“Yo’ Dogs.” – The Apostle Paul

In the New Testament, from Philippians 3:2, Paul states “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of concision.” The rhetoric inherent in this declaration and warning by Paul really sheds some understanding on what Paul is trying to accomplish in this passage. Below are some of the possible rhetorical figures that Paul is using to create this expression.

Epitheton/Aganactesis This type of language, attributing a person to a quality or specific adjective, in this case is meant to be highly insulting, abusive, or highly critical. Silvia Rhetoricae states that aganactesis is “an exclamation proceeding from deep indignation.” In analyzing these three very negative epithets it is important to put them in context of Paul’s day. The word dog back then was meant to be an extremely derogatory term.

Sarcasm This is the rhetorical use of mockery and/or verbal taunts not done in a polite or joking manner. Paul attempts to use sarcasm here to put down his detractors and give them the appearance as people who should not only be avoided but also not be taken seriously.

The rhetorical analysis of these two figures help us to understand Paul’s mission here on a larger scale. There is no direct message from the gospel’s detractors here, just the detractors themselves is what Paul attacks. Understanding that Paul is directly putting down his and the gospels opponents shows that Paul felt it was important to defend his own apostleship and the authority given to him, an idea that for members of the LDS faith would make a lot of sense. There are also a few more rhetorical figures at work in this passage, such as repetition, which continue to support the idea that Paul felt it was important to put down those that did not have proper authority from God.