Beyond a Slave: Support for the Manumission of Onesimus from Discourse Analysis
Did Paul intend for Philemon to manumit Onesimus? This article aims to present evidence in support of a manumissive view of Paul’s communicative intent to Philemon. Through a cognitive functional approach to discourse analysis, the sentence comprising vv. 15–16 is proposed to represent the peak of t...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
2024
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In: |
Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2024, Volume: 47, Issue: 2, Pages: 322-347 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Philemon
/ Bible. Philemonbrief 15
/ Bible. Philemonbrief 16-17
/ Paul Apostle
/ Philemon, Biblical person
/ Onesimus, Heiliger, Biblische Person
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IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament NCE Business ethics |
Further subjects: | B
Discourse Analysis
B koine Greek B Cognitive Linguistics B Philemon B Pauline Studies |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | Did Paul intend for Philemon to manumit Onesimus? This article aims to present evidence in support of a manumissive view of Paul’s communicative intent to Philemon. Through a cognitive functional approach to discourse analysis, the sentence comprising vv. 15–16 is proposed to represent the peak of the epistle. Coincidingly, this central statement of the letter is precisely where Paul discusses the enslavement of Onesimus. There, through his linguistic choices, Paul construes emphatic discontinuity in Onesimus’s status, resulting in the most salient change in Philemon’s mental representation: Onesimus is no longer a slave, but beyond a slave, a beloved brother. |
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ISSN: | 1745-5294 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0142064X241268659 |