready to be sentenced by the Pope as a heretic and: your faithful dog sucks the Pope’s toe. The soon to be condemned shove their heads into their long sleeved robes and bust out laughing like a bunch of school boys and the entire scene is recorded for posterity. Nice. If I am ever martyred for the faith, I am sure I will record something amusing as well. Cranmer’s life ends with a kind of spiritual hokey-pokey – literally. As he is condemned to be burned as a heretic, Cranmer decides to have another look at the Catholicism that he has rejected. To the surprise of everyone, he recants his Protestant faith and says, “Sign me up.” The Catholic bishops rejoice and basically say, “Welcome back brother! But you know, since we have gone to all of this trouble of booking a burning and all – we hate to disappoint, so what the heck – we’ll go ahead with our plans.” Cranmer, then being highly annoyed with himself, recants again and in effect says, “Psych! I was only kidding.” This really angers the clerics and the burning is commenced with gusto. In a last bit of irony – which is a form of humor – Cranmer offers his right hand to the fire first and lets it cook in order to demonstrate his sorrow and his repentance at having used this hand to sign the first document of recantation.
There are numerous such portraits offered in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. One man, while already having been burned to a crisp, raises his hands in praise and begins clapping. Another preaches joyful and loving forgiveness as he is being consumed. One martyr kisses the pole on which he is to be chained and then roasted. A woman martyr smiles and notes that she is being martyred on the very day of her wedding anniversary and welcomes the flames as her second wedding ceremony as she is now about to be joined to her true bridegroom, Jesus Christ. If one can get past the macabre scenes of barrels of pitch, chains, beatings and flames – not a simple task mind you – what emerges is a consistent theme of joy and even playful jest. Each martyr has for so long meditated on the hope of heaven that the immediate prospect of suffering gives way to the joyful reality that is within minutes of consummation.
What is it we can conclude from all of these chats about humor? I can think of several things. Let’s take a last walk through on this topic…
In the ancient world, the word humor was used by physicians to describe either good blood or bad bile. If one was in “good humors”, it simply meant one was healthy. If one was in “bad humors”, it meant one was full of bile. It is easy to see how the physical root of the word humor morphed into the sense of one’s attitude toward life. A person with a good sense of humor – even at death’s door – appears healthy. While a seemingly physically healthy person – who has lost his or her sense of humor – is seen as unhealthy. As so often happens, medicine bends back on itself and our own chronological snobbery finds itself once more listening and learning from the ancients. That is especially so in regard to humor. Doctors have noted the following benefits of laughter: a good hearty laugh can help; reduce stress, lower blood pressure, elevate mood, boost immune system, improve brain functioning, protect the heart, connect you to others, foster instant relaxation, and, make you feel good.
C.S. Lewis once said that, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” As believers, we are called upon to pray heaven down to earth. A joyless Christian is a common, but unfortunate – and might I say sinful – anomaly. We are called to bring forth the good news of forgiveness, of restoration with our Creator-Father, of a relationship with God that begins here and lasts forever, of a hope of living in eternal dance, of an attitude toward enemies that is loving and forgiving, of praying for the sick with expectations of restored health, of a God who answers prayers for the most mundane circumstances of life – and on and on it goes. As the Psalmist says of God, “[He] who daily loads us up with benefits…” (Psalm 68:19 AV) The reason many Christians are so sad and so stifled in their witness is their own ignorance, their own lack of imagination and discipline in sitting down to meditate on and pray through these great promises. It is sort of like having a great job with a month’s paid vacation, 100% health & dental coverage; a guaranteed retirement income; college tuition pre-paid by your company for you and all your family members; and then, grumbling all day about the office coffee and your parking spot. Yes, that is a picture of a joyless, humorless Christian. It is an abomination of the most heinous sort.
And this – a sort of recapitulation of some previous thoughts left incomplete. Humor is joy’s dance partner. It is the outer expression of an internal reality. Humor makes light of what this world has to offer by way of lures and loads. We KNOW that is all temporary and thus a mirage that attempts to mask reality. Paul, after referencing the many abuses he received as an Apostle of Jesus, which included: beatings, stonings, imprisonments, 5 times the victim of the cat of nine tails (39 lashes with an iron embedded leather strip), shipwrecks at sea, thefts; etc…he breezily refers to all of this as: “…these momentary light afflictions.” Hah! The point? Humor gives perspective. Humor helps our spirits take flight far above the lie that sonorously says, “This present darkness will last forever.”
I end with that joyful anthem of joy by the aged Apostle, Paul…”What can we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son (that’s how much He loves us!) but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not freely give us all things?...For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels or demons, nor things present, nor the things to come (all the crap we worry about), nor powers, nor heights or depths, nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31,32 38,39 If that didn’t make you at least smile, pull over – stop EVERYTHING you’re thinking and doing right now - and read it again, and again, and again until you get it. I promise – you soon be filled with “good humors.”
Much Love & Be Well Blessed…
-CJ
P.S. My next Blog series is called: “Solid.” I won’t give anything away just yet – but pray that it flows well…and soon! See you around & keep laughing.
C.S. Lewis once said that, “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” As believers, we are called upon to pray heaven down to earth. A joyless Christian is a common, but unfortunate – and might I say sinful – anomaly. We are called to bring forth the good news of forgiveness, of restoration with our Creator-Father, of a relationship with God that begins here and lasts forever, of a hope of living in eternal dance, of an attitude toward enemies that is loving and forgiving, of praying for the sick with expectations of restored health, of a God who answers prayers for the most mundane circumstances of life – and on and on it goes. As the Psalmist says of God, “[He] who daily loads us up with benefits…” (Psalm 68:19 AV) The reason many Christians are so sad and so stifled in their witness is their own ignorance, their own lack of imagination and discipline in sitting down to meditate on and pray through these great promises. It is sort of like having a great job with a month’s paid vacation, 100% health & dental coverage; a guaranteed retirement income; college tuition pre-paid by your company for you and all your family members; and then, grumbling all day about the office coffee and your parking spot. Yes, that is a picture of a joyless, humorless Christian. It is an abomination of the most heinous sort.
And this – a sort of recapitulation of some previous thoughts left incomplete. Humor is joy’s dance partner. It is the outer expression of an internal reality. Humor makes light of what this world has to offer by way of lures and loads. We KNOW that is all temporary and thus a mirage that attempts to mask reality. Paul, after referencing the many abuses he received as an Apostle of Jesus, which included: beatings, stonings, imprisonments, 5 times the victim of the cat of nine tails (39 lashes with an iron embedded leather strip), shipwrecks at sea, thefts; etc…he breezily refers to all of this as: “…these momentary light afflictions.” Hah! The point? Humor gives perspective. Humor helps our spirits take flight far above the lie that sonorously says, “This present darkness will last forever.”
I end with that joyful anthem of joy by the aged Apostle, Paul…”What can we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son (that’s how much He loves us!) but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not freely give us all things?...For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels or demons, nor things present, nor the things to come (all the crap we worry about), nor powers, nor heights or depths, nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31,32 38,39 If that didn’t make you at least smile, pull over – stop EVERYTHING you’re thinking and doing right now - and read it again, and again, and again until you get it. I promise – you soon be filled with “good humors.”
Much Love & Be Well Blessed…
-CJ
P.S. My next Blog series is called: “Solid.” I won’t give anything away just yet – but pray that it flows well…and soon! See you around & keep laughing.
