Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians

From Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:1 that he did not come to the Corinthians with eloquence/superiority of word or of wisdom, the question arises whether Paul was against the use of ancient rhetoric. Different references in this letter point to criticism against Paul where his authority was t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Elma Cornelius
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2024-06-01
Series:Acta Theologica
Online Access:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/7699
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1823858958396293120
author Elma Cornelius
author_facet Elma Cornelius
author_sort Elma Cornelius
collection DOAJ
description From Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:1 that he did not come to the Corinthians with eloquence/superiority of word or of wisdom, the question arises whether Paul was against the use of ancient rhetoric. Different references in this letter point to criticism against Paul where his authority was threatened, and the expectation was that Paul could easily fall into the trap of rhetorical display in his defence and presentation of himself in the letter. It becomes clear that Paul’s persuasion strategies, used in 1 Corinthians to present himself, are in line with ancient rhetorical guidelines. However, even in the events of Paul’s authority being jeopardized by the Corinthians, he could not be forced to exhibit his character in 1 Corinthians and fall into rhetorical display. In his presentation of himself, Paul presents a picture of dependence on God. Paul’s use of rhetoric in this letter, confirms his avoidance of persuasive words of wisdom as claimed in 1 Corinthians 2:1.
format Article
id doaj-art-047dde7aa5c8403e841e156f7a6548ab
institution Kabale University
issn 1015-8758
2309-9089
language English
publishDate 2024-06-01
publisher University of the Free State
record_format Article
series Acta Theologica
spelling doaj-art-047dde7aa5c8403e841e156f7a6548ab2025-02-11T09:29:19ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892024-06-0110.38140/at.vi.7699Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 CorinthiansElma Cornelius0NWU From Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:1 that he did not come to the Corinthians with eloquence/superiority of word or of wisdom, the question arises whether Paul was against the use of ancient rhetoric. Different references in this letter point to criticism against Paul where his authority was threatened, and the expectation was that Paul could easily fall into the trap of rhetorical display in his defence and presentation of himself in the letter. It becomes clear that Paul’s persuasion strategies, used in 1 Corinthians to present himself, are in line with ancient rhetorical guidelines. However, even in the events of Paul’s authority being jeopardized by the Corinthians, he could not be forced to exhibit his character in 1 Corinthians and fall into rhetorical display. In his presentation of himself, Paul presents a picture of dependence on God. Paul’s use of rhetoric in this letter, confirms his avoidance of persuasive words of wisdom as claimed in 1 Corinthians 2:1. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/7699
spellingShingle Elma Cornelius
Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
Acta Theologica
title Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
title_full Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
title_fullStr Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
title_full_unstemmed Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
title_short Paul’s self-presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 Corinthians
title_sort paul s self presentation and his opinion on the art of persuasion in 1 corinthians
url https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/7699
work_keys_str_mv AT elmacornelius paulsselfpresentationandhisopinionontheartofpersuasionin1corinthians