A survey of foul language in the ancient world -- What is foul language? -- Plato and Aristotle on foul language -- Plato and the dangers of mimesis -- Aristotle and the bounds of humor -- Abuse -- Laws against slander -- Religious rites -- Excursus : the language of some love charms -- Comedy -- New forms of comic drama -- Literary obscenities -- Epigram -- Tales of sexual adventures and sex manuals -- Ovid's culpa -- Speech, character, and self-definition -- Speech as it relates to character -- Speech as it defined specific groups -- Cynics and shameless speech -- Stoics -- The linguistic roots of the stoic ethics of foul language -- Excursus : Bryson the Megarian -- Changes in stoic (and cynic) views of obscene speech -- Jewish scripture and earliest Christianity -- Prophetic scatology -- Wisdom literature and Ben Sirach -- Jesus -- James -- Didache 3:3 and the two ways -- Paul -- Galatians 5:12 -- Philippians 3:8: [Greek text] -- Colossians and Ephesians -- Colossians 3:8 -- Colossians 4:6 : "season your speech with salt" -- Ephesians -- Exegesis of Ephesians 5:3-14 -- "Let them not even be named among you" (Eph 5:3) -- "Shameful even to mention" (Eph 5:12) -- Speech rules in 1QS -- Profaning a sanctum -- Not fitting for holy ones -- Speech and Christian identities -- Clement of Alexandria on foul language -- The divine paedagogue and Christian manners -- On foul language -- Excursus : Clement and the Didache -- A "deeper logos" about foul language -- Comparing Clement.