Hierarchy, Unity, and Imitation: A Feminist Rhetorical Analysis of Power Dynamics in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Typically Paul’s letter to the Philippians is seen as joyous and relatively harmless. Yet distinctive features of Paul’s arguments-his appeal to unity and use of military and ancient patronage imagery-have troubling aspects that demonstrate the hierarchical nature of Paul’s rhetoric as he attempts to construct an authoritative position for himself in the eyes of the community. By attending to the power dynamics that inhere in the argumentation of Philippians, this feminist rhetorical analysis reevaluates the relevance of Paul and Pauline interpretation, highlighting a new set of hermeneutical options for the study of Philippians. In addition to examining the rhetorics of interpretation, this work focuses on the critical issues of gender and of colonial and military status, in particular by considering the roles of Euodia and Syntyche and civic and military images in the letter. It thus serves as an illustration of the relevance of feminist approaches toward both biblical literature and biblical interpretation.

Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)