7 Christian Prophetic Rhetorolect Part II
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7 Christian Prophetic Rhetorolect Part II: Kingdom, Confrontation, Renewal Prophetic Rhetorolect as Internal Emergent Structure for Early Christian Story-Lines A primary effect of prophetic rhetorolect in early Christian discourse was the creation of argumentative story-lines from the past to the pre- sent. The basic structure of the enthymematic argumentation was: Thesis: You are blessed but suffering, Rationale: because you are participating in a story-line that began with the prophets and continues into your present action. This prophetic rhetorolect came into Christian discourse by the 50s, creating a story-line from the prophets of Israel through Jesus to the followers of Jesus. Throughout the last half of the first century, Chris- tian prophetic rhetorolect functioned as an emergent structure for de- tailed story-lines featuring specific personages. John the Baptist, Jesus, Stephen, Peter, Paul, and Paul’s associates are the primary personages during the first century. 1 Thessalonians: Prophetic Story-Line of Persecution Blends with Priestly, Wisdom, and Apocalyptic Rhetorolect In 1 Thess, which most interpreters consider the earliest writing in the NT and date 49-50 CE, Pauline discourse introduces early Christian prophetic rhetorolect that evokes a story-line from the prophets of Israel through Jesus, the earliest followers of Jesus in Judea, Paul and his associ- ates, and members of the Christian community in Thessalonica. Paul’s statements in 1 Thess 1-2 evoke the following sequence of events from the time of the prophets of Israel to the time of the writing of the letter: 1. The Judeans killed the prophets (2:14-15) 2. The Judeans killed the Lord Jesus (2:14-15) 3. The churches of God in Christ Jesus in Judea suffered under Judeans (2:14) 4. Paul and his associates were approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel of God (2:4) and appointed 262 The Invention of Christian Discourse (keimetha) for persecutions (3:3-4, 7) 5. Judean Christians persecuted (ekdiōxantōn) Paul and his associates by hindering them from speaking to Gentiles so they may be saved (2:15-16) 6. Paul and his associates suffered (propathontes) and were shamefully mistreated (hybristhentes) in Philippi (2:2) 7. Paul and his associates faced much conflict (pollōi agōni) in Thessa- lonica as they transmitted God’s word to them (2:2, 13) 8. The Thessalonians were chosen (eklogēn) and called (kalountos) by God (1:4; 2:12) 9. The Thessalonians have suffered (epathete) under much tribulation (thlipsei pollōi) from other Thessalonians (1:6; 2:14) In this context, Paul asserts a prophetic indictment against those who are causing suffering by persecution: “But wrath has come upon them until the end” (1 Thess 2:16).1 1 Thess 1-3 presents this prophetic story-line in the context of a blend of priestly, wisdom, prophetic, and apocalyptic rhetorolect. Priestly rhetorolect in 1 Thess features bless- ing,2 thanksgiving and prayer to God,3 and pure, upright, and blameless activity.4 Wisdom rhetorolect is present throughout the three chapters as Paul refers to what is known5 and remembered,6 commends the Thessalonians for becoming examples by imitating people who are models of right behavior,7 and relates to them as family.8 Apocalyptic rhetorolect is vividly present in 1:10; 2:19; 3:13 as Paul refers to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and his return from heaven,9 and then it becomes dominant in 1 Thess 4–5. As this early Christian blend of rhetorolects unfolds, a prophetic story-line interprets the activities of Paul, Paul’s associates, and the Thessalonians as being guided by God. This kind of guidance began with the prophets of Israel, continued through the death of the Lord Jesus, and continues through the follow- ers of Jesus to the time of the writing of the letter. The discourse in 1 Thess 13 evokes a particular prophetic story-line through its rhetography, namely its evocation of pictures of persecu- tion in various situations. Intertwining with this rhetography is a pro- phetic rhetology that explains why Paul, his associates, and the 1 For translation and discussion of this verse in its context, see Abraham J. Malherbe, The Letters to the Thessalonians (AB 32B; New York: Doubleday, 2000) 164-79. 2 1 Thess 1:1; 3:11-13. 3 1 Thess 1:2-3; 2:13; 3:9-10; cf. 1 Thess 5:16-18. 4 1 Thess 2:10; 3:13; cf. 1 Thess 5:23. 5 1 Thess 1:4, 5, 8; 2:1, 2, 5; 3:3, 4. 6 1 Thess 1:3, 2:9; 3:6. 7 1 Thess 1:7; 2:14. 8 1 Thess 2:7-8, 9, 11, 14, 17; 3:2, 7. 9 Cf. 1Thess 5:23. 7. Christian Prophetic Rhetorolect. II: Kingdom, Confrontation, Renewal 263 Thessalonians all experience suffering and persecution. The reasoning in the rhetology is easily displayed as an enthymeme: Thesis: We and you are being persecuted, Rationale: because we and you were destined and chosen to continue the story-line of persecution that began with the prophets. This is “prophetic” reasoning, where the “lot” of those who are called by God to be persecuted is explained by a story-line that begins with the prophets and continues through the story of Jesus and his followers. In Paul’s terms, the life of the Thessalonians is a “prophetic” life. God has chosen and appointed them to live a “prophetic” life, which means a life that will include suffering and persecution for the things they believe, say, and do. Q Sayings It is informative that various sayings in the Q strata of Gospel tradition exhibit a similar prophetic story-line. Perhaps the clearest place where this story-line is evoked is in the beatitudes shared by Matthew and Luke: Matt 5:11-12 Luke 6:22-23 11 Blessed are you when people revile 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, you and persecute you and utter all and when they exclude you, revile you, kinds of evil against you falsely on my and defame you on account of the Son of account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for Man. 23Rejoice on that day and leap for your reward is great in heaven, for in joy, for surely your reward is great in the same way they persecuted the heaven; for that is what their ancestors prophets who were before you. did to the prophets. The rationale evokes a story-line of persecution from the prophets to the followers of Jesus: You are being reviled and abused, because your mode of life is a continuation of the story of persecution from the prophets of Israel through the Son of Man to your present mode of life.10 Galatians: Paul’s Isaiah-Jeremiah Story-Line and the Believer’s Abrahamic Story-Line Paul’s letter to the Galatians evokes two interrelated prophetic story- lines. First is Paul’s own prophetic story-line, which emphasizes divine appointment of him to confront the Galatians with a message God has transmitted recently to humans. Second is a story-line from Abraham through Jesus to Paul and other believers that explains how God offers salvation to humans after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul’s own story-line does not emphasize persecution, though Paul does refer to himself as “still being persecuted (diōkomai)” in Gal 10 See Aune’s more lengthy discussion of the Q material in Prophecy, 157-58. 264 The Invention of Christian Discourse 5:11. Rather, Paul introduces his own prophetic story-line to establish an authoritative framework for confronting wrong beliefs and actions he believes to be widespread among the Galatian Christians. Paul begins his letter with strong early Christian prophetic rhetoro– lect: “Paul an apostle – sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead” (Gal 1:1). This opening verse evokes an im- age of Paul being confronted, called, and sent sometime in the past by Jesus Christ and God the Father. The rhetography of this verse evokes three implicit events in the story-line: (1) the death of Jesus Christ: (2) God’s raising of Jesus Christ from death; and (3) appointment of Paul as an apostle “through” both Jesus Christ and God the Father. But the rhetography does not stand alone. The verse also contains rhetology, an argument from contraries. Paul was not sent either “from” a human or “through” a human. There could be other alternatives: (a) through an angel (see Gal 1:8); (b) through a high priest; (c) from a king, etc. Per- haps Paul’s full meaning appears to be: “neither from a human nor through a human, but through our Lord (Jesus Christ)11 and the one God (the Father).” The combined rhetography and rhetology introduces an argumentative “dialect,” rhetorical speech that focuses on two par- ticular “personages,” a Lord named Jesus who has a surname “Christ” and “God the Father” who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. After the long opening in Gal 1:1-5, the letter begins with strong confrontational, prophetic rhetorolect. Authorized as a spokesperson for Jesus Christ and God the Father, Paul confronts the Galatian Chris- tians directly (“I” and “you”) on the basis of the “prophetic” summons of them by “the one who called them in grace [or “the grace of Christ”] (1:6) through “the gospel of Christ” (1:7). Again the argu- ment has the nature of a rhetorical dialect, rather than standard rhetori- cal argumentation when it contains the unusual words “in grace,” “in the grace of Christ,”12 and “the gospel of Christ.” This is certainly not widespread Greco-Roman argumentation, and it is not conventional Jewish argumentation.