Page 135 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

the a fortiori. 131 Jesus also applied the rhetorical tool of repetition in the discourse of the Law

each time he supplied the new perspective or application. 132 The rhetorical formula starts with

“You have heard that it was said . . . But I say to you that . . . ” (Matt. 5:17-48). James Reese

introduces three kinds of the repetition technique: “anaphora,” “inclusion,” and “flashbacks.” 133

Jesus skillfully utilized many other rhetorical devices such as overstatement, contrast, humor,

poetic parallelism, and so on. William Fleming, who investigates the historical origins of the

pedagogy of Jesus, insists that various rhetorical methods of Jesus are identical with his

contemporary teachers, methods such as dialogue, rhetorical question, citation of tradition,

repetition, and parables. 134 He stood in the continuation of the literary culture and pedagogical

tradition of his time. Jesus, however, surpassed the artistry of his contemporaries in his

creativity. 135 Jesus knew how to make his audience awakened in his preaching with his eclectic

use of literary forms and rhetorical devices of his time. It is no wonder that “the large crowd was

listening to him with delight” (Mark 12:37).

131
Ibid., 21. Matt. 6:23, 6:26, 10:28, 10:29-31, Mark 2:23-28.

132 Leland Ryken, Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Book House, 1992), 463. He call this formula as “the principle of antithesis” (Matt.
5:17-48)

133
James M. Reese, Experiencing the Good News: The New Testament as
Communication, Good News Studies 10 (Wilmington, DL: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1984), 71-2.
He defines anaphora as “repetition of a key word at the beginning of successive phrases or
sentences” such as “Woe to you!” (Matt. 23:13-29). Inclusion is “the repetition of a key
expression at the beginning and end of a passage.” The Flashbacks is the “repetition of key
words or phrases later in the work to reinforce the impact.” (Matt. 16:6-12).

134
William Fletcher Fleming, An Investigation of the Historical Origins of the Pedagogy
of Jesus (Ann Arbor, MI: A Bell & Howell Company, 1994), 198-218.

135 Osborn, Folly of God, 232-34.