Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric International Studies in the History of Rhetoric Editors Laurent Pernot, Executive Editor, Strasbourg, France Craig Kallendorf, College Station, U.S.A. Advisory Board Bé Breij, Nijmegen, Netherlands Rudong Chen, Peking, China Manfred Kraus, Tübingen, Germany Gabriella Moretti, Trento, Italy Luisa Angelica Puig Llano, Mexico City, Mexico Christine Sutherland, Calgary, Canada VOLUME 3 Th e titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/rhet Treatise on Biblical Rhetoric By Roland Meynet Translated by Leo Arnold With biblical texts translated by Rubianto Solichin Llane B. Briese LEIDEN • BOSTON 2012 Th is book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Meynet, Roland, 1939- [Traité de rhétorique biblique. English] Treatise on biblical rhetoric / by Roland Meynet ; translated by Leo Arnold ; with biblical texts translated by Rubianto Solichin, Llane B. Briese. p. cm. -- (International studies in the history of rhetoric ; v. 3) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-22418-6 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Rhetoric in the Bible. 2. Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title. BS537.M4813 2012 220.6’6--dc23 2011049370 ISSN 1875-1148 ISBN 978 90 04 22418 6 (hardback) ISBN 978 90 04 22422 3 (e-book) Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, Th e Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to Th e Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is published with the help of the RBS SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF BIBLICAL AND SEMITIC RHETORIC (RBS) Several learned societies exist whose objective is the study of rhetoric. The «Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric» (RBS1) is the only one – that is devoted exclusively to the study of Semitic literature, in particular the Bible, but also others texts, for example of Muslim origin. – that consequently is dedicated to listing and describing the particular laws of a rhetoric that have ruled the composition of texts which are of no less importance than those of the Greek and Latin world, of which modern Western civilization is the heir. It must not be forgotten that this same Western civilization is also heir to the Judeo-Christian tradition which has its origin in the Bible, that is to say, in the Semitic world. More broadly, the texts that we study are the foundational texts of the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Such a scientific study, the first condition for better mutual knowledge, can only contribute to a rapprochement between those who belong to these diverse traditions. Founded in Rome, where its headquarters are situated, the «Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric» (RBS) is a non-profit organization, under Italian law, that promotes and sustains research and publications, – especially in the biblical field, both the New and Old Testaments; – but also of other Semitic texts, in particular those of Islam. The essential objective of the RBS is to promote research projects, exchanges between universities and publications in the area of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric, thanks especially to the collection of necessary funds for financing these diverse projects. The «Society for the Study of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric» first and foremost welcomes and brings together scholars and university teachers who, in different universities and institutes, both in Italy and abroad, work in the area of Biblical and Semitic Rhetoric. It is open also to those who are interested in research and are intent on supporting it. For more information on the RBS, see: www.retoricabiblicaesemitica.org. The typesetting of this book was kindly done by the author, the secretary of the RBS. ———– 1 This Society has its headquarters in Rome (Italy). RBS are the initials of «Retorica Biblica e Semitica». CONTENTS Abbreviations ............................................................................................... ix Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One The History............................................................................ 27 PART ONE COMPOSITION Chapter Two The Levels of Composition ............................................ 51 Chapter Three The Figures of Composition ........................................ 129 Chapter Four Rewriting ........................................................................... 187 PART TWO CONTEXT Chapter Five Intratext .............................................................................. 235 Chapter Six Intertext ................................................................................ 253 Chapter Seven The Center of concentric constructions ..................... 279 PART TREE INTERPRETATION Chapter Eight Editing and translating ................................................... 313 Chapter Nine Composition and Interpretation .................................... 335 Chapter Ten Intertext and Interpretation ............................................. 371 Chapter Eleven The gift of interpretation ............................................. 397 viii TREATISE ON BIBLICAL RHETORIC Chapter Twelve Prospects ....................................................................... 407 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 429 Bibliography ................................................................................................. 435 Index of authors .......................................................................................... 445 Index of biblical references ........................................................................ 449 Index of technical terms ............................................................................. 461 ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Amos BOVATI, Pietro and MEYNET, Roland, Le Livre du prophète Amos, Paris, Éd. du Cerf, RhBib 2, 1994 BJ La Bible de Jérusalem, Éd. du Cerf, Paris 1998 Blass-Debrunner BLASS, Friedrich and DEBRUNNER, Albert, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament, Chicago – London, The university of Chicago press, 1961 CEI Conferenza Episcopale Italiana chap. chapter col. column(s) Dhorme La Bible, Dhorme, Paris, Gallimard, La Pléiade, 1956- 71 ed. edidit, ediderunt Éd. Éditions EDB Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna ex. example Festin CUYPERS, Michel, Le Festin. Une lecture de la cinquième sourate du Coran, Paris, Lethielleux, RhSem 3, 2007 Fs. Festschrift Gesenius GESENIUS, Wilhelm F.H., Hebrew Grammar, Oxford, Clarendon, 1910, 199010 1 Giovanni ONISZCZUK, Jacek. La Prima Lettera di Giovanni. La giustizia dei figli, ReBib 11, EDB, Bologna 2009 GNT ALAND, Barbara, ALAND, Kurt, KARAVIDOPOULOS, Johannes, MARTINI, Carlo Maria and METZGER, Bruce M., The Greek New Testament, Stuttgart, Deut- sche Bibelgesellschaft,19944 Ibid. Ibidem Id. Idem Jacques KOT, Tomasz, La Lettre de Jacques. La foi chemin de la vie, Paris, Lethielleux, RhSem 2, 2006 JB Jerusalem Bible Jésus passe R. MEYNET, Jésus passe. Testament, jugement, exécution et résurrection du Seigneur Jésus dans les évangiles synoptiques, Rome/Paris, PUG Editrice/Éd. du Cerf, RhBib 3, 1999 x Joüon JOÜON, Paul, Grammaire de l’hébreu biblique, Rome, Institut Biblique Pontifical, 1947 KJV King James Version Luc R. MEYNET, L’Évangile de Luc, Pendé, Gabalda, RhSem 8, 2011 MT massoretic text n. note NA NESTLE-ALAND, Novum Testamentum Graece, Stuttgart, 199327 NAB New American Bible NASB New American Standard Bible NEB New English Version A New Introduction R. MEYNET, A New Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels, Miami FL, Convivium Press, RhS, 2010 NIV New International Version NJB New Jerusalem Bible Osty La Bible, Osty, Éd. du Seuil, Paris 1973 p. page § paragraph PIB Pontificio Istituto Biblico pp. pages PUG Pontificia Università Gregoriana ReBib Retorica Biblica RhS Rhetorica Semitica RhSem Rhétorique sémitique RSV Revised Standard Version s.v. sub verbum sq. following page sqq. following pages TOB Traduction œcuménique de la Bible transl. translation UBS United Bible Societies Biblical Books They are those of the journal Biblica (Pontifical Biblical Institute). Commentaries References to commentaries give only the author’s surname in lower case letters, followed by the page numbers. E. g.: Fitzmyer, p. 1084. xi Periodicals and series AJSL American journal of Semitic languages and literatures AnB Anchor Bible AnBib Analecta biblica AThR Anglican Theological Review BEThL Biblioteca Ephemeridum theologicarum Lovaniensium Bib Biblica CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly CNT Commentaires du Nouveau Testament CrozQ The Crozer Quarterly CSANT Commentario storico ed esegetico all’Antico e al Nuovo Testamento CTNT Commentario teologico del Nuovo Testamento DB Dictionnaire de la Bible DBS Dictionnaire de la Bible. Supplément ET The Expository Times tB Études bibliques EThL Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses Gr. Gregorianum HThK Herders theologischer