ABSTRACT
When Martin Luther came to turn such laughter on to the papacy the effect was devastating. For Luther the papacy was so vastly wicked and hypocritical that it called for much more than human laughter. When Luther came to turn mocking laughter on to the papacy the effect was devastating. The discovery of ironical laughter in the mouth of Christ became an important aid to exegesis. It could explain some otherwise disturbing words of the Master. For example, a grave problem was set for Luther by the reply to the lawyer who, to try Jesus, asked what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked what was written in the Law of Moses. If Jesus can laugh and resort to irony, all is well. Paul's and Luther's certainties are safe. When Luther lectured in Wittenberg on Galatians he devoted much effort to explaining the real meaning in its context of Christ's approving reply, 'This do, and thou shalt live.'
