Abstract
Paul writes to the Galatians in the New Testament to bridge the two realms of cultural Judaism and Roman Imperialism. In this analysis of the letter written to the church of Galatia, we see both Hebraic prophecy and Greek, or Gentile, parrhesia. As the context shows, Paul attempts to persuade a hybrid audience on the edge between the two ancient cultures. Paul diagnoses the church’s problems through a prognostic teaching that fulfills a larger Pauline gospel agenda. Future scholars will need to attend to the work of both parrhesia and prophetic rhetoric in Christian texts over the two millennia since Paul’s initial fusion.
Highlights
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a valuable text to study as it bridges the ideas of two distinct realms: cultural Judaism and the Roman imperialism in which early Christianity is set
I find that Paul subverts Old Testament law using Greek parrhesiatic rhetoric as a continuance of Old Testament prophetic voice that the Gospel cultivates
The essay begins by discussing the rhetorics of prophecy and parrhesia, situating their context in this volatile moment, and reading the text in its fusion of these two textual horizons
Summary
Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a valuable text to study as it bridges the ideas of two distinct realms: cultural Judaism and the Roman imperialism in which early Christianity is set In this analysis, I find that Paul subverts Old Testament law using Greek parrhesiatic rhetoric as a continuance of Old Testament prophetic voice that the Gospel cultivates. Recognizing the limits of our horizons, we can appreciate the text’s history within the context of its time This analysis is necessary not just at the level of specific audiences (what is often thought of as “rhetorical”), and with a broader view of how cultures were interacting with one another through major themes of their rhetorics: truth compelled by divinely chosen Jews and truth forced by the bonds of elite, politically-powerful Greeks and Romans. To separate the two takes fairly significant attention to the context and the nuances of the text
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