Humor
While this text does have its theological significance, it can also be simply viewed as a story meant to entertain. Throughout the entire text we find the ever pious Abraham trying to dodge and avoid God’s will. But this does not mean that Abraham is being portrayed in a non-pious light, in fact the opposite, he recognizes how good and devout he has been throughout his entire life, and uses that to his advantage. He is so good at avoiding God’s decree that the only way he finally has his soul taken away is when Death tricks him. Another humorous character that we encounter is the Archangel Michael. God’s “Commander-In-Chief” is an angel who would seem to be able to make decisions on his own and handle the refusals of Abraham, but he can’t. Every time that Abraham does something that Michael doesn’t expect, he comes up with some reason to excuse himself then rushes up to heaven to consult God and find out what he is to do with stubborn Abraham. With the humanizing of heavenly figures, and the trickery of Abraham, this is certainly a text meant to induce laughter and one that, despite its clear theological messages, was also meant to just be read and enjoyed.
Read more about this topic: Testament Of Abraham
Famous quotes containing the word humor:
“Every American, to the last man, lays claim to a “sense” of humor and guards it as his most significant spiritual trait, yet rejects humor as a contaminating element wherever found. America is a nation of comics and comedians; nevertheless, humor has no stature and is accepted only after the death of the perpetrator.”
—E.B. (Elwyn Brooks)
“Nine-tenths of the value of a sense of humor in writing is not in the things it makes one write but in the things it keeps one from writing. It is especially valuable in this respect in serious writing, and no one without a sense of humor should ever write seriously. For without knowing what is funny, one is constantly in danger of being funny without knowing it.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)
“Carlyle’s humor is vigorous and titanic, and has more sense in it than the sober philosophy of many another. It is not to be disposed of by laughter and smiles merely; it gets to be too serious for that: only they may laugh who are not hit by it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)