Oorreding in Romeine 11

Abstract

Persuasion in Romans 11. A new trend in the rhetorical analysis of Paul’s epistles is to reconstruct his rhetorical strategy from the text itself, rather than applying ancient or modern rhetorical models to his letters. A proposal for such a text-centred approach is briefly summarised in this article, followed by a discussion on the rhetorical situation that Paul wishes to address in his letter to the Romans. It is argued that chapter 11 forms an integral part of his rhetorical strategy as reconstructed from the text itself, and that it is aimed at persuading his audience in Rome to support his view on God’s plan of salvation, as well as his forthcoming mission to Spain. The conclusion is that a text-centred approach (with its focus on the functional aspects of the text) provides a better alternative to existing approaches (which focus on the formal aspects of the text).