Why Paul's Fabulous Body is Missing its Belly: The Rhetorical Subversion of Menenius Agrippa's Fable in 1 Corinthians 12.12-30

In 1 Cor. 12.12-30, Paul addresses factionalism in Corinth by rhetorically reworking the famed fable of the Members and the Belly. Whereas historiographical narratives typically depict Menenius Agrippa using this fable about talking body parts to restore the status quo of plebeian submission, Paul u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of the New Testament
Main Author: Smith, Daniel Lynwood 1982- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage [2018]
In: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Corinthians 1. 12,12-30 / Menenius Lanatus, Agrippa / Fable / Body / Metaphor / Rhetoric
RelBib Classification:CD Christianity and Culture
HC New Testament
TB Antiquity
Further subjects:B belly
B Progymnasmata
B 1 Corinthians
B Fable
B Rhetoric
B Paul
B Body
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:In 1 Cor. 12.12-30, Paul addresses factionalism in Corinth by rhetorically reworking the famed fable of the Members and the Belly. Whereas historiographical narratives typically depict Menenius Agrippa using this fable about talking body parts to restore the status quo of plebeian submission, Paul uses certain elements of the fable to make his disruptive case for unity among the Corinthians. Paul's subversive embellishment of the fable excises the belly, which plays a central role in the older tale. Other Pauline discussions of the ancient belly help to make sense of this surprising surgical move, one of Paul's many rhetorical maneuvers that are aligned with the prescriptions found in ancient handbooks of preliminary exercises, or progymnasmata.
ISSN:1745-5294
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0142064X18804437