Interpreting the Word of God : rhetorical analysis

Abstract

The courses, 'La Pasqua del Signore Gesti' and 'L' Analisi Retorica' of Professor Roland Meynet SJ. held at the Gregorian University in Rome, introduced me

for the first time to the word, or better to the 'world' of rhetorical analysis. Here we are not speaking of a method or an approach in studying the biblical text but of an 'operation' to analyze the text. Since it is an operation then it can accept any method or approach. It consists in individuating the composition or the' architecture' of the

text at different levels, studying the formal relations ad their significance, beginning obviously from the lower level. We have the member consisting of two or

three terms, the segment consisting of one, two or three members, the branch consisting of one, two or three segments, the part consisting of one, two or three

branches, and the passage consisting of one or more parts, the sequence which can have one or more passages, the section which consists of sequences, and the book made up of all the sections. Analyzing for example the composition of a given

passage and then the relations between other passages in the sub-sequence, to arrive then to an overall view of the whole sequence. Such an approach tries to above

all give light to its biblical context, finally arriving to an authentic interpretation of

the text. Hence rhetoric analysis is the rediscovering of the principles of communication which the authors of the bible had used. It views the evangelists and all the

other biblical authors as true authors, composing the text with an organized and unified structure for the efficiency of 'communication' of their inspired message among Christian, Jewish and pagan communities. Obviously like every operation or task or job it is not always easy, it needs time and patience!