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The Rhetoric of Jesus Christ in the Gospels

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The Rhetoric of Jesus Christ in the Gospels Rhetoric 1 THE RHETORIC OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE GOSPELS A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of Humanities Morehead State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Patrick Scott Tucker November 25, 1996 Rhetoric 2 Accepted by the faculty of the College ofHumanities, Morehead State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. Master's Committee: >+-~~=-.,(~·~fYV2-'-'-'~~!++----~' Chair ~ke . ~~----,ti. D. I Rhetoric 3 THE RHETORIC OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE GOSPELS Patrick Scott Tucker, M. A. Morehead State University, 1996 Director of Thesis: Q,.(_ V. f'rv1~ tJ Abstract This work focuses on the rhetorical styles and forms used by Jesus Christ. The study has a primary focus in teaching and argumentation settings. Additional study is performed in the areas of dialogue and private conversation, words spoken with miracles and to spiritual beings, Jesus' prediction of his death and or resurrection, words spoken in prayer and quoted words of Christ and other/various words not easily placed within a context. A brief background on his life and political, social and personal situation is provided. Samples are taken from the New International Version of each of the four gospels so that the occasions in which Jesus speaks may be broken down into categories, or rhetorical contexts and analyzed for content and form in an effort to Rhetoric 4 .portray Jesus as a rhetorical figure. Finally, some critical conclusions are drawn about Jesus within this context. Ac~epted by: (1, ~ Y. /'rV]c-rli(l , Chair v~~j~<J :JeJcµJ__- f /1. [J' ) Rhetoric 5 Introduction The separation of church and state is not an idea simply confined to issues of governmental concerns. The mistrust and allergy that one has to the other have often prevented the intermingling of the sacred and the secular to form more complete understandings for both entities. This principle is true in the studies ofrhetoric and Christian thought, specifically the rhetoric of Jesus Christ. Harper ( 1979) attempts to explain how this discrepancy began: Christian leaders saw the rhetorical tradition as a threat to their most fundamental beliefs. Classical human communication theory was predicated upon ~'probability," the premise that in human affairs "the truth" is unknowable, that human realities are socially constructed. Christianity, however, was predicated upon "fact," the premise that absolute truth is knowable through divine revelation. The problem for the Christian communicator is not to "persuade" himself and others of likelihoods, but to discover for himself and instruct others in the "will of God." Thus Christian leaders condemned the study of the "pagan" art of rhetoric. (p. 70) Even though there will always remain unresolvable philosophical and moral differences between Christian thought and secular thought, there is much that can be gained by allowmg the two to complement each other. This study will attempt to Rhetoric 6 make such a combination with a look at the rhetorical styles and devices used by Jesus Christ. Rationale Jesus Christ is certainly the key figure in the Christian faith. The New Testament begins with four works or "gospels" that contain brief descriptions of Jesus' actions and words. The gospels are not intended to be a complete history of Jesus' · life. Wilder (1964) makes this point clear: Many of the reports about Jesus were evidently condensed and polished in a particular way in the course of repeated telling. Nothing remains except the main point and what little else is needed to bring it out. (p. 61) The remainder of the New Testament and the hundreds of years of Christian activity to present day had the truths these gospels contain as a spring board. The rhetoric of the Apostles, including Paul and all sincere Christian communicators since the first century, AD., have used Jesus Christ and what the gospels recorded of him as the ultimate paradigm and model to follow. Centuries after Jesus walked the earth, his message remains strong through the propagation of millions of people who claim to be touched by it. The speeches of a man this powerful, with such a far reaching influence on the public and private communications of millions of people, may be able to offer students ofrhetoric some useful insights. Rhetoric 7 In the lapse between the Classical and British and continental periods of rhetoric, one major factor that affected the growth of rhetorical studies was the birth of Christ and the subsequent unfolding of the Christian faith. The Christianization of rhetoric was a process that not only left its mark _on the British theorists, but continues to influence the contemporary scene as well (Golden, 63). Jesus was a contemporary of the Roman rhetoricians. His message delivered as an itinerant teacher almost two thousand years ago has influenced nearly every endeavor of human existence. This work posits that Jesus is a powerful exemplar in the field of rhetorical theory and practice. Jesus should hold a place of importance in the study of classical rhetoric also because the years of his life (France, 40) would fall between the life spans of two great Roman rhetoricians: Cicero, from 106-43 B.C.E. (Bizzell, 32) and Quintilian, from 35- 96 C.E. (Bizzell, 35). Even though Jesus was a man of Jewish heritage, he was still a citizen of the Roman Empire as Palestine had been.conquered by Pompey for Rome in 63 B.C. (Lockyer, 792). In addition to this, Jesus could also be considered a great rhetorical figure, as his life presented in the gospels illustrates the qualities of Quintilian's "good man speaking well." Aside from perhaps not being considered a servant of the state, Jesus fills the other requirements for a truly good orator as Golden (1993) expressed: Rhetoric 8 Who is this good man? What traits does he possess? Quintilian answers that he is a man who is free from all vice, a lover of wisdom, a sincere believer in the cause which he advocates, and a servant of the state and the people. (p. 50) The architect of the massive religious movement of the first century A.D. was the man whose claim it was to be the son of God, Jesus ofNazareth. What this study will attempt to do is look at Jesus' words as recorded in the Gospel accounts through the spectacles ofrhetorical principles. This will serve to both measure Jesus' strength as a rhetor and to ascertain whether any new insights can be gained from Jesus' rhetorical style. Sample for the Study The gospels were chosen as the sample for this study because they provide the largest and most reliable body of work with a focus on the words spoken by Jesus. This study will not focus on the rhetorical strategies or aspects of the gospels themselves or of their authors, but rather on the words of Jesus that they present. The four gospel records used for this study will be from the New International Version of the New Testament. The gospel of Matthew was presumably written by the man referred to in scripture as Levi or Matthew, who was a tax collector by trade that became one of the twelve apostles. France (1989) states that Matthew was probably a wealthy man with Rhetoric 9 an above average education (p. 65). His gospel can be considered a record of events witnessed first-hand as he followed Christ. Matthew's perspective on the words and life of Jesus contains constant reference to the Old Testament with a strong Jewish flavoring throughout (France, 16). No one knows for certain when or where the gospel was written. It is attributed · to the period between AD 50 and AD 100 (Alexander, 474). Many early scholars believed it to be the first gospel to be written, of which France (1985) says, "only a minority of scholars would support today" (p. 15). Mark was probably the first gospel to be written (A.D. 65-70 or even earlier). There is a strong early tradition that John Mark wrote it in Rome, setting down Jesus' story as he had heard it directly from the Apostle Peter. Mark was a traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey to spread the ) message of Jesus Christ (Alexander, 499). Mark would have been privy to information about Christ's life and ministry from a variety of sources. His mother, Mary, was a leader in the Jerusalem church according to Acts 12:12. As such, Mark would have been introduced to many great leaders of the early church who had first hand information about Jesus. Robertson (1958) writes, "Peter, Barnabas, John, and the rest would here talk freely in conversation and sermons about Jesus' life and work. It is quite possible that John Mark early began to make notes of some of these things" (p. 21). Rhetoric 10 The gospel of Mark has been referred to as an example ofradical Christian rhetoric, in that Mark makes assertions and claims of truth without providing evidence or logical argument (Kennedy, 1984). This gospel, however, in spite of perhaps being a weak rhetorical text itself, provides powerful insidht into the rhetoric of Jesus Christ. Luke's gospel equally supplies a great deal of historical depth and accuracy. Luke was a traveling companion of Paul and was schooled as a doctor. As a result of his education, he was probably. exposed to some formal rhetorical training (Green, 699). Luke's carefully compiled gospel record gives us the fullest life-story of Jesus we possess (Alexander, 514). The gospel of Luke, according to Morris (1974), was written on one of three approximate dates: AD 63, AD 75-85 or early in the second century (p.
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