Abstract
In the past two decades, narrative criticism (narratology) and social-scientific criticism have come to the fore as the two most prominent new methodologies to be associated with gospel research. When these two methodologies are integrated in the reading of biblical texts, this is now referred to as "socio-rhetorical interpretation". This article departs from a specific understanding of what is meant by a narratological reading of a text on the one hand and, on the other hand, by a social-scientific interpretation of biblical texts, in order to propose a working definition of a socio-rhetorical analysis of texts.
Highlights
As the 20th century ends and the third millennium begin, narrative criticism and social scientific criticism have come to the fore as the two most prominent new methodologies to be associated with current gospel research
Literary approaches to the Gospels have established themselves sufficiently for scholars studying the Gospels from a literary perspective not to need to fear losing what has been gained in the last two decades if they endeavour to integrate their work with social scientific criticism
Socio-rhetorictd ;nterpretatWn tion of methodologies is clear from a literary perspective: ancient texts can be read with understanding only if the reader has access to the "extratext" - a complex body of knowledge consisting, inter alia, of language codes, literary conventions, social codes and conventions, and cultural "scripts"
Summary
As the 20th century ends and the third millennium begin, narrative criticism and social scientific criticism have come to the fore as the two most prominent new methodologies to be associated with current gospel research. The term "socio-rhetorical" is currently used in significantly different contexts, and different scholars are pursuing somewhat different goals with various strategies they consider to be socio-rhetorical in nature (Robbins 1998:284) This is the case with regard to terms such as "social scientific criticism" (which is sometimes referred to as "sociological analysis", "sociohistorical analysis" or "cultural studies"), and "narrative criticism" ("narratology") which is sometimes referred to inter alia, as "rhetorical analysis" or "structural analysis". Some clarification of these terms is urgently needed. An attempt to provide such clarification is made whereafter a brief summary is given of the development and current state of socio-rhetorical interpretation
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