Elements of Greek Rhetoric in the Description of Jesus’ Tomb in John 19:41
Zbigniew Tadeusz Grochowski
Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego. Wydział Teologiczny , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1785-5684
Abstract
The article provides an analysis of the short text John 19:41. The fruit of the research – after defining the context of this verse (point 1) – is the identification of rhetorical figures such as conexio, inclusio, amplificatio per incrementum and recapitulatio (point 2), and allitteratio (point 3). The latter, based on the syntagm οὐδέπω οὐδείς (“never anyone”), is a hapax legomenon throughout the Greek Old and New Testaments and emphasizes the ritual purity of Jesus’ burial place and thus (indirectly) confirms the dignity of the Body of Christ and His Holiness. The other rhetorical figures emphasize the importance of the place where Jesus’ funeral took place, serving to confirm his royal identity. The rhetorical artistry of the fourth evangelist, demonstrated in the article, contradicts the claim saying that “John did not know many of the rhetorical techniques described by Aristotle, Cicero, and other later rhetoricians” (P.F. Ellis).
Keywords:
John 19:41, Roman-Greek Rhetoric, rhetorical figures (of speech, conexio, inclusio, amplificatio per incrementum, recapitulatio, allitteratio, Jesus the King, Jesus’ HolinessReferences
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Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego. Wydział Teologiczny
Ks. Zbigniew Grochowski, prezbiter diecezji elbląskiej, doktor nauk biblijnych i archeologii, absolwent rzymskiego Pontificium Institutum Biblicum (licencjat) i jerozolimskiego Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (doktorat), adiunkt w Katedrze Egzegezy Nowego Testamentu Zakładu Nauk Biblijnych Wydziału Teologicznego Uniwersytetu Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie, zajmuje się Pismami Janowymi i tematem uczniów Jezusa, wykładowca w WSD w Elblągu (a w latach 2013-2016 także w Telewizyjnym Uniwersytecie Biblijnym TV Trwam), członek zwyczajny Stowarzyszenia Biblistów Polskich i Stowarzyszenia Ex-Alunni PIB, opublikował monografię Il discepolo di Gesù nell’ora della prova (Gv 18-19), luogo di rivelazione del Maestro (Studia Biblica Lublinensia 13; Lublin 2015).
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