A Text centred rhetorical analysis of Paul's Letter to Titus
A Text centred rhetorical analysis of Paul's Letter to Titus
A Text centred rhetorical analysis of Paul's Letter to Titus
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marker is the use <strong>of</strong> the plural <strong>of</strong> the neuter relative pronoun, a}. This pronoun<br />
has an immediate correlation <strong>to</strong> the false teachers who, according <strong>to</strong> 1:11,<br />
teaches a} mh; dei`. Rhythmically, with reference <strong>to</strong> metre, as well as aurally,<br />
with reference <strong>to</strong> assonance <strong>of</strong> the vowel a, and the diphthong ei, the relation<br />
between the words in their different contexts is undeniable. A hearer would<br />
immediately have picked up this similarity <strong>of</strong> sound and noticed the intended<br />
difference between what is said <strong>to</strong> <strong>Titus</strong> and what is said about the false<br />
teachers. <strong>Titus</strong>, unlike the false teachers must speak, a} prevpei th`/ uJgiainouvsh/<br />
didaskaliva. Interestingly, the expression hJ uJgiainouvsh didaskaliva is here<br />
reversed, when compared <strong>to</strong> its first occurrence in 1:9. Furthermore, the first<br />
time these two words appear <strong>to</strong>gether is in the context <strong>of</strong> elders-overseers,<br />
who must parakalevw the teaching. Now, <strong>Titus</strong> shares that responsibility as he<br />
must lavlew it. Here, repetition is used <strong>to</strong> establish a positive association. The<br />
parallel between the verbs used is also unmistakable. Thus, <strong>Titus</strong> and the<br />
elders-overseers are shown <strong>to</strong> be allies or associates, while the false teachers<br />
are shown <strong>to</strong> be aliens. Purely through the choice <strong>of</strong> vocabulary, the apostle<br />
manages <strong>to</strong> distinguish the ministry <strong>of</strong> <strong>Titus</strong> and the elders-overseers from<br />
that <strong>of</strong> the false teachers through the ingenious combination <strong>of</strong> the neuter<br />
article and an expression used earlier with reference <strong>to</strong> another set <strong>of</strong><br />
validated ministers <strong>of</strong> the church: a} prevpei th`/ uJgiainouvsh/ didaskaliva.<br />
Conclusion<br />
This section appears upon a first inspection <strong>to</strong> be addressed <strong>to</strong> <strong>Titus</strong>.<br />
However, from a <strong>rhe<strong>to</strong>rical</strong> angle, the manner in which the apostle ties this<br />
section <strong>to</strong> the preceding one suggests that a wider audience is intended. The<br />
opening sentence is directed <strong>to</strong> distinguish <strong>Titus</strong> and what he does as the<br />
apos<strong>to</strong>lic delegate among the Cretan believers (cf. 1:5). This is the dominant<br />
<strong>rhe<strong>to</strong>rical</strong> objective <strong>of</strong> this section. More importantly though, is the fact that<br />
this verse also introduces the notion <strong>of</strong> healthy doctrine. In the next section<br />
(2:2-10), the concept <strong>of</strong> healthy doctrine will be developed in a comprehensive<br />
sense. The doctrine <strong>of</strong> the false teachers has been discredited in the previous<br />
section and their pr<strong>of</strong>ession <strong>of</strong> faith was shown <strong>to</strong> be nothing more than hot air<br />
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