Rhetoric in the Service of the Gospel in “Inesperto nell’arte di parlare” (2 Cor 11,6) by A. M. Gieniusz, CR

Abstract

The article reviews the book by Andrzej M. Gieniusz, CR, “Inesperto nell’arte di parlare”? (2 Cor 11, 6). Retorica al servizio del Vangelo (Percorsi Culturali 25; Roma: Urbaniana University Press 2018). The author begins by discussing the publication in detail, and then proceeds to the specific issues related to it. These include Rom 7:1-6 read as transitio, Rom 8:12 as the test case of orality and literacy in Paul, the category of “religious experience” in Paul, the apocalyptic background of Paul’s attitude toward work, and the role of 1 Cor 15:8 in constructing the apostle’s ethos. The main characteristic of the book by Prof. Gieniusz is a creative combination of rhetoric and theology, discussed in the last part of the article. The book shows how to do theology focused on the newness of the Christian life, the primacy of grace and the uniqueness of Christ’s way (solus Christus).