A Rhetorical Analysis of the Father/Son Lectures in Proverbs 1-9

THE RHETORIC OF THE FATHER:
A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE FATHER/SON
LECTURES IN PROVERBS 1-9
A Dissertation Presented to
the Faculties of The Iliff School of Theology and
The University of Denver (Colorado Seminary) In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
by
Glenn D. Pemberton
June 1999
Denver, Colorado
© Glenn David Pemberton 1999
used with permission
ABSTRACT
Proverbs 1-9 contains 10 instructions/lectures in which a "father"
addresses
his "son(s)." These lectures are in many respects similar. They address a
"son" or
"sons," urge the son(s) to listen, not forget or guard the father's
teaching, and affirm
the value of this teaching. However, a curious diversity (which scholars
have yet to
explain adequately) exists within these lectures. Despite their
similarities, the appeals
and the argumentation of the lectures reflect differences in the father's
rhetorical
objectives and strategies.
This dissertation uses rhetorical criticism to address the diversity
within these
ten lectures. Analysis of the artistic proofs (logos, pathos, and ethos) of
each lecture
reveals that the ten lectures may be classified into three groups or
subsets on the basis
of their rhetoric: 1) calls to apprenticeship (1:8-19, 2:1-22, 4:1-9, 4:10-
19), 2) calls
to remember and obey (3:1-12, 3:21-35, 4:20-27), and 3) warnings against
illicit
sexual relations (5:1-23, 6:20-35, 7:1-27). Further, although the lectures
of each
subset possess common features that distinguish them as a group, each
lecture also
possesses unique features that distinguish it from other group members. One
may
conclude that Proverbs 1-9 contain three distinct subsets of lectures with
diverse
members, ten lectures with ten different rhetorical strategies. Put simply,
the ten
lectures are a remarkable rhetorical anthology. Scholars generally have assumed that these speeches were written,
collected,
and edited to address important issues in the life of the community. This
dissertation
proposes another option, namely, rhetorical education. The ten lectures
provide
rhetorical models for different needs or situations. This hypothesis is
congruent with
long standing theories regarding the composition of Proverbs 1-9 (the
lectures are the
original core of these chapters) and the purpose of this composition (youth education). The ten lectures of Proverbs 1-9 not only demonstrate the
presence of
formal rhetorical interests in ancient Israel, but these lectures formed a
book devised,
in part, to serve the purposes of rhetorical education. THE ILIFF SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
AND
THE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY) Upon the recommendation of the Director
of the Joint PH.D. Program this dissertation
is hereby accepted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
_____________________________ Dr. David L. Petersen Dissertation Advisor
_____________________________ Dr. Larry Kent Graham Director, Joint Ph.D. Program ______________________
Date TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 A. Proverbs 1-9 as Rhetoric 1 B. The Interpretive Web: Research on Proverbs 1-9 4
1. Form-Critical Studies 4
2. Traditio-Historical Studies
12
3. Studies of the Women of Proverbs 1-9 16
4. Literary Critical Studies 20
5. Rhetorical Analyses 29 C. Summary 36 CHAPTER TWO: RHETORICAL CRITICISM 38 A. A Brief Survey of the Emergence of Rhetoric in the Ancient West
39 B. Rhetorical Criticism in Biblical Studies
46
1. Early History to the Demise of Rhetoric in Twentieth
Century Biblical Studies 46
2. The Reemergence of Rhetoric in Late Twentieth Century
Biblical Studies 52 ii
3. Rhetorical Methods in Twentieth Century Biblical Studies
55
a. The "Rhetorical Criticism" of James Muilenburg:
The Definition of Rhetoric 56 b. The "New Rhetoric" of the Postmodern Bible:
Rhetoric as Cultural Criticism 60 c. The "Socio-Rhetorical Criticism" of Vernon Robbins:
Rhetoric and Methodological Pluralism 63 d. The "Classical Rhetoric" of George Kennedy:
Western Rhetorical Theory and non-Western Texts
65 4. Summary 74 C. Rhetorical Method for Analysis of the Ten Lectures
75
1. Text and Translation 75
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
76
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 77
a. Logos 78
b. Ethos 80
c. Pathos 81
4. Summary & Conclusions 81
D. Summary: Rhetorical Criticism 82 CHAPTER THREE: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUP I: THE CALLS TO
APPRENTICESHIP 84 A. Proverbs 1:8-19 87
1. Text and Translation 87
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
89
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 91
iii
a. Logos 91
b. Ethos 104
c. Pathos 107
4. Summary & Conclusions 108
B. Proverbs 2:1-22 109
1. Text and Translation 109
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
111
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 112
a. Logos 113
b. Ethos 122
c. Pathos 125
4. Summary & Conclusions 130
C. Proverbs 4:1-9 132
1. Text and Translation 132
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
133
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 134
a. Logos 135
b. Ethos 140
c. Pathos 142
4. Summary & Conclusions 145
D. Proverbs 4:10-19 147
1. Text and Translation 147 iv 2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
148
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 148
a. Logos 149
b. Ethos 153
c. Pathos 154
4. Summary & Conclusions 155 E. Conclusions: The Rhetoric of the Calls to Apprenticeship
156 CHAPTER FOUR: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF GROUP II: THE CALLS
TO REMEMBER AND OBEY 158
A. Proverbs 3:1-12 159
1. Text and Translation 159
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
160
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs 161
a. Logos 161
b. Ethos 166
c. Pathos 168
4. Summary & Conclusions 170
B. Proverbs 3:21-35 171
1. Text and Translation 171
2. The Limits of the Rhetorical Unit
173
3. Analysis of the Artistic Proofs