Reid, Marty L.

AUGUSTINIAN AND PAULINE RHETORIC IN ROMANS FIVE:
A Study of Early Christian Rhetoric

1996 0-7734-2367-2
This study contributes to the understanding of early Christian rhetoric by focusing upon the interaction between Augustinian and Pauline rhetoric in Romans Five. The study first examines Augustine's hermeneutic with special attention to the function of rhetoric. It then considers Augustine's interpretation of the Apostle Paul. The author establishes the significance of Romans Five in Augustine's theology and assesses the bishop's exegesis. A particular contribution of the study is the detailed analysis of Augustine's construal of Romans 5:12-21, offering a judicious critique of traditional interpretation. The conclusion provides a solution to the ongoing debate concerning the rhetorical function and argumentative structure of Romans. This work furnishes a fresh elucidation and recent appraisal of the hermeneutical task of interpreting the Pauline epistles as rhetorical discourse.