Rhetoric and Galatians
Assessing an Approach to Paul's Epistle

A study of the relationship between the New Testament epistles of Paul and classical rhetoric.

Philip H. Kern (Author)

9780521631174, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 3 December 1998

322 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.2 cm, 0.56 kg

"Scholars in several fields will find Rhetoric and Galatians a valuable resource, with its detailed but very readable definitions and discussions of current scholarship. Kern's study provides an up-to-date map of the territory, an innovative arrangment of the questions that should be addressed, and sound proposals for the directions of further inquiry." --Rhetorical Review

This monograph challenges the accepted notion that Galatians is either a sample of classical rhetoric or should be interpreted in light of Graeco-Roman rhetorical handbooks. It demonstrates that the handbooks of Aristotle, Cicero, et al. discuss a form of oratory which was limited with respect to subject, venue and style of communication, and that Galatians falls outside such boundaries. The inapplicability of ancient canons of rhetoric is reinforced by a detailed comparison of Galatians with the handbooks, a survey of patristic attitudes towards Paul's communicative technique, and interaction with twentieth-century discussions of the nature of New Testament Greek. Dr Kern concludes that rhetorical handbooks were never a tool of literary criticism and that they cannot assist the search for a distinctly Pauline rhetoric. Thus this study has implications not only for Galatians, but also for other New Testament epistles.

Preface
List of abbreviations
1. Introduction
2. Towards a definition of rhetoric
3. Methods of rhetorical analysis and Galatians
4. Rhetorical structure and Galatians
5. Rhetorical species and Galatians
6. The language of Paul's Letters 1. As evaluated by early Christian writers
7. The language of Paul's Letters 2. The contribution of modern studies
8. Conclusions
Select bibliography
Index of subjects
Index of modern authors.

Subject Areas: Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG]