A not-so-noble death
Arthur J Droge proposes a provocative thesis: Paul's deliberations on life and death in Palp 1:21-26 are best understood against the background of Greco-Roman discussions of suicide. Droge's thesis is weak at two points. First, it fails to explain how Paul's reflections in this passag...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
NTWSA
1994
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| In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 1994, Volume: 28, Issue: 1, Pages: 177-192 |
| Further subjects: | B
Paul the Apostle
B Theology B Saint Paul B Ancient rhetoric B Christianity B Rhetoric in the bible B Bphilippians 1:21-26 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Arthur J Droge proposes a provocative thesis: Paul's deliberations on life and death in Palp 1:21-26 are best understood against the background of Greco-Roman discussions of suicide. Droge's thesis is weak at two points. First, it fails to explain how Paul's reflections in this passage fit the rhetorical strategy of the letter. Second, granting Droge's suggestion that Paul is 'alluding' to the possibility of his own suicide, interpreters are still left with providing a rationale for the apostle's decidedly circumlocutionary language. This article addresses these two weaknesses. First, by showing that Paul's speech is 'figured' or oblique and framed specifically for purposes of persuasiveness in delicate matters we are able to understand the allusive nature of Paul's rhetoric. Second, identifying Philippians as a hortatory or psychogogic letter of friendship and appreciating the role of exemplification in moral protrepsis enables us to understand how allusions to suicide at this point in the letter serves Paul's rhetorical strategy. By addressing these two weaknesses we offer additional support for Droge's challenging thesis. |
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| ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.10520/AJA2548356_297 |