Rhetoric and Galatians: Assessing an Approach to Paul's Epistle

This study discusses the relationship between the epistles of Paul and classical rhetoric by focusing on recent studies of Galatians. The argument, built on a close reading of handbook evidence, receives support from a survey of the Church Fathers' discussions of the nature of New Testament Greek. Philip Kern concludes that Paul did not write according to the conventions of oratory and that therefore the ancient handbooks can contribute little to the interpretation of his epistles.