Is the Epistle to Diognetus an apology? A Rhetorical Analysis (original) (raw)

Apuleius' Apology and the Aesthetic End of Rhetoric

While on trial in the city of Sabratha (modern day Tripoli, Libya) circa 158 CE, Apuleius of Madaura, an orator and writer who flourished in the 2nd century CE in the Roman Empire, presented his Apologia in response to the charge of practicing magic under Lex Cornelia de Siccris et Veneficiis. A figure lightly covered in scholarship, Apuleius is most well known for his novel, Metamorphoses (more commonly known as The Golden Ass); still, his Apologia is also a rich and illustrative text, one of the few extant rhetorical artifacts emblematic of the mysterious second sophistic movement. By employing a textual analysis of Apuleius' trial defense in terms of the broader apologetic tradition, this paper attempts to demonstrate how rhetor agency manifests within the genre. Apuleius' speech represents a unique case because he appears to have been unconstrained by generic conventions, and at times, even the forensic exigencies of his own trial. As a potential explanation for these apparent contradictions, the paper explores Apuleius' pursuit of what Leah Ceccarelli (1997) called "the aesthetic end of rhetoric." While Apuleius acknowledges his debt to Plato explicitly, his discourse utilizes aesthetic display in the service of manipulating the rhetorical situation, precisely the type of rhetoric Plato abhorred.

Review: JEFFORD, Clayton N., The Epistle to Diognetus (2013)

This paper is a review of Clayton N. Jefford, ed. The Epistle to Diognetus (with the Fragment of Quadratus): Introduction, Text, and Commentary Oxford Apostolic Fathers Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Pp. ix + 281. Cloth. $185.00. ISBN 9780199212743.

Loftier Doctrine: The use of Scripture in Justin Martyr’S Second Apology

Perichoresis, 2014

Over the past century many scholars have questioned integrity and composition of Justin Martyr’s Second Apology. One frequent criticism is that Justin quotes from a variety of sources in Greco- Roman philosophy, but never once quotes scripture. As a result scholars assume that the Second Apology reveals Justin’s real indebtedness to philosophy that diverges from his broader theological and scriptural concerns expressed in his other works. This article challenges these notions by arguing that scripture is essential Justin’s Second Apology and that the lack of any extended quotations of scripture is no basis to disparage his theological perspective. Careful analysis of Justin’s Second Apology demonstrates that he regularly appeals to the authority of scripture and provides numerous echoes and allusions to scriptural passages. Furthermore, in terms of his theological framework, these echoes and allusions are actually more important than mere quotations. They demonstrate that Justin doe...