Ancient Rhetoric and the Synoptic Problem: Clarifying Markan Priority

By Alex Damm

Only recently have studies of the synoptic problem begun to ground theirassessments of literary dependence in ancient literary conventions. Inan effort to appreciate more fully the evangelists' modus operandi, this study examines their appeal to Greco-Romanrhetoric, the "science of speaking well". Focusing on arhetorical formcalled the chreia, the book examines rhetorical techniques and reasonsfor chreia adaptation, particularly reasons why authors changed thisform, both in theory and in the practice of the Hellenistic authorsPlutarch and Josephus. With these reasons in mind, the study assessesliterary dependence among the synoic gospels, examining in detail aTriple Tradition and Double Tradition _chreia_. In the end, this workillustrates that hypotheses of Markan priority, like the FarrerHypothesis and Two-Document Hypothesis, are more rhetorically plausiblethan hypotheses of Matthean priority. While Matthew and Luke'sadaptations of Mark tend to reflect the rhetorical reasoning that weshould expect, Mark's reasoning is often problematic, for Markrepeatedly works against the fundamental rhetorical principles ofclarity and propriety.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9042926996
• ISBN13: 9789042926998
• Release Date: May 2013
• Publisher: Peeters
• Length: 434 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.4"