Paul and Ancient Rhetoric Theory and Practice in the Hellenistic Context

348 Pages·2016·1.482 MB·English

by  Stanley E. Porter

PAUL AND ANCIENT RHETORIC
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
emphasisontherhetoricalaspectofhisletters.Asmanyscholarshave
pointed out, however, it is not clear to what extent ancient rhetoric
actuallyinfluencedPaulandhiswritingorhowimportantrhetoricis
for interpreting the Pauline corpus. This volume, containing contri-
butions from major figures in the field, provides a nuanced examin-
ation of how ancient rhetoric should inform our understanding of
Paul and hisletters.
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
weaknessesofawidelyusedapproach,PaulandAncientRhetoricwill
bea valuable resource for New Testament and classics scholars.
stanley e. porter is President, Dean, Professor of New Testa-
ment,andRoyA.HopeChairinChristianWorldviewatMcMaster
Divinity College. He is the author of more than twenty books,
including Linguistic Analysis of the Greek New Testament: Studies in
Tools, Methods, and Practice and When Paul Met Jesus: How an Idea
Got Lost inHistory(Cambridge University Press).
bryan r. dyer is coeditor, with Cynthia Long Westfall, of The
Bible and Social Justice and, with Stanley E. Porter, of The Synoptic
Problem: Four Views. He has writtennumerous articles and chapters
onPaul’s letters, theEpistle tothe Hebrews, and the Gospels.

PAUL AND
ANCIENT RHETORIC
Theory and Practice in the Hellenistic Context
STANLEY E. PORTER
McMasterDivinityCollege,Ontario
BRYAN R. DYER
McMasterDivinityCollege,Ontario
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Paulandancientrhetoric:theoryandpracticeintheHellenisticcontext/[editedby]StanleyE.Porter,
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pages cm
isbn978-1-107-07379-1(Hardback)
1. Bible.EpistlesofPaul–Criticism,interpretation,etc. 2. Rhetoric,Ancient–History
andcriticism. 3. Paul,theApostle,Saint. I. Porter,StanleyE.,1956–editor.
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In the memory of
Carl Joachim Classen

Contents
Preface page ix
List of contributors xi
List of abbreviations xii
Paul and Ancient Rhetoric: An Introduction to a Continuing
Discussion 1
Stanley E.Porter and Bryan R.Dyer
part i history of scholarship and key issues 11
1 Can the Theory of Rhetoric Help Us to Understand the
New Testament, and in Particular the Letters of Paul? 13
Carl Joachim Classen
part ii paul, his education, and first-century
culture 41
2 Paul in Tarsus: Historical Factors in Assessing Paul’s Early
Education 43
AndrewW. Pitts
3 Hellenistic Rhetorical Education and Paul’s Letters 68
Christos Kremmydas
4 Paul and Traditions of Greco-Roman Rhetoric 86
FrankW. Hughes
5 Ancient Literate Culture and Popular Rhetorical Knowledge:
Implications for Studying Pauline Rhetoric 96
StanleyE. Porter
vii
viii Contents
part iii issues in the use of ancient rhetoric
in analyzing paul’s letters 117
6 “Delivery, Delivery, Delivery”: Accounting for Performance
in the Rhetoric of Paul’s Letters 119
Glenn S.Holland
7 Epistolography and Rhetoric: Case Not Closed 141
Lauri Thurén
part iv paul and ancient rhetoric in practice 161
8 Paul, Classical Rhetoric, and Oracular Fullness of Meaning
in Romans 1:16–17 163
RobertG.Hall
9 “I Do Not Understand What I Do”: A Challenge to
Understanding Romans 7 as Prosopopoeia 186
Bryan R.Dyer
10 Parenesis and Peroration: The Rhetorical Function of Romans
12:1–15:13 206
Mark D.Given
11 Navigating First Thessalonians Employing Aristotle’s
Enthymeme 228
ThomasH. Olbrichtand Stanley N.Helton
12 Appeals to Logos, Pathos, and Ethos in Galatians 5:1–12:
An Investigation of Paul’s Inventio 245
DavidA.deSilva
13 Visualizing Philippians: Ancient Rhetorical Practice Meets
Cognitive Science through Sociorhetorical Interpretation 265
L. Gregory Bloomquist
Bibliography 285
Ancient Sources Index 314
Modern Authors Index 325
Preface
We wish to extend our gratitude to the contributors of this volume for
their excellent essays. The present volume contains a spectrum of thought
on the topic of Paul and ancient rhetoric – a vision that we had for this
project from its inception. Represented in these pages is discussion of the
current state of play on this now-established discipline in NewTestament
studies from specialists and experts in the field. We are very pleased with
these essays – they provide overviews of the topic, offer new applications
of the rhetorical approach, and, as a result, push the discussion forward.
This is the result of the outstanding work that our contributors put into
their essays.
Both of the editors have been beneficiaries of the academic culture and
community of McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. Much
of our own thinking on the role of ancient rhetoric in interpreting Paul’s
letters has been crafted and refined while being a part of this institution.
We thank our numerous friends and colleagues who have offered helpful
insights and challenging critiques.
We thank Cambridge University Press for their commitment to this
projectandassistanceinseeingitinprint.Thisextendstoencouragement
in the design of the volume, major support in having one of the essays
translated,andgeneralencouragementinseeingitthroughtocompletion.
We offer sincere thanks to Laura Morris, our editor; her associate
Alexandra Poreda; and their team. We have been fortunate to be able to
work with such accomplished editors.
Both of us are greatly indebted to our spouses – Wendy Porter and
Anna Dyer – for their endless encouragement and intellectual inspiration.
Theyhavehadtoenduremuchduringthegestationperiodofthisvolume,
and we are thankful for their continuing support.
Finally, we would like to thank Roswitha Classen for her blessing and
help in including the essay by her late husband, Carl Joachim Classen, in
thisvolume.Whenapproachedtocontributetothisproject,CarlJoachim
ix
x Preface
expressedenthusiasmtotranslatearecentarticleofhisintoEnglishsothat
itmightgarnerawideraudience.Sadly,hepassedawaybeforehewasable
to finish his translation. Thank you to Dr. Linda Archibald for her work
translating this important article into English. We have dedicated this
volume to Carl Joachim Classen in honor of his lifetime of significant
work – especially in the area of Paul and ancient rhetoric.