Early Christian Rhetoric: Selected Apocryphal Acts and Speeches in the Context of Rhetorical Analyses
Abstract
The purpose this book is to analyse selected speeches from the apocryphal Acts (The Acts of Paul, The Acts of Paul and Thecla, The Acts of Andrew) and the canonical Acts of the Apostles by using the rhetorical analysis. It briefly outlines the origin, development, and methodology of rhetorical criticism in the field of New Testament exegesis.
It also tries to clarify possible relations between the ancient Greek romantic novel (Chariton, Chaereas and Callirhoe; Xenofon, Ephesiaca; Longus, Daphnis and Chloe; Achilles Tatius, Leucippe and Clitophon; Heliodorus, Ethiopica) and the early apocryphal Acts of the Apostles from the second and third centuries (a collection of five books - The Acts of Peter, Paul, John, Andrew, Thomas so-called the Leucian Acts).