Paul's Paradigmatic 'I' - Personal Example as Literary Strategy

This study claims that Paul uses his personal example as an explicit literary strategy in 1 Corinthians, Galatians and Philippians, and as an arguably implicit strategy in 1 Thessalonians and Philemon. He uses his own example to ground and illustrate his argumentation in a rhetorically sophisticated manner, often structuring his argument on such a basis. In places a crisp statement of his own case serves as a thesis statement of the argument that follows (e.g., Rom. 1.17; Gal. 1.10), while at other times it serves to summarize the argument and to provide a transition to the next phase (especially in 1 Corinthians and Gal. 2.15-21). All the while Paul's self-portrayals in his letters serve not autobiographical or egoistic purposes but pedagogical and argumentative aims.

Product details

• Authors: Brian Dodd, R. S. Sugirtharajah
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.02.1999
• EAN: 9781850759140
• ISBN: 978-1-85075-914-0
• No. of pages: 288
• Series: Journal for the Study of the N; Journal for the Study of the N; The Library of New Testament Studies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Practical theology; RELIGION / Biblical Meditations / General, Bible readings, selections & meditations, Bible readings, selections and meditations