“The Greatest Since the Days of the Apostles”: Hyperbole, Exaggeration, and Embellishment in the American Revivalist Tradition
American revivalists have long taken seriously the ninth commandment not to bear false witness. For centuries, however, preachers and parishioners have found various ways to stretch the truth about the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in order to convey their exhilarating experiences and to boast in t...
| Published in: | Journal of religious history |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2022
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| In: |
Journal of religious history
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
USA
/ Great Awakening
/ Revival movement
/ Sermon
/ Hyperbola (Rhetoric)
/ History 1730-1985
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| RelBib Classification: | KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBQ North America KDG Free church RE Homiletics RH Evangelization; Christian media |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | American revivalists have long taken seriously the ninth commandment not to bear false witness. For centuries, however, preachers and parishioners have found various ways to stretch the truth about the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in order to convey their exhilarating experiences and to boast in the mighty works of God. In the American revivalist tradition, the rhetorical devices of hyperbole, exaggeration, and embellishment have served as oratorical and literary tools by which to communicate the peaks and valleys of spiritual awakenings when ordinary language proved insufficient. These figures of speech were not simply aberrations in the interpretation of revivals but were acceptable and even essential pieces in the vernacular of revival, helping to process and promote spiritual experience. By examining the origins and development of these rhetorical devices, revival accounts and revivalist culture may be better understood and contextualized within the history of American evangelicalism. |
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| ISSN: | 1467-9809 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious history
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12830 |