Mockery and Torture in Passion Narratives

The project examines sources from early Christianity and Greco-Roman antiquity that tell of torture and mockery. Particularly in the accounts of the Passion in the New Testament Gospels and in extra- canonical texts, the mocking of Jesus is closely linked to torture by beatings and whippings. A similar link between these two forms of violence is found later in accounts of martyrs and martyresses. The aim of the project is to better understand the combination of torture and mockery in the context of Greco-Roman culture and literature, including ancient Judaism. The intention is to explain the theological and rhetorical aims of the respective authors of the Gospels and other texts. Indeed, it is still unclear why these two elements were so important that they became a constant in the Passion narratives. At the same time, the project will show how ancient readers could understand such representations against the background of Greco-Roman culture. Guiding questions include the following: Was the mockery of Jesus as "King of the Judeans" intended to justify the violence of those who mocked him? Or was the combination of torture and mockery intended to delegitimise the use of violence and make the perpetrators appear guilty? Do forms of violence play a specific role in mockery in ancient texts? What value is given to mockery by linking it to the practice of torture, which was widespread in antiquity? Were the authors following literary patterns or were they creating freely? And finally: How were these stories received by ancient readers, in whose environment mockery and torture were widespread phenomena? In order to process the results, a database will be created that will allow the narratives to be systematised from various perspectives, thus making patterns and special forms visible. Social and legal aspects of the issue will also be taken into account, as well as insights from trauma research or postcolonial approaches.