A rhetorical analysis of 2 Maccabees

Abstract

The study, “A Rhetorical Analysis of 2 Maccabees”, presents an investigation into the various strategies applied in 2 Maccabees in order to move the reader to adopt certain ideas. The chief objective is to provide a layout of the communicative strategies applied throughout the text. In order to reach a satisfactory conclusion to this objective, this study set as goals a structural and pragmatic analysis. The structural analysis consists of the delimitation of the various pericopes in 2 Maccabees, a syntactical and semantic analysis, and a formulation of the proposition and argumentation of the author in each pericope. The pragmatic analysis consists of an explication of the communicative strategy, real- and alternative text-world, and trans-universal relations. The core findings of the study may be divided into four categories: - the main ideas communicated - the strategies applied in order to encourage the reader to adopt these ideas - the elements which make up these strategies - the possible impact of each of these elements on the reader Interestingly, the author utilised a technique of creating a contract of trust between the reader and a specific group within the text. This is an exciting new development in such a study as the usual parties would be the reader and the author. In this case, the author employs a group of characters as spokespersons for certain ideas and concepts. The main ideas of the text may be combined and formulated into one main theme: An alliance with the God of the Jews is stronger than an alliance with any other force. This theme overarches various elements within the text such as reward and punishment, wrath and mercy, reconciliation with God, success in battle, and the state of the Temple. Lastly, the study has yielded useful results in terms of the function of the status of the Temple. The importance of a purified Temple takes a central position in the text of 2 Maccabees. This may imply that the state of the Temple may have an effect on the success or failure of the Jews. The study has, however, established that the text demonstrates a different relationship between the state of the Temple and the success of the Jews. The state of the Temple is merely a symptom of the Jews’ relationship with God: If they are disobedient, God’s mercy turns to wrath and the Temple is desecrated as a sign of this damaged relationship; if they are obedient, God’s wrath turns to mercy and the Temple is purified as a sign of the mended relationship.