Inventing Hebrews : design and purpose in ancient rhetoric / [print]
Michael Wade Martin, Lubbock Christian University, Jason A. Whitlark, Baylor University.
- New York : Cambridge University Press, (c)2018.
- xiv, 305 pages ; 23 cm
- Society for New Testament Studies monograph series ; 171. .
- Monograph series (Society for New Testament Studies) ; 171. .
Structuring Hebrews: modern approaches to an ancient text -- Laying the foundation: syncrisis in Hebrews -- Comparing covenants: the syncritical backbone of Hebrews -- Choosing the advantageous: deliberative syncrisis and epideictic syncrisis in Hebrews -- Arranging the speech: the ancient rhetorical design of Hebrews -- Arranging an ancient speech: ancient compositional theory and a proposal for modern analysis -- Proving the case: argumentatio in Hebrews -- Presenting the facts relevant to the case: narratio in Hebrews -- Beginning with favor: exordium in Hebrews -- Ending with recapitulation and emotion: peroratio in Hebrews -- Putting it all together: the rhetorical arrangement and aim of Hebrews -- Examining the implications: early Christian sermons and apostasy in Hebrews.
Inventing Hebrews examines a perennial topic in the study of the Letter to the Hebrews, its structure and purpose. Michael Martin and Jason Whitlark undertake a thorough synthesis of the ancient theory of invention and arrangement, providing a new account of Hebrews's design. The key to the speech's outline, the authors argue, is in its use of "disjointed" arrangement, a template ubiquitous in antiquity but little discussed in modern biblical studies.