Ancient Rhetoric and the Style of Paul's Letters

Ancient Rhetoric and the Style of Paul's Letters
Author: Timothy A. Brookins
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2022-10-14
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 153269895X

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Previous scholarship that has examined Paul’s letters in light of Greco-Roman rhetoric has focused predominantly on their argumentative strategies (inventio) and overall arrangement (dispositio). In this book Brookins turns attention to the heretofore underexplored area of style (elocutio). With complete coverage of ten of the thirteen letters in the Pauline corpus, the book evaluates these letters according to the standards of the major stylistic virtues taught in rhetorical theory: correctness, clarity, and ornament. Treating ornament most extensively, the book includes a full inventory of tropes, figures of speech, and figures of thought contained in these letters. This work results in a synopsis of stylistic tendencies that not only illustrates differences in letter type within the Pauline corpus but also enables a fresh means of comparing style in the disputed and undisputed letters. This analysis also furnishes new evidence for consideration in the debate about the extent of Paul’s rhetorical education. Finally, it helps illuminate the process of exegesis and thus the meaning of the text itself.

Paul and Ancient Rhetoric

Paul and Ancient Rhetoric
Author: Stanley E. Porter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2016-02-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1316589226

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The Apostle Paul lived and breathed in a Hellenistic culture that placed high value on the art of rhetoric, and recent advances in rhetorical criticism of the New Testament have resulted in a new emphasis on the rhetorical aspect of his letters. As many scholars have pointed out, however, it is not clear to what extent ancient rhetoric actually influenced Paul and his writing or how important rhetoric is for interpreting the Pauline corpus. This volume, containing contributions from major figures in the field, provides a nuanced examination of how ancient rhetoric should inform our understanding of Paul and his letters. The essays discuss Paul's historical context, present innovative advances in and trenchant critiques of rhetorical theory, and offer fresh readings of key Pauline texts. Outlining the strengths and weaknesses of a widely used approach, Paul and Ancient Rhetoric will be a valuable resource for New Testament and Classics scholars.

Paul and Rhetoric

Paul and Rhetoric
Author: J. Paul Sampley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2013-06-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567128628

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Paul and Rhetoric contains essays presented in a seminar called "Paul and Rhetoric" in the annual meetings of the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the leading international forum for New Testament and Christian Origin scholars. Translated into English, these essays, by leaders in the field and in the topic, engage and represent modern scholarship on Paul and rhetorical studies. The foundational essays are listed under the heading "State of the Discussion", attempting to take the major rhetorical categories of the time contemporary with Paul (types of rhetoric, invention and arrangement, and figures and tropes) and, first, lays out where the discussion is now. They then note the problems and highlight where continued discussion and deliberation would be helpful. The "Broad Questions" section asks what can be learned about reading Paul's letters to congregations in light of ancient epistolography, how theology and rhetoric are related (because the two are often treated as if they are alien to one another), and how ancient rhetoric and ancient psychology are associated with one another. This volume illustrates, examines and assesses where we are now in the study of rhetorical traditions in Pauline scholarship, and suggests the direction of future studies.

Ancient Rhetorical Theory and Paul

Ancient Rhetorical Theory and Paul
Author: R. Dean Anderson
Publisher: College Prowler, Inc
Total Pages: 12
Release: 1999
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9789042907058

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This new edition of Anderson's Ancient Rhetorical Theory and Paul is the result of a considerable reworking and bringing up-to-date of many aspects of the original book. Anderson, after giving a brief critical introduction to the rhetorical approach generally, focuses upon the application of ancient rhetorical theory to the letters of the apostle Paul, paying particular attention to questions of methodology. He provides an extensive review of the sources of ancient rhetorical theory which may be considered most relevant to a Greek speaker of the first century AD such as Paul, carefully distinguishing between philosophical and school rhetorical theory. Having determined which aspects of ancient rhetorical theory may be most suitable in respect of Paul's letters, Anderson goes to examine the letters to the Galatians, the Romans, and the first letter to the Corinthians. In each case a critical assessment of recent literature concerning the application of ancient rhetorical theory to these letters is given. In addition, an enlightening rhetorical analysis of the doctrinal portions of the letters to the Galatians and Romans is provided from the perspective of contemporary rhetorical theory. Anderson approaches his analysis in terms of how a contemporary professor of rhetoric may have looked at Paul's letters. The study concludes by addressing difficult questions concerning the relationship of Paul's style and argumentation to rhetorical theory and the likelihood of his conscious use of such theory, as well as the overall value of an ancient rhetorical approach to Paul's letters.

Paul's Letter to the Romans

Paul's Letter to the Romans
Author: Ben Witherington
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2004-03-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1467429600

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While Paul’s letter to the Romans is the most studied and commented-on document from the biblical period, the major exegetical books on Romans from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been overwhelmingly shaped by the Reformed tradition. Through a careful survey of work on Romans by both ancient Church Fathers and modern exegetical scholars, Ben Witherington III here argues that the interpretation of Romans since the Reformation has been far too indebted to — and at key points led astray by — Augustinian readings of the text as filtered through Luther, Calvin, and others. In this first full-scale socio-rhetorical commentary on Romans, Witherington gleans fresh insights from reading the text of Paul’s epistle in light of early Jewish theology, the historical situation of Rome in the middle of the first century A.D., and Paul’s own rhetorical concerns. Giving serious consideration to the social and rhetorical background of Romans allows readers to hear Paul on his own terms, not just through the various voices of his later interpreters. Witherington’s groundbreaking work also features a new, clear translation of the Greek text, and each section of the commentary ends with a brief discussion titled “Bridging the Horizons,” which suggests how the ancient text of Romans may speak to us today.

Ancient Rhetoric and Paul's Apology

Ancient Rhetoric and Paul's Apology
Author: Fredrick J. Long
Publisher:
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2004
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 9780511316661

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Pauline scholarship has typically interpreted 2 Corinthians as a later editorial composite of several letters. Fredrick Long situates the text within Classical literary and rhetorical conventions and argues for its unity based upon numerous parallels with ancient apology in the tradition of Andocides, Socrates, Isocrates and Demosthenes. He provides a comprehensive survey and rigorous genre analysis of ancient forensic discourse in support of his claims, and demonstrates how the unified message of Paul's letter can be recovered.

Paul the Ancient Letter Writer

Paul the Ancient Letter Writer
Author: Jeffrey A. D. Weima
Publisher: Baker Academic
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2016-11-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493405799

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This clear and user-friendly introduction to the interpretive method called "epistolary analysis" shows how focusing on the form and function of Paul's letters yields valuable insights into the apostle's purpose and meaning. The author helps readers interpret Paul's letters properly by paying close attention to the apostle's use of ancient letter-writing conventions. Paul is an extremely skilled letter writer who deliberately adapts or expands traditional epistolary forms so that his persuasive purposes are enhanced. This is an ideal supplemental textbook for courses on Paul or the New Testament. It contains numerous analyses of key Pauline texts, including a final chapter analyzing the apostle's Letter to Philemon as a "test case" to demonstrate the benefits of this interpretive approach.

Opening Paul's Letters

Opening Paul's Letters
Author: Patrick Gray
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2012-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0801039223

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An experienced teacher provides an accessible textbook on the Pauline letters that orients beginning students to the genre in which Paul writes.

Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity

Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity
Author: Stanley K. Stowers
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 1986-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780664250157

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Making use of letters--both formal and personal--that have been preserved through the ages, Stanley Stowers analyzes the cultural setting within which Christianity arose. The Library of Early Christianity is a series of eight outstanding books exploring the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts in which the New Testament developed.

The Apostle Paul and His Letters

The Apostle Paul and His Letters
Author: James B. Prothro
Publisher: CUA Press
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2022-01-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 081323512X

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The letters of the Apostle Paul are central witnesses to the Christian faith and to the earliest history of Christianity. And yet, when students, preachers, and others turn to Paul, they find many things “hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16) in these ancient writings. James Prothro’s new book aims to help readers see the Apostle’s faith and hope at work as he evangelized the nations. Steeped in up-to-date scholarship and a passion for the gospel Paul preached, Prothro draws readers into Paul’s life and letters in order to help them hear the Apostle’s voice. The book’s chapters offer introductions to Paul’s background, life, and legacy; an introduction to ancient letter writing; a guide to understanding Paul’s theology across the letters; a survey of the portrait of Paul in the Book of Acts; separate treatments of each letter’s background and purpose; treatments of key theological topics in each letter and a thorough outline of each letter showing its arguments and how they make sense. Prothro introduces complex matters with clarity, balance, and an inviting style. He not only offers answers but models how to ask questions, helping us reason through Paul’s letters as ancient documents and as Christian Scripture. This book will prove a valuable introduction for those who study, teach, and preach these biblical books.