Mata o Masiasi (Face of Shame): Resituating Paul’s Fool’s Speech Within the Contours of Samoan Rhetoric
This essay offers an example of Pacific Island biblical contextual reading. My approach draws on ‘Western’ methods (specifically sociorhetorical interpretation) but adapts and locates them for a Samoan cultural context. In this context, humour and derision can help save face in situations where viol...
| 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: |
Sage
2024
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2024, Volume: 47, Issue: 1, Pages: 128-140 |
| Further subjects: | B
Shame
B Pacific Island biblical contextual reading B Fool’s speech B sociorhetorical interpretation B Honour B Samoan rhetoric |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This essay offers an example of Pacific Island biblical contextual reading. My approach draws on ‘Western’ methods (specifically sociorhetorical interpretation) but adapts and locates them for a Samoan cultural context. In this context, humour and derision can help save face in situations where violence and disorder may occur. The phrase mata o masiasi (face of shame) is utilized in Samoan society for such a purpose. This is an essential aspect of Samoan rhetoric, especially in a community where nurturing and sustaining the va (space-in-between, betweenness) is the sine qua non. The va is the relational space that is foundational to all relationships in society. Resituating the fool’s speech of 2 Corinthians 11.1–12.10 within an indigenous Samoan-inspired framework leads to new questions regarding the biblical text with the goal of resituating the biblical text to make sense in my Samoan context. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5294 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0142064X241262451 |