Ridere come esorcismo contro la paura. Lettura performativa dell’Inno 52 dei Carmina Nisibena di Efrem il Siro

The article provides an Italian translation of hymn 52 from the Carmina Nisibena by Ephrem the Syrian, structured according to the genre of the dialogue of preeminence between Satan and Death, and analyzes it from the perspective of performative analysis. After an introduction (1.) situating the hymn and presenting the analytical tool, the author provides his version of the text (2.), with some remarks on his choices of translation. By offering a particular interpretation of the final verses of the madrāšā—namely, that the hymn concludes with an invitation to laugh at the two protagonists (an interpretation shared with P. Grelot and S. Brock)—the author shows how a performative analysis of the hymn (3.) highlights the cathartic and theological value of those final laughs (4.).