Corpus-Paul

[Anders Eriksson <aeriks2 AT emory.edu>]

Dear Roy

The kind of rhetorical dissociation Paul is doing in Gal 2:16 is a matter
that can be discussed. You read me as saying that Paul invented the
opponents position, i.e. fabricated out of nothing. That is one
interpretation of my post. I just wanted to bring the terminology of
rhetorical dissociaton into this discussion. I found that to be an
important concept missing so far.

Invention in rhetorical terminology can mean "fabricating out of nothing",
but the more common meaning is finding the arguments that will be used.
Whether those arguments are brand new or already out there is an other
issue. My short snippet in the post were taken from my Florence
presentation last summer entitled Contary Arguments in Paul's Letters.  In
the longer paper I differentiate between  destructive and constructive
arguments from the contrary. In both cases the status of the contrary terms
can be wherever on the continuum between conventional undisputed and
fictional, invented in the polemical stuation.  The point is that as a
rhetorical argument the presentation is slanted. As to the Galation
situation I beleive that Paul's description of the opponent position is
probably not taken out of thin air. It was probably accurate enough to have
some "bite".  But it was probably rhetorical enough to be slanted.  Would
those Paul disagrees with have said that Paul accurately represents their
position?  Or would they have claimed that Paul was misrepresenting them?
Is Paul a nice guy in this instance?

Good discussion.

Anders Eriksson

Dr. Anders Eriksson, Th. D              Anders.Eriksson AT teol.lu.se
Forskarassistent
Teologiska Institutionen
Lunds Universitet
Allhelgona Kyrkogata 8
223 62 Lund, Sweden