Reading Galatians As Rhetorical Parody
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Reading Galatians As Rhetorical Parody: Paul’s Reinterpretation of Scriptural Demands for Obedience to the Law and the Implications for Understanding Faithfulness and Apostasy by Kathy Barrett Dawson Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Richard B. Hays, Supervisor ___________________________ Melvin K. H. Peters ___________________________ Mark S. Goodacre ___________________________ Zlatko Plese Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2012 ABSTRACT Reading Galatians As Rhetorical Parody: Paul’s Reinterpretation of Scriptural Demands for Obedience to the Law and the Implications for Understanding Faithfulness and Apostasy by Kathy Barrett Dawson Graduate Program in Religion Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Richard B. Hays, Supervisor ___________________________ Melvin K. H. Peters ___________________________ Mark S. Goodacre ___________________________ Zlatko Plese An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Religion in the Graduate School of Duke University 2012 Copyright by Kathy Barrett Dawson 2012 Abstract Vastly different opinions exist within New Testament scholarship regarding the relationship between Paul’s ethical exhortations in Gal 5-6 and the theological portions of the letter. In an attempt to argue for the cohesiveness of Paul’s argument in the letter as a whole, numerous commentaries outline the letter according to the principles that are described in the ancient handbooks on Greco-Roman rhetoric. Although outlining Galatians according to the typical parts of an ancient speech does provide a way of viewing the correspondence as a coherent argument, studying Galatians from the standpoint of Paul’s adherence to the conventions of the technical rhetorical handbooks has produced problems of its own. First, there is no consensus as to whether or not Paul actually had obtained the highest level of rhetorical education in which the handbooks were studied. While some commentaries on Galatians (e.g., those written by Hans Dieter Betz and Ben Witherington III) propose that the apostle exhibits a rhetorical strategy in the letter that follows the conventions described in the rhetorical handbooks, other studies (e.g., the one by R. Dean Anderson Jr.) that compare Paul’s letters with ancient rhetorical theory have concluded that Paul most likely had no knowledge of the principles of the rhetorical handbooks of his day. Another problem with minutely analyzing Galatians in terms of the conventions described in the ancient rhetoric handbooks is that Galatians is a letter, not a speech. Although ancient letters did usually follow the conventions of ancient epistolary theory, de Boer has most recently pointed out that efforts to classify Galatians as a particular type of rhetoric are misguided since ancient letters were freer compositions iv than ancient speeches. J. Louis Martyn has proposed that Galatians should be understood as an apocalyptic sermon and, therefore, since Paul was a divine messenger in preaching the gospel, the letter does not actually follow the conventions of a particular classification of ancient rhetoric. However, even scholars who propose that Paul had no technical knowledge of the rhetorical handbooks admit that certain rhetorical principles of speech and letter writing were ubiquitous in the Greco-Roman world. This dissertation argues that one of the rhetorical principles that was prevalent in the first-century Greco-Roman world was the device of rhetorical parody. Although the word “parody” is usually associated today with the connotation of burlesque or absurdity, a type of humorous parody that did exist in the ancient world, ancient rhetorical parody should be understood as either an altered quotation of a recognizable text or saying or a newly created saying that closely resembles a recognizable one. Also, ancient rhetorical parody should be understood as a stylistic rhetorical device that was designed to add vividness and polemical intensity to an argument by way of incongruity. In an effort to persuade an audience, a recognizable text or saying was transformed and given a new meaning, one that might be quite incongruous with its original meaning. While this type of rhetorical device was discussed by ancient rhetoricians, its use was common in the everyday conversations of a literate person in the first century. Therefore the ability to use the device of rhetorical parody did not require a rhetorical education in which one studied the handbooks. Rather, it was a process by which a person altered an existing saying or text, possibly one that had been used by one’s opponent in an argument, in v order to gain an advantage over the opponent. Ancient rhetorical parody differs from irony in that irony presents a meaning different from the normal meaning of the words spoken. Irony, therefore, does not require an underlying saying or text. After determining a definition of ancient rhetorical parody, this study investigates whether or not an understanding of Paul’s use of rhetorical parody in Galatians might clarify some of Paul’s puzzling statements. The investigation is limited to the statements that Paul made in Galatians and does not attempt to understand the letter via Paul’s other letters. This study seeks to determine if Paul’s scriptural quotations and allusions might be a parodic reinterpretation of Scriptures that demanded Torah-obedience in order to dissociate obeying the Mosaic law from faithfulness to God. The study is not limited to the Scriptures that were later canonized by the Church, but it is limited to the Greek text of writings since rhetorical parody is a play on the words of the hypotext. A comparison of Galatians with Scriptures that demanded obedience to the Mosaic law or praised individuals who championed the law reveals that Paul parodically reinterpreted scriptural passages in order to dissociate the rejection of the Mosaic law from the curse of the law. The curse of the law is shown to refer not only to slavery, but also to spiritual death. This study also reveals that the law-free Galatians were being excluded from the faith community on the basis that they were unrepentant sinners. Additionally, Gal 3-4 is best understood as Paul’s argument against the confluence of the covenant with Abraham and the Mosaic law. vi This dissertation concludes that understanding Paul’s use of rhetorical parody not only clarifies several puzzling statements in the letter, but also demonstrates that Paul’s exhortations in Gal 5-6 address the Galatian situation just as much as the theological sections do. vii Dedication This project is dedicated first to my husband, H. Lee Dawson, who was continuously loving, supporting, and helpful throughout the writing of this dissertation. It is also dedicated to my daughter, Hayley, who willingly assumed numerous responsibilities and was always a source of loving encouragement. It is also dedicated to my son, Byron, who never complained about having a mom in school and whose wit and humor encouraged us all. Additionally, this project is in memory of my parents, James Emmett Barrett Jr. and Helen M. Barrett, who instilled in each of their children a love of family, a love of learning, and a drive to succeed. viii Contents Abstract.............................................................................................................................. iv 1. Introduction and a Definition of Rhetorical Parody ....................................................... 1 1.1 Quintilian, Hermogenes, and Ps.-Demetrius on Rhetorical Parody........................ 7 1.2 Previous Investigations of the Concept of Ancient Parody .................................. 27 1.3 Encyclopedic Definitions of Rhetorical Parody ................................................... 41 1.4 Lexical Definitions of Ancient Parody ................................................................. 51 1.5 A Working Definition of Ancient Rhetorical Parody........................................... 55 2. Historical Overview of Select Rhetorical Studies on Galatians ................................... 60 2.1 Paul’s Rhetoric in Galatians According to Patristic Writers ................................ 61 2.2. Recent Works Comparing Paul’s Letters with Greco-Roman Rhetoric .............. 95 2.3 Concluding Comments.......................................................................................... 98 3. Examples of Rhetorical Parody in Galatians ................................................................ 99 3.1 Parody of Demands for Obedience to the Law in Gal 1:6-2:21 ......................... 105 3.1.1 Paul’s Anathemas and the Parodic Reinterpretation of Apostasy (1:6-10) ... 105 3.1.1.1 The importance of a correct interpretation of metati,qhmi in understanding Paul’s parodic reversal of the scriptural meaning of apostasy............................ 110 3.1.1.2 Paul’s defense of the divine nature of his gospel as a counter to any claim that he is an apostate ........................................................................................... 121 3.1.1.3 “Slave of Christ” as a parodic reinterpretation of the Deuteronomic curse of a return to slavery ..........................................................................................