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Paul in the Acts of Paul: A rhetorical analysis of chosen speeches

Publication |
2009

Abstract

The presented study investigates selected speeches from the apocryphal Acts of Paul and the apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla with the assistance of rhetorical analysis. The first part of treatise profiles „praxeis literature“, its particularities, literary characteristic and separate section of the Acts of Paul.

The second part deals with analyses of Paul’s speeches that belong to the category prosopopoiia. Specifically, they relate to Paul’s „preachings“ in the Claudius´ house (PH 8), the speech in Onesiphorus´ house, and the speech in Ephesus (PH 1-5, especially PH 1).

Rhetorical analysis of the beatitudes is most extensive (AThe 5-6), because each of the beatitudes constitutes an rhetorical enthymeme. In the Greek text there are figures of speech (anaphora, alliteration, homoeoteleuton) and all beatitudes are focused on the Paul´s „gospel of chastity“ that the Apostle preaches, and only this leads (in the Acts of Paul and Thecla) to resurrection.