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

Crete. The appeal to memory is a powerful persuasive strategy because it
originates from within the individual.
The section begins with the apostolic endorsement of Titus’ ministry through
the use of an alternative verb in the imperative mode. Several supportive
rhetorical techniques include: asyndeton, direct repetition, assonance and
paranomasia. These facilitate intra- and inter-sectional cohesion. The section
also evinces an interesting development in the theme of submission through
the paranomatic repetition of the verb uJpotavssw. In each of the three
occurrences of this verb, there is a different subject and indirect object, and
increasing spheres of authoritativeness. This technique ties this section to the
rest of the letter and highlights the significance of submission in the Cretan
context. The emphasis on submission also calls to mind the false teachers,
whose behaviour is described as the exact opposite, being ajnupovtakto~.
(1:10). This noun is made up of the privative a (without) and uJpotavssw
(Zodhiates, 1992:198). It is also a characteristic that should not manifest in the
children of teachers in the church (1:6). This is an instance of the rhetorical
technique of paranomasia used here to facilitate a contrast between those
who are sound and those who are not. Another striking example of explicit
contrast is seen in the direct repetition of the prepositional phrase, pro;" pa`n
e[rgon ajgaqovn, which facilitates inter-sectional cohesion as well as implicit
contrast between the illegitimate teachers and the legitimate believers. The
ultimate objective is to encourage the Cretans to disassociate themselves
from those who seem to encourage behaviour considered to be disruptive or
subversive. In this way, the apostle launches his strategy to enforce
compliance to legitimate teaching by forcing the Cretans to look inside
themselves and evaluate whether what he is saying is true or not. But the
apostle is not going to leave it there, and in the next section it will be shown
how he continues his persuasive strategy through the use of a list of vices.
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