38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which in in Christ Jesus our Lord....Pretty poetic, eh? But what makes it so?
Is it the polysyndeton, where Paul lists these attributes of existence in a rapid-fire manner, using the negative form of these junctures to emphasize how nothing can separate us from the love of God?
Or perhaps it's the abundance of coupled contraries, each establishing spectrums of life's characteristics on which everyone resides, but are all apparently moot in this instance?
Maybe it's the use of climax, since we don't know what Paul is talking about until the moment of arrival at the end of the verse, but we definitely understand its importance by that time?
Whatever the case may be, this scripture's abundance of poetry and rhetoric makes it memorable, provides room for an emotional connection, and teaches truth in a simple (yet powerful) way: And Paul's own ethos, having experienced just how far God's love can reach after meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, is in no way less important. Love it.
I think for me, polysyndeton was the most powerful. The constant listing using "neither" or "nor" really hit home for me that nothing, like you said, can get in the way of us and God.
ReplyDeleteI like how you mentioned that the way Paul uses rhetorical tools builds his ethos. I think every time I hear a talk or speech with some poetic appeal, it not only satisfies me emotionally but also feel like the talker is more credible. Great point.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that the climax is the best part of this passage. You don't know what Paul is talking about until he says it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that the climax is the best part of this passage. You don't know what Paul is talking about until he says it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you pointed out that this scripture utilizes climax because we don't know that he's referring to Jesus Christ until the end. I went back and read the scripture after I read that and realized that that truly is how the reader is kept intrigued as they wait to hear who Paul is persuaded by.
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