A Text centred rhetorical analysis of Paul's Letter to Titus

More documents

Recommendations

Info

authority. Paradoxically, the false teachers are described as ajnupovtaktoi (1:10) while the children of elders-overseers must not manifest this characteristic (1:6). A compound noun, it has as its root the word uJpotavssw. The paranomasia serves to facilitate an implicit contrast between those who manifest submission and those who manifest rebellion. Thus, sound doctrine can only lead to uJpotavssw, while illegitimate ministry can only encourage behaviour that is ajnupovtakto~, which is behaviour that society in general would condemn. The next infinitive, peiqarcei`n, is another instance of paranomasia. The antonym, ajpeiqhv" (1:16) was used in the context of false teachers. Furthermore, the noun ajrchv occurring in the first part of the sentence is also present in the verb peiqarcevw. By using paranomasia, the author contrasts the dispositions of the false teachers and believers, perhaps with specific emphasis upon their relationship to authority. Whereas previously, the implicit contrasts were being drawn between legitimate teachers and illegitimate teachers, now it is illegitimate teachers and legitimate believers that are being contrasted. The separation between legitimate and illegitimate is thus being maintained. The expression, pro;" pa`n e[rgon ajgaqo;n eJtoivmou" ei\nai, but for the infinitive and the adjective, is an exact replication of a previous prepositional phrase: pro;" pa`n e[rgon ajgaqo;n ajdovkimoi (1:16). This is also an instance of implicit contrast, between the illegitimate teachers and the legitimate believers. Through implicit contrast, the difference between legitimate and illegitimate is highlighted and maintained. The apostle takes great pains to prevent any blurring of the boundaries between these two opposing sides. Thus, whereas illegitimate teaching renders the one group “worthless for any good work”, legitimate teaching makes believers “ready for every good work”. In verse 3 the verb blasfhmei`n is also a repetition from an earlier occurrence, blasfhmh`tai in 2:5. This repetition also constitutes paranomasia. Thus, two things ought not to be spoken evil of, namely God's word, and any other PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com 121
person. Interestingly, both instances of this verb appear in close association with the verb uJpotavssw. Just as it would be wrong for unbelievers to speak evil of God's word, it would be equally wrong for believers to speak evil of any other person. In fact, evil speaking would put the believer on par with those who speak against the word of God. The adjective mhdeiv~ functions to accentuate the scope of this prohibition, making it applicable to all people – unbelievers and believers alike. The next two expressions, ajmavcoi ei\nai (to be uncontentious) and ejpieikaiv (kind, gentle, tolerant) emphasise the peaceable nature that ought to characterise the believer. It is reminiscent of two synonymous traits associated with elders-overseers in 1:7, namely, mh; ojrgivlo" (not quick tempered) and mh; plhvkth" (not pugnacious). The final characteristic, prau?th~, is emphasised through alliteration of the p- consonant: pa`san (ejndeiknumevnou") prau?thta pro;" pavnta" ajnqrwvpou". The participial clause states in a positive manner that which was stated negatively earlier, namely, mhdevna blasfhmei`n and ajmavcoi ei\nai. The repetition of the adjective pav~ reinforces the mandatory and uncompromising nature of these characteristics. This is further enhanced by the pairing of the antonyms, pav~ (all) and mhdeiv~ (none). Thus, any behaviour to the contrary is completely unjustifiable – “all gentleness” to “all people”, without exceptions. Conclusion In this section, the dominant rhetorical objective may summarised as an attempt to persuade the Cretans of the compulsory treatment of all unbelievers in a manner consistent with sound doctrine. Paul argues on the basis of the prior knowledge of or appealing to the memory of his audience to convince them to behave in a socially responsible manner towards authorities and society in general. Verses 1-2 comprise behaviour that the audience have known to be commendable; a societal ideal. Implicitly, this appeal seems to be motivated by a concern about the negative influence of illegitimate teaching and the resultant discrediting of the gospel or the Christian movement in PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com 122
Page 1 and 2:
A TEXT-CENTRED RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
Page 3 and 4:
DECLARATION I declare that the diss
Page 5 and 6:
SECTION 2 RHETORICAL ANALYSIS 2.1 R
Page 7 and 8:
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 OVERVIEW
Page 9 and 10:
The content of the authorship debat
Page 11 and 12:
consistently identified as pioneer
Page 13 and 14:
J. Quinn. Their list of scholars ad
Page 15 and 16:
Uncharacteristic Pauline theology:
Page 17 and 18:
etc. are not referring to actual pe
Page 19 and 20:
History never lies” (Titus 1:2)?
Page 21 and 22:
meaning as determined by historical
Page 23 and 24:
other to explain what these critics
Page 25 and 26:
1.1.2.4 Conclusion The various theo
Page 27 and 28:
Excursus: Cumulative-complimentary
Page 29 and 30:
Lumping or clustering apparent oppo
Page 31 and 32:
these letters on a more individual
Page 33 and 34:
Furthermore, the name Jesus Christ
Page 35 and 36:
C. 1. qeou` and swthvr depend on do
Page 37 and 38:
accentuate the unmistakable role of
Page 39 and 40:
order to prove issues of authorship
Page 41 and 42:
Miller (1997:124) is particularly u
Page 43 and 44:
Next, Van Neste goes on to show how
Page 45 and 46:
There have been some recent excepti
Page 47 and 48:
The first part of the analysis is e
Page 49 and 50:
offer any translations in this rega
Page 51 and 52:
novel. To the best of my knowledge,
Page 53 and 54:
ather than as a supplement to the T
Page 55 and 56:
Accordingly, the research hypothesi
Page 57 and 58:
•Step 3: Where deemed necessary,
Page 59 and 60:
The rhetorical situation correspond
Page 61 and 62:
Titus' primary assignment is to app
Page 63 and 64:
Throughout the letter, Paul shares
Page 65 and 66:
equally negative conduct (1:16). In
Page 67 and 68:
2.2.1.1 Emphasising the legitimacy
Page 69 and 70:
strategically throughout this secti
Page 71 and 72:
This section is suffused with the r
Page 73 and 74: and trustworthiness. This choice of
Page 75 and 76: “By whose authority are you imple
Page 77 and 78: “shared knowledge”. The qualiti
Page 79 and 80: espectively within the same sentenc
Page 81 and 82: dichotomy at the front end of this
Page 83 and 84: church. Implicit contrasting is als
Page 85 and 86: aijscrokerdhv", and these false tea
Page 87 and 88: The second part of verse 13 contain
Page 89 and 90: different groups. He relentlessly p
Page 91 and 92: implicit contrasting. The negative
Page 93 and 94: marker is the use of the plural of
Page 95 and 96: instruction in this regard. “Heal
Page 97 and 98: almost desirable. Thus, legitimate
Page 99 and 100: The subject is the older women. Thi
Page 101 and 102: negatively upon the oJ lovgo" tou`
Page 103 and 104: 2.2.5.6 The behaviour of slaves In
Page 105 and 106: or originating from God (tou' … q
Page 107 and 108: to God and this paves the way for t
Page 109 and 110: This explains the use of inclusive
Page 111 and 112: Furthermore, through the direct rep
Page 113 and 114: what grace is instructing the belie
Page 115 and 116: Paul demonstrates that he is himsel
Page 117 and 118: The section closes with the apostle
Page 119 and 120: Another technique is personificatio
Page 121 and 122: the apostle adopts to persuade his
Page 123: Most commentators treat ejxousivai
Page 127 and 128: 2.2.8 Titus 3:3: Evoking disgust wi
Page 129 and 130: purpose while Mounce (2000:446) bel
Page 131 and 132: negative. Paranomasia and the metap
Page 133 and 134: conformity to the divine example. I
Page 135 and 136: as traditional, with verse 3 as an
Page 137 and 138: aptism effected by the Holy Spirit
Page 139 and 140: exclusively or that this constitute
Page 141 and 142: through self-vilification in the op
Page 143 and 144: crhstovth" and filanqrwpiva of God
Page 145 and 146: ejpoihvsamen hJmei`" (works) ajlla;
Page 147 and 148: these titles. The future appearance
Page 149 and 150: The certainty and completeness of t
Page 151 and 152: The next two words in v. 7 are exam
Page 153 and 154: their salvation by God. The divine
Page 155 and 156: discourse. In this regard, consider
Page 157 and 158: two groups is accentuated and the d
Page 159 and 160: Verse 9 opens with the adversative
Page 161 and 162: awareness of the insidiousness of f
Page 163 and 164: This is a very tight unit, carefull
Page 165 and 166: turn, requires the presence of soun
Page 167 and 168: closing greeting to the Cretans inv
Page 169 and 170: SECTION 3 CONCLUSION In Section 1,
Page 171 and 172: 7: Titus 3:1-2: Persuading the Cret
Page 173 and 174: apostles and lay leaders appointed
Page 175 and 176:
In unit 7 (3:1-2), the relationship
Page 177 and 178:
The second objective is to highligh
Page 179 and 180:
These four objectives may be summar
Page 181 and 182:
expected manner can look forward to
Page 183 and 184:
f. Arguments based on the use of vi
Page 185 and 186:
m. Example. For example, in 3:4-7 G
Page 187 and 188:
ehaviour expected of older men. In
Page 189 and 190:
BIBLIOGRAPHY Aageson, J. W. (1997).
Page 191 and 192:
Everts, J. M. (1993). Hope Dictiona
Page 193 and 194:
Lea, D. and H. P. Griffin (1992). 1
Page 195 and 196:
Sumney, J. L. (1996). “A Reading
Page 197 and 198:
ABSTRACT This study has been conduc
Page 199 and 200:
In Section 3 the results of the stu
Page 201 and 202:
amanuensishipotese en die allonieme
Page 203 and 204:
KEY TERMS 1. Pastoral Letters 2. Rh
show all

A Text centred rhetorical analysis of Paul's Letter to Titus

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?