Paul's language of Zēlos
Subtitle: monosemy and the rhetoric of identity and practice
By: by Benjamin J. Lappenga
Series: Biblical interpretation series -- volume 137; Biblical interpretation series -- v. 137.
Publisher: Brill
Published: 2016
Place of publication: Leiden; Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 255
ISBN-13: 9789004302440; 9789004302457
Subjects: Zēlos (The Greek Word); Bible; New Testament; Language, style
Description: "In Paul's Language of [Zēlos], Benjamin Lappenga harnesses linguistic insights recently formulated within the framework of relevance theory to argue that within the letters of Paul (specifically Galatians, 1-2 Corinthians, and Romans), the [zēlos] word group is monosemic. Linking the responsible treatment of lexemes in the interpretive process with new insight into Paul's rhetorical and theological task, Lappenga demonstrates that the mental encyclopedia activated by the term [zēlos] is 'shaped' within Paul's discourse and thus transforms the meaning of [zēlos] for attentive ('model') readers. Such identity-forming strategies promote a series of practices that may be grouped under the rubric of 'rightly-directed [zēlos]'; specifically, emulation of 'weak' people and things, eager pursuit of community-building gifts, and the avoidance of jealous rivalry."--
Notes: In title, Zēlos is expressed by the Greek characters zeta, eta, lamda, omicron, and sigma.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 208-232) and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: [zelos] as a univocal lexical input in Pauline usage : Gricean monosemy within a relevance-theoretic framework; title: The language of [zelos] in Paul's literary milieu; title: Redefining 'the good' : [zelos] in the letter to the Galatians; title: Imitation and the manifestation of God's [zelos] in weakness : [zelos] in the Corinthian correspondence; title: 'I myself am an Israelite' : [zelos] in the letter to the Romans; title: Conclusion.