VIRTUOUS LIVING - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

carefully crafted speeches which drew attention to his skilful use of rhetoricalconventions” (Winter 1994:1164). A presentation of this nature was often termed“magic” because of its power to “arrest” or “bewitch” the audience. To this end thecontent of the speech was less important than the speaker. The audience was thejudge. If Paul, on one hand, had employed such human wisdom and skill, then theaudience would have simply judged him as having no interesting message to impart.Paul, on the other hand, having adopted the secular convention, would have promotedhimself as a speaker by means of his rhetorical skills. The audience who listened and“judged” the performance would have had their attention diverted away from the“message of the cross” that had come to Paul. This outcome would have robbedPaul’s hearers “of the opportunity to hear about the amazing event by which Godrescues people” (Winter 1994:1164). As such Paul chose not to use the wisdom of thisworld.“The message of the cross” (vs18a) became Paul’s phrase for the gospel. He called it“message” or “the oratory’ (logos) of the cross” (Winter 1994:1164). The responsewas bound to be twofold. For some it was absurd and for others it was a powerful wayof becoming God’s people. But the wisdom of the intelligentsia would be brought tonothing and the boasting of the educated and powerful would be frustrated.“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of thisage?” (vs20). These rhetorical questions seem to suggest that the admired rhetoric ofthe day and the effort of the theologians had failed to bring people to the knowledgeof God. There were sufficient and often sophisticated discussions of natural theologyby the Stoics and the Epicureans especially on the nature of gods. The Jewish Scribestaught and read the torah in the synagogue. But people did not know God (cf Morris1985:42; also Winter 1994: 1164) 107 .To the Greek philosophers, the “message of the cross” and “Christ crucified” as ameans by which humankind is saved was foolishness. After all, the death andresurrection of gods were among the Greeks’ existing myths whose influence through107 Winter observes that the content of the speech did not matter; only the performance of the speakerdid. Ultimately, an orator aimed at gaining the adulation of his audience for self-gratification andpopularity (Winter 1994:1164).283