Rhetorical Syncrisis in the Johannine Presentation of Jesus and Peter
Rhetorical Syncrisis in the Johannine Presentation of Jesus and Peter

Summary/Abstract: The article advances a hypothesis that certain elements in the Johanninecharacterization of Jesus and Peter can be profitably interpreted through the lens of theancient rhetorical device of syncrisis. The analysis consists of six main parts. First, thehypothesis itself is laid out in detail. Second, the Jewish and Christian uses of syncrisisaround the turn of era is described, as proof for the possibility that this rhetoricaltechnique was employed in the FG. Third, the status quaestionis on the use of syncrisisin the FG is provided. Fourth, some arguments are presented to justify the choice ofprogymnasmata as a methodological framework in the exposition of σύνκρισις betweenJesus and Peter. It is argued that the ancient rhetorical exercises called progymnasmata,which contain a reliable and helpful description of ancient syncrisis, can thus provideuseful criteria in the search for elements of syncrisis in the Johannine description of therelationship between Jesus and Peter. Fifth, the Johannine comparison between Jesus andPeter is viewed according to some of the basic rules of the progymnasmatic theory ofsyncrisis. Sixth, a detailed analysis of a few elements of the Johannine syncrisis betweenJesus and Peter is presented.

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