ABSTRACT
Laughter is one of the ways in which crowds, thoughtless, cruel or wicked, may react to the sight of suffering. The laughter directed at Christ in his agony came from a crowd revelling in the sight of a harsh punishment righteously inflicted upon an idealistic blasphemer. Even in translation the sneering laughter comes across like a slap on the face. Christ was memorably scoffed at as he hung in agony on the Cross. After Christians had meditated upon the Crucifixion, never again could laughter be thoughtlessly seen by them - if ever it had been - as a sign of simple joy and buoyant happiness. Christians do not necessarily come off much better. It was agreed that the damned constitute the vast, indeed the overwhelming majority of humankind. Enjoying a 'perfect view' of their tortures is one of the pleasures St Thomas Aquinas holds in store for the elect.
