Paul the Letter Writer (NT392), uses epistolary analysis—also called the letter-structure approach or form criticism of letters—to exegete Paul’s letter to Philemon. Dr. Weima shows how the four sections of the letter—opening, thanksgiving, body, and closing—each contain elements to persuade the recipient to grant the request that prompted the writing of the letter. He introduces and defines several first-century epistolary conventions and demonstrates how Paul’s use of and deviations from epistolary conventions help the reader better interpret his letters.
Introduction
Introduction
Introducing the Speaker and the Course
3m
Paul the Letter Writer
Introduction to Letters
13m
Form of Paul’s Letters: The Letter Opening
14m
The Recipient: Formal Elements and Significance in Philemon
16m
Form of Paul’s Letters: The Thanksgiving
12m
The Thanksgiving Section in Philemon
9m
The Letter Body
12m
Other (Non-Epistolary) Persuasive Techniques in the Letter Body