The eloquent passage
of Galatians 2:17-21 is filled with the complexities common in Paul’s
epistles. Paul begins this chapter by
talking about the long tradition of circumcision and why it wasn’t necessary
for everyone. He also explores the
paradox of how some people who profess to be moral people act less worthy of
that designation than those who are looked down upon in society. At the end of this chapter (about halfway
through his letter), he begins this line of Christian reasoning.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by
Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore
Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
20 I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of
God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead
in vain.
One of the most powerful
rhetorical tools Paul uses is in verse 17: anthypophora. Anthypophora is asking a question and then
immediately answering it. It is like reasoning
to yourself out loud. This makes Paul’s
rhetoric more powerful than explaining the questions answer without the
question because it engages the audience and makes them wake up for a
moment. For most in the congregation,
they would have thought for a second and said to themselves, “It’s absurd that
Christ is the minister of sin?” Anthypophora
conjures up the audience’s own emotion by posing a question to
them.
One of the topic of
invention that Paul always employs is cause and effect. He constantly points out the consequences of
his choices. He begins three phrases
with “for”, which signifies “because” (verses 18,19, 21). He is asking that the Galatians contemplate
what will happen from their own decisions.
Going hand in hand
with cause and effect, incrementum or
auxesis is found from verses 18 to 20 (in red).
Auxesis is basically climax. Paul
starts out with the cause and effect of destroying what he has built. For that, he would be a transgressor. If he is dead to the law, then he will live
in God. When he is crucified with
Christ, he lives. The ending is also an
example of hyperbole. Paul wasn’t
crucified with Christ, but crucifixion was such a painful and socially
humiliating process that it would make quite an impression on his
audience. If they had zoned out, they would
be listening now. Using climax ending in
hyperbole makes his cause and effect much more powerful.
Through the use of
anthypophora, climax and hyperbole under the topic of invention of cause and effect,
Paul transforms what could have been a typical speech of Christ and
consequences into a piercing sermon of the blessing of Christ’s life-giving
ability.
Nicely written--you know how to turn a phrase! You made some good points. Especially in a sermon setting, attention grabbing has got to come in handy--and Paul does this well.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! I love these verses and you did a great job identifying different rhetorical tools that I haven't heard of/ understood yet which was awesome! Anthypophora in particular. I didn't quite understand it until now. Thanks for the post!
ReplyDelete