SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:1-30

Istvn Czachesz

1. INTRODUCTION The following study attempts to apply Vernon Robbins' socio-rhetorical exegesis to Acts 9:130. That the story of Saul's conversion is of crucial importance in the Book of Acts is shown by the fact it is told three times in the book (ch. 9, 22, 26). A multi-dimensional analysis may help to give new insights about the central position and paradigmatic role of the story. To our knowledge there has been so far no exegesis of the passage applying multiple approaches as we are going to do. We are going to examine four dimensions of the text. The inner textual section explores basically the semiotic dimension, attempting some synthesis of the overall narrational and rhetorical patterns. The intertextual study examines historical, social and cultural phenomena which make up the world of the text, while the social and cultural sections basically display the response of the text to these circumstances, that is the social and cultural milieu created by and within the passage. The ideological section attempts to deconstruct the ideology of the text as well as its interpretation.

2. INNER TEXTURE A close reading of the text of Acts 9:130 reveals the incredible dynamics of the story. There are several narrative voices, scenes, agents, and actions in the passage. In this section we will try to explore the nature of these dynamics through displaying the inner texture of the passage. We will analyze the repetitive, progressive, and narrational patterns, then we are going to attempt to establish the overall narrational and argumentative texture. References to the aesthetic texture of the passage are also included in this section.

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2.1. Repetitive and progressive patterns In the following we will map out some of the repetitive and progressive patterns in the text. We are going to pay particular attention to the four most frequent types of action in the passage: motion, aggression, seeing and verbal communication. In the first chart we have summarized the four most frequent types of action in the passage.
Motion, aggression, seeing and verbal communication Motioi 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. went Aggression breathing threats, murder bring, bound light heard, voice, saying asked told hear, voice say, answer answer, hear say suffer show appear, sight eyes, sight made havoc, bringing, bound proclaim hear, say proving say Seeing (Table 1) Verbal communication asked

way going, approach, flashed (whirled round) fell persecute get up, enter traveling got up, led, brought get up, go come bring

persecuting saw eyes, see sight vision evil done bind seen, vision, sight

went, entered, sent, way 18. fell, got up 19. 20. 21. come

22. 23. plotted, kill 24. plot, kill 25. let down, lowering 26. afraid 27. brought 28. went 29. 30. brought down, sent off kill

seen

described, spoken, spok speaking spoke, arguei

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9 1 1 - 3 0

Now let us examine some repetitive and progressive patterns in detail. We have to begin with a word that is not included in the chart, since this noun does not express action. This noun is , the word occurring most frequently, nine times, in the text (vv. 10,11,12, 14,15,16,21,27,28). The first three cases refer to the names of Ananias and Saul, while the remaining six refer to the name of the Lord. We are going to deal with this important phenomenon in the cultural intertexture. The most frequently recurring Greek root in the chart is "-". This root occurs eight times in the passage, six times in verbs, meaning "lead" or "bring", and two times in the word "synagogue". Considering the verbal forms, in two cases Saul is the subject ("bring bound"), and in the remaining four cases he is the object. There are an additional three instances in the "Motion" column, where Saul is the object: "let down", "lowering", "sent off". These expressions show his surprising defenselessness in the storming events. Another significant feature of the first column is the frequency of vertical motion (seven instances): "got up" (two times , once 4, fell , ^), let down, lower. Further, upward motion dominates in the first part of the story (vv. 111), and downward motion in the second half (vv. 18ff). Most of these verbs are connected with the epiphany, Saul's vision and healing. Further, these words indicate the constant descending and ascending of Saul's career in the story. In the second column we find two dominant verbs, "kill" () and "bind" (), both occurring three times. These two verbs also talk about Saul's particular career: his plans to harass the Damascus church before his calling, and the Jews' plot to kill him after his calling. As for the third column, we have here the third most frequent word in the story, "". In three of the five cases we have the prefix "". In all cases the verb expresses the human reaction to the divine revelation. Another frequent root of the same function is "-", occurring three times in the words "eyes" and "appear". Both roots occur only in the middle section of the story (vv. 818). However, words expressing verbal communication are also abundant. The frequency of "/" (7 occurrences), together with the instances of "ask" and "answer", indicates the importance of direct 7

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discourse in the story. We also have "hear" four times, "speak" three times, and "sound" in two cases, mostly expressing communication with the Lord. We can conclude that the language of divine revelation, through visual as well as verbal media, dominates the discourse, particularly in the middle part of the story. 2.2. Narrational patterns We are going to begin the examination of narrative patterns by mapping out the narrative voices and agents in the story. In the second stage we are going to establish the dynamic relations of the agents by displaying the events of the narrative. We will apply some narrative exegetical as well as structuralist notions, by this analysis. 2.2.7. Narrative voices (Table 2) The chart of the narrative voices shows who is speaking in a unit. In narrative discourse the author usually applies a narrator, and the author may also attribute words in direct speech to one character or another. In our story it is interesting that relatively numerous characters are helped by the author to the dominant position of direct discourse.
Narrative voices Narrator 1-3. 4 5 6 5 6 7-9. 10 11-12. 13-14. 15-16. 17 18-20. 21 22-26 27 28-30.
narrator narrator Lord Lord Lord Lord Lord narrator narrator Lord Lord Lord narrator narrator narrator narrator narrator narrator

(Table 2) Saul Ananias Jews Barnabas

Saul

narrator

Ananias Ananias Ananias Jews Barnabas

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9 1130

Looking at the chart of narrative voices we can see that the narrator has absolute priorityno surprise in narrative discourse. Of all the characters in the story, Jesus (the Lord) speaks more than the others. This underscores the importance of divine revelation in the passage. However, Jesus reveals much more to Ananias than to Saul. Ananias has the role of a mediator, communicating with God, and communi cating God's message to Saul. Saul, the Jews and Barnabas speak only in one verse each. Actually Saul himself speaks least, only three words in verse 5. We have seen already how passive a role he plays in the narrative. 2.2.2. Narrative agents Narrative agents are persons who appear in the text either as subjects or objects of actions. When examining the occurrence of narrative agents in the text, we are also considering the different nouns and pronouns referring to them. Groups represented in the text without mentioning their members are also considered as narrative agents. In Acts 9:130 we have eight narrative agents: the disciples, Saul, the Lord, the travelers, Ananias, Barnabas, the high priest and the Jews. The disciples are referred to also as those "who belonged to the Way" (2), "men and women" (2), "saints" (13), "who invoke your/ this (the Lord's) name" (14, 21), and "brothers" (30). The final "brothers" shows the progressive character of these references. Both the disciples and Saul are called this only once. In both cases this designation expresses the change in the designated persons' attitude, their acceptance of the other. Saul is usually referred to by the third person singular personal pronoun. Typical is the accusative "" (thirteen times), which also proves that Saul is usually the object of the actions. The second person "" occurs three times in the epiphanic scene on the Damascus road, and once, accompanied by "brother", in Ananias' words. In these cases Saul is addressed by the divine message. We have seen already in the chart of narrative voices that the person of Jesus is dominant in the story. This is underlined by the fact that Jesus is referred to by the first person "" six times, which occurs only one more time with Ananias. The vocative "," occurs three

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times. The multitude of personal pronouns referring to Saul, Jesus and Ananias highlights the importance of personal interaction between the main characters. Finally, the Jews are referred to in many different ways: "the synagogues" ( 1, 20), Jews (2223), Hellenists (29). If we add to this the two mentions of the high priest(s), we can conclude that the text gives a complex picture of the Jews. 2.2.3. The plot of the story In the following we are trying to give an overarching model of the inner texture of the text, one which is able to synthesize the complex relation of actions and agents in the story. We will make use of the literary concept of "plot", and the structuralist notion of "function". On the one hand we are interested in the surface-structure of the text, the larger semantic units. On the other hand we are concentrating on the deep-structure: What is the function of the agent? What is the underlying blueprint of the story? The two structural aspects strengthen and validate each other. There is no agent in the story without function, and there is no function beyond the actual story: functions are fulfilled within the frame of the events isolated on the surface. Functions seek events and events seek functions. Further, the plot is not only sequential but also has different levels. There is more than one story in the story. We can discern that certain agents belong to certain levels of the narrative. By identifying the strata of the narrative we can give a multi-dimensional picture of the story. Two agents, Saul and the disciples, belong to more than one level, giving the story a coherent texture. On the first level Saul has a commission (imprisoning disciples in Damascus), the performing of which will create the appropriate time and space for the second level. The first level itself will become unimportant when the second level interferes.The commission means a conflict for Saul, which he will not be able to resolve. He will never imprison the disciples in Damascus. There will be, however, a divine solution of the conflict, that is quite different from the way Saul intended to solve the problem. There are agents related to Saul on the first level. They include the one who gives the task (high priest), those who are objects of the task
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(the disciples), and the ones who help him to solve his problem (disciples of Damascus). Just as the solution of the problem is not a real solution, the helpers are not real helpers, either. The solution is that Saul, once an enemy of the Church, leaves Damascus as a friend with the help of the disciples. The second level enters with a quite unexpected accident. Saul receives a divine revelation which changes his orientation, and makes unimportant his original commission. This story speaks about the divine election, calling and sending. Ananias fulfills the function of a mediator, and has an important role in the narrative: he knows God's plan and performs a sacramental act, installing Saul into his new office. Charismatic powers prevail in the story. Saul receives the Spirit through laying on of hands and baptism, and immediately proves his charisma in the group of charismatic believers (disciples of Damascus). He still has to be accepted by the congregation, which happens with the help of a new patron, Barnabas. We can see that a great number of persons, objects and places belong to the second level. It is interesting to discern that in the configuration of the second level the commissioned person in structuralist terms is not Saul. On this level he becomes the object of the commission, while the one performing the divine task is the mediator. We have two persons for this function, Ananias and Barnabas. There are "guides" (travelers leading Saul to Damascus) and charismatic persons (believers in Damascus), who help the mediator, while the enemies of Saul ("Jews", "Hellenists") work against his purpose. The congregation is the secondary object of the mediator's commission. 2.3. Argumentative pattern and texture Displaying the argumentative texture of the story may give another chance to see the overall structure of the story. This examination is intended to take further and refine the description of the narrative plot. Although the two methods (narrative and rhetorical examination) are not compatible, they may justify and validate each other. In this section we are going to search rhetorical patterns, and also use insights from the repetitive/progressive and narrational analyses in order to display the overarching rhetorical structure.
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2.3.1. Rhetorical patterns It seems to be reasonable to begin the search for rhetorical patterns with the speeches in the narrative. We have discovered already by the examination of narrative voices, that the Lord (Jesus) speaks much in direct discourse. The longest piece of direct discourse is found in vv. 1016, where the Lord sends Ananias to Paul. In Jesus' address to Ananias we can recognize the skeleton of a deliberative speech. Let us exhibit the parts of this "oratio": Exordium: "Ananias" Thesis: "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul." Rationale: "(Because) at this moment he is praying, and he has seen in vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." Refutation: ("I have heard from many about this man...")"Go for he is an instrument whom I have chosen..." It is interesting to compare the structure of Ananias' objection and Jesus' answer:
... . ... ... Sci ^ tnrp

The parallelism is very close to those found in the response-chreiai (Mack-Robbins:49,71). The threefold parallelism in the text, on the other hand, is very usual in the OT literature. While Ananias claims that Saul is commissioned by the high priest (first line), the response (second and third lines) emphasizes the Lord's calling ( / /). While Ananias sees Saul's task in binding the disciples, the response says his task is to "carry" and "suffer" (//). And the final part of the parallelism echoes the name of the Lord ( / / ). This address, and particularly the highly argumentative, chreia like refutation, turns our attention to the main rhetorical task of the text: to convince the reader about the radically new calling of Saul, the persecutor of the Church. Luke reiterates three times (vv. 13,21,26) the two objections against Paul's person: he has done evil to the saints in Jerusalem and went to Damascus in order to bring them bound to the chief priest. Luke refutes 12

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:11-30

the mentioned objection in different ways in the three cases. As for the first case, we have just seen Jesus' words to Ananias. The second objection occurs in Damascus. From v. 20 we know that Saul proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, then in v. 21 we read the objection: "Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem..." In v. 22 a nice example of the figure of graduation (graditio) comes: 4... But the Damascus scene provides an even more dramatic refutation of the objections against Saul. There is another important feature of the overall structure of the narrative. In v. 2 we read that Saul wanted to go " ", and carry the followers of the way bound to Jerusalem ( "). What we see in the Damascus (and Jerusalem) scene is a different fulfillment of this plan. The motif of "leading" appears again in the story, but not the way Saul (and the reader) expected. In v. 8 the men traveling with Saul lead him to Damascus (" "), in v. 20 he really goes , not harassing the Christians but proclaiming Jesus. Instead of carrying others, he is carried to Damascus, instead of persecuting the Lord, he is proclaiming the Lord and himself is persecuted by the Jews. Further, in v. 26 he goes back to Jerusalem, not carrying others but himself being carried to the apostles. Luke masterfully builds the refutation of the objections around the logical twist existing between Saul's plans and the actual events. For the third time, Luke introduces Barnabas to the story in v. 27, and applies the argumentative figure of . The authority of Barnabas is well known, he comes to the story without explanation, not like Ananias, who is introduced as "a disciple in Damascus" (v. 10). Later Saul goes in and out among the disciples, probably among the apostles (the ' in v. 28 must refer to the apostles in v. 27). This is the further elaboration of the . It is not difficult to realize that Luke refers to three levels of church authority: first, one single disciple, second, the Damascus Church, and the apostles in the end. 2.3.2. The overall rhetoric texture After exploring some argumentative patterns in the text we are left with the task of establishing the overall rhetorical structure of the 13

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passage. Although we are not dealing with a piece of speech, we can use for orientation the three main types of oratio: the judicial, deliberative and epideictic speech. We have already found a deliberative address in verses 1016. Concerning the whole unit, however, we have to turn to another pattern. The person of Paul inevitably receives special attention in the book of Acts. Of crucial importance is, both for the writer and the reader, the first encounter in the story with Paul. In this situation we can expect that the author will follow an epideictic pattern of persuasion in order to introduce his hero and convince us about his image of Paul. If we have a look at the canonical form of epideictic rhetoric, we find that the orator is supposed to use a series of topics, which fall in three main groups: character, physical attributes and external circumstances. In Acts 9 we can find some reference to the first and the third group, but if we examine them more closely, we can conclude that Luke is not interested in the actual topics of the rhetoricians, such as birth, wealth, wisdom, justice, etc. This is not to say that the author did not make use of topoi. Quite on the contrary, there are a number of topoi derived from the Hellenistic Jewish (Christian?) piety. In his commentary of Acts, L. T. Johnson calls attention to the thematic similarities between our story and a Hellenistic romance, Joseph and Aseneth. This romance gives good examples of the topoi of piety developed in the Hellenistic Jewish tradition, which may have been also applied by Luke when he introduced his hero to the reader. Here we are trying to identify some of these topoi: 1. Topoi concerning external circumstances: (a) heavenly revelation (vv. 37); (b) sacrament (v. 18); (c) commission and reassurance about the future (v. 6). 2. Topoi concerning character: (a) several days of fasting (v. 9); (b) extensive prayers (v. 11); (c) elected by God (v. 15); (d) readiness to proclaim God's message (vv. 20,22, etc.); (e) readiness to suffer for God's business (vv. 23,29). ' The rhetoric of the text makes use of Saul's past. In verses 12 the story introduces Saul as the persecutor of the Church, and later constantly plays on the tension between his earlier and recent behavior. The argumentation culminates in the reversal statement of v. 15 in the

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framework of Jesus' address toAnanias.The argumentation of reversal is worked out in three pieces, which we have examined above. Now let us summarize the argumentative texture by displaying in one chart the argumentation of reversal and the topoi utilized.

Rhetorical texture Rhetorical unit Exordium Narrati o Content the persecutor of the Church (1-2) epiphany on the Damascus road (4-9) the mediation of Ananias (10-19a) Saul in the Damascus synagogue (19b-25) Saul in Jerusalem (26-30) Topoi

(Table 3)

heavenly revelation (3-7); commission and reassurance (6); fasting (9) extensive prayers (11); elected by God (15); sacrament ( 18) readiness to proclaim God's message (20,22); readiness to suffer for God's business (23) readiness to proclaim God's message (27-29); readiness to suffer for God's business (29)

Reversale (argumentum) Signum (/)

ludici um ()

2.3.3. Conclusion In the first section of our study we have explored the inner texture of Acts 9:130 by mapping out the repetitive, progressive, narrational, and rhetorical patterns in the passage. We have displayed also the overarching narrational, and rhetorical texture with the help of narrative exegetical, structuralist, and rhetorical tools. The narrational texture shows a two level story, the first level of which contains Saul's primary commission of harassing the Damascus church, and on the second level the divine revelation and plan intervenes with the help of the mediator Ananias. The argumentative texture reveals an epideictic rhetoric, in which again the Ananias episode is of crucial importance.

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3. INTERTEXTURE In the intertextual section we are going to focus on the historical, social and cultural intertexture of Acts 9:130. Since the comparison with the Greco-Roman and OldTestament parallels does not show recitation of those texts, these parallels are to be discussed under cultural intertexture. The passage seems to be independent from the New Testament references to Paul's conversion, quoted as historical intertexture, that is why these references appear as the historical intertexture, and are discussed under oral-scribal intertexture. 3.1. Historical intertexture The account of Paul's conversion is supported by a rich tradition in the New Testament. The evaluation of the parallel accounts has given much opportunity for source-critical speculations, many of which have been discussed in the commentary by E. Haenchen (319336). There are not less than nine passages in the New Testament which refer to the story of Paul's conversion. They can be sorted into two major groups: three accounts are in Acts, one longer and five shorter texts are in the Pauline letters. The two groups can be regarded as two independent sources, fairly agreeing on the basic issues. The last two instances, however, found in deutero-Pauline and pastoral letters, can be handled alternatively as a third group, which is dependent on the previous accounts. 1 ) Acts 9:130. Luke's literary narration. 2) Acts 22:321. This is Paul's speech in the narration. The encounter on the Damascus road agrees with Acts 9, but another vision in Jerusalem is substituted for the Damascus and Jerusalem scenes. 3) Acts 26:923. The discourse is like that above. The most significant difference is the amplification of the encounter-narrative ("It hurts you to kick against the goads"), and the omission of Ananias' mediation. 4) Gal 1:1323. These are Paul's own words in epistolary discourse. The magnificent scene of the Damascus road and the Ananias-episode are completely missing. The much discussed difference is the delay (three years) and brevity (fifteen days) of Paul's first visit in Jerusalem.

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SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:1130

5) 1 Cor 9:1. "...Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?..." 6) 1 Cor 15:8. "Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me." 7) 2 Cor 11:3233. "In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands." 8) Phil 3:6,12. "...as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; ...Christ Jesus has made me his own" 9) 1 Tim 1:13. "...even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief..." We can summarize the most important agreements, supposing at least two independent sources (13 and 47): a) Paul persecuted the Church violently, b) His encounter with the Lord took place in the Damascus area, c) He pursued extended ministry after his conversion, d) His life was threatened in Damascus and he was let down through the city wall in a basket, e) He visited the Jerusalem church in the early period of his ministry, f) He was accompanied by Barnabas, and met the apostles, g) After visiting Jerusalem he worked in Cilicia. (Cf. Johnson: 173). We can draw two conclusions from the overview of the New Testament evidence. 1. The skeleton of the Lukan narrative in Acts 9 corresponds to the sequence of the events found in the Pauline passages. 2. Two important Lukan motifs are missing from the Pauline account: Saul's spectacular and complete defeat on the Damascus road, and the subsequent mediation of Ananias. 3.2. Social intertexture There are several references to contemporary social phenomena in the passage. Social roles are represented by leaders: (v. 15) and (vv. 1,14,21). (vv. 22,23) and (v. 29) are social identities. It is surprising how these roles and identities represent the political tensions of Israel's Hellenistic history! Social relationships include , , , (v. 30), and , which imply the counterparts , , , and . Three 17

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out of the four relationships are strictly hierarchical. This hierarchical structure is balanced by "brother" verses 17 and 30. There are two social institutions, (vv. 2,20) and (v. 11,17). In social intertexture we have found that the vocabulary of the passage contains a number of expressions referring to the contemporary social context of the text. The analysis of the social texture will provide the place to display how these concepts actually work in the narrative. 3.3. Cultural intertexture 3J.1. Cultural codes The passage is dominated by cultural codes with Old Testament connotation: , 4, , , . The noun "name", as we have highlighted in the inner textual section, occurs most frequently, nine times, in the text. In six cases it means the Lord's name. According to the Old Testament usage, the reference to the Lord's name evokes the personal presence and power of the Lord. The usage of "nations" also carries its Old Testament background, the nations outside Israel. However the originally negative meaning is replaced by the emphasis on the infinity of the Lord's mercy, a nuance which causes so many complications in Acts. The meaning of "way" reaches back to the "straight" ("IUP ), godly way of the pious, and therefore wise, believer, now applied to the new way, the way of Jesus' followers. "Heaven" is the place of the Lord's throne in the Old Testament, where also Jesus ascended, finally "saint" refers to God's chosen people: this expression, and also the previous ones, carry radically different meaning for readers with Greco-Roman background. 3.3.2. Greco-Roman culture There are a couple of stories in the antique tradition which narrate how a persecuted god reveals his identity to the persecutor. The commentaries quote two Greco-Roman examples: Iliad XXII. 8ff and Euripides' Bacchanals (esp. v. 794) (Haenchen 327, 685). In the Homeric text Apollo addresses Achilles: "Wherefore, son of Peleus, dost thou pursue me ( .. .) with swift feet, thyself a mortal (), while I am an immortal God?" In Euripides Dionysus says 18

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:11-30

to Pentheus: "Better slay victims unto him than kick/Against the pricks, man () raging against God". The former passage is clearly echoed by the Lukan " " (Acts 9:5), and the latter text by Acts 26:14. In these parallels a god is persecuted by or is in controversy with a mortal. 3.3.3. Ancient Near-Eastern culture and Old Testament culture: the commissioning narrative It is not difficult to recognize in our text a lot of minor elements occurring in Old Testament commissioning: calling one's name twice (Gen 46:2, Ex 2:4,1 Sam 3:4); exclusive vision (Dan 10:7,Wisd 18:1); hearing but not seeing (Deut 4:12); sending to another place with promise of further directions (Ez 3:22). The commissioning narrative is, however, a larger cultural complex, in which we can better understand the parallels with stories about divine calling in the Old Testament. Klaus Baltzer in Die Biographie der Propheten finds that the commissioning story, emerging from the ancient Near-Eastern tradition, constitutes the most important element of the Old Testament biography. We have two studies which give introduction to the New Testament usage of the commissioning form. Both have a special focus on Luke-Acts, but, as the titles of the two articles suggest, they are using a different circle of comparative material. Benjamin J. Hubbard's "Commissioning stories in Luke-Acts: a study of their antecedents, form and content" researches a good deal of Old Testament and extra-biblical material; while Terence Y. Mullins' "New Testament commission forms, especially in Luke-Acts" concentrates on the New Testament, borrowing only one chart from Hubbard's earlier study. Let us compare the elements of the commissioning story as they appear with Baltzer, Hubbard and Mullins. Mullins also described certain themes in the commissioning stories in Acts: 1) Introduction. A brief remark providing circumstantial details (Hubbard), presenting the occasion (Mullins). Baltzer is more specific, he has "Titel und Abstammung des Eingesetzten", which is not at all "circumstantial", and "Ort und Zeit der Einsetzung" (This is Mullins' theme of time and place).

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2) Confrontation. The commissioner appears (Hubbard), breaks in upon the normal (Mullins). The themes of vision, voice and angel belong here. Baltzer differentiates between "Berufung" and "Audienz". 3) Reaction. The individual reacts to the presence of the holy (Hubbard), the theme of "fear" occurs (Mullins). Baltzer does not have a separate element for this, but we can refer to the "Audienz". 4) Commission. We have to pay enough attention to the significant difference of the definitions. According to Hubbard, "the commissioned individual is told to undertake a specific task which often involves his assuming a new role in life (e.g., that of prophet). This is, obviously, the essential criterion for determining whether a given pericope will be considered" (105, my italics). With Mullins, the commission makes "the commissioned person formally the agent of the commissioner for the accomplishing of the commissioner's will." Baltzer's "Einsetzungswort" supports Hubbard's viewpoint. The numerous commands and visions received by the biblical agents on different points of their lives thus escape Hubbard's and Baltzer's category. But given their frequent occurrence in Luke-Acts (as Mullins' statistics prove), they still can play an important role in our exegesis. We suggest the term "installation" (from the German "Einsetzungsbericht") for the narrower, and the traditional "commissioning" for the broader category. 5) Protest. The individual claims he or she is unable or unworthy to accomplish the commission (Baltzer's "Einspruch", 33). 6) Reassurance. "Fear not" or "I am (will be) with you" (Baltzer's "Ermutigungswort"). 7) Baltzer creates categories for several particular aspects of the commission: "Zustndigkeitsbereich, Dienstanweisung, Anweisung fr die besondere Situation" (193). 8) Einsetzungshandlung. The (sacramental) action is a very important motif of the installation. Only Baltzer (193) has a category for it. 9) Conclusion. The commissioned person begins to carry out the task. We have to face a serious problem when we try to apply the above pattern to the narrative of Acts 9:130. Both Hubbard and Mullins regard the passage as two separate commissionings: one to Saul and

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one to Ananias. However, Luke's account is obviously not about Ananias. His "commissioning" can be extracted from the passage, but it is better handled as a part of Saul's story. On the other hand, we insist that the commissioning story is sui generis installation, "Einsetzung". We can find an instance of commissioning in the Old Testament, which does not occur in Hubbard's and Mullins' studies. This is the installation of Saul the king. 3.3.4. Specific biblical culture: ISam 910 Let us have a closer look at the parallels of Acts 9:130 and ISam 9:110:27a. In the inner textual section we have already discussed the plot and the relation of agents in Acts 9:130. In the following we are going to use that description to display the plot of both narratives in the same chart.
The two Sauls Acts 9:1-30 A) Saul goes to Damascus to harass the disciples (9:1-2) B) the Lord speaks to Ananias in a dream (9:10-16) C) Saul meets the Lord on the Damascus road (9:3-8) D) Ananias baptizes Saul in Damascus (9:9,17-19a) E) Saul among the disciples in Damascus (9:19b-22) F) Saul's flight from Damascus (9:23-25) G) Saul with the disciples in Jerusalem (9:26-30) Samuel 9:J-J0:27a Saul looks for the lost donkeys (9:3-5) the Lord opens up the ear of Samuel (9:15-17) Saul meets Samuel at Ramah (9:6-14,17-21) Samuel anoints Saul in Ramah (9:22-10:9) Saul among the prophets (10:9-13) the donkeys found (10:14-16) Saul proclaimed king (10:17-27a) (Table 4) Function in the commissioning story Saul's primary

God's revelation to the mediator God's revelation to Saul

Saul stays at the mediator's place, and participates in the sacrament Saul prophesies

the end of the primary mission Saul accepted by the congregation

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We can see that both stories contain a two level plot (as discussed in the inner texture), and a double commissioning. On the first level of the plot Saul receives a primary commission from a person of authority (high priest/father), which he will not be able to carry out. The second level contains Saul's divine commissioning, but in both cases there is a mediator, whose commissioning for this task also belongs to the second level. On the one hand the two stories are connected by the broader cultural tradition of commissioning narrative, on the other hand there are a number of parallels which reveal that 1 Sam 910 forms the specific biblical intertexture of Acts 9. 3.3.5. Hellenistic Jewish culture: 4 Mace 4:114 Now we are turning to a Hellenistic Jewish parallel. 4 Mace 4:114 tells about Apollonius, the governor of Syria, who entered the temple "uttering threats" ( ) and was stopped by an angel. Although there is no mention of God being persecuted, the persecutor threatens God's people, similarly to Acts 9. The important "catchwords" are underlined: 4:5 On receiving authority to deal with this matter, he proceeded quickly to our country accompanied by the accursed Simon and a very strong military force. 4:6 He said that he had come with the king's authority to seize the private funds in the treasury. 4:7 The people indignantly protested his words, considering it outrageous that those who had committed deposits to the sacred treasury should be deprived of them, and did all that they could to prevent it. 4:8 But, uttering threats, Apollonius went on to the temple. 4:9 While the priests together with women and children were imploring God in the temple to shield the holy place that was being treated so contemptuously, 4:10 and while Apollonius was going up with his armed forces to seize the money, angels on horseback with lightning flashing from their weapons appeared/w/i heaven, instilling in them great fear and trembling. 4:11 Then Apollonius./*?// down half dead in the temple area that was open to all, stretched out his hands toward heaven, and with tears besought the Hebrews to pray for him and propitiate the wrath of the heavenly army. 4:12 For he said that he had committed a sin deserving of death, and that if he were delivered he would praise the blessedness of the holy place before all people. 4:13 Moved by these words, Onias the high priest, although otherwise 22

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:1130

he had scruples about doing so, prayed for him lest King Seleucus suppose that Apollonius had been overcome by human treachery and not by divine justice. 4:14 So Apollonius, having been preserved beyond all expectations, went away to report to the king what had happened to him. We have seen above that the spectacular defeat of Saul and the mediation of Ananias are missing from the Pauline accounts. These patterns are at hand in the story of Apollonius. We should not miss, however, a considerable difference: Saul is commissioned to proclaim the Lord, while Apollonius is simply overcome. 3.3.6. Conclusion The analysis of the intertexture revealed a large array of historical, social and cultural phenomena, which are in contact with the text. The passage is embedded in the historical and social reality of early (Pauline) Christianity as well as in Greco-Roman, Near-Eastern, biblical, and Hellenistic Jewish culture.

4. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TEXTURE

The analysis of the social and cultural texture applies notions of sociology and anthropology. We are exploring the social and cultural world the text creates. This is also an excellent place to make use of the phenomena displayed in the social and cultural intertexture, and show how they are actually functioning in the text. At this stage we are trying not to attribute all kinds of "Lukan" notions automatically to our passage; in other words, we are directing our antenna only to the social and cultural world of Acts 9:130. 4.1. Specific social topics In this section we are applying Bryan Wilson's categories for religious response to the world, following Robbins (14Iff). In our passage we can find three types of basic religious response to the world: conversionist, thaumaturgie, and Utopian responses. The presentation of Paul's conversion in the narrative has a strong conversionist emphasis. Saul's earlier life is morally denounced by
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Ananias, saying that he has done "much evil" () to the saints. The divine revelation on the Damascus road and the three days of fasting and prayers completely transform his self. However, the rest of the Jews continue the persecution of the Church. Aggression against the Church does not finish. In the first half of the story the expressions of aggression (displayed in the inner texture) describe Saul's attitude against the Church, while in the second half Saul himself is threatened by the same aggression. Changes in the society can be reached only by winning the individuals one by one, which is sought by the disciples' "bold" public ministry (,() in Damascus and Jerusalem. In Acts 9:130 a thaumaturgie response also prevails. Although we know Luke's social sensitivity from a number of other passages, this unit concentrates very much on the personal religious experience. There are three (!) visions mentioned, two to Saul (cf. 12), and one to Ananias. The exclusive and individualistic character of the earlier is obvious from v. 7: the men traveling with Saul "heard the voice but saw no one". There are several forms of assuring the individual's Salvation: 1. the promise of future guidance (6); 2. vision of the "physician" (12); 3. healing by laying on of hands (1718); 4. filling with the Holy Spirit (1718); 5. baptism (19). The life and behavior of the disciples in Damascus and Jerusalem, as presented in the passage, also formulates a Utopian response. The community proves its solidarity when rescuing Paul two times from his persecutors (25, 30), the believers have an alternative social structure with the apostles on the top (27), and they are communicating their values openly (22, 28) in order to convince others about their truth. 4.2. Common social and cultural topics In the story of Paul's conversion we have various kinds of interactions. Saul interacts with the high priest, the Lord, Ananias, the disciples in Damascus and Jerusalem, the Jews in the former, and the Hellenists in the latter, city. In addition we have Ananias' encounter with the Lord, and Barnabas' meeting with the apostles. We will concentrate on Paul's person, and discern what sort of social and cultural topics are prevalent in his story. 24

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:11-30

The relationship of Saul with the high priest is based on a patronclient contract. Saul approaches the high priest, who is of higher standing by birth. Saul offers his services, and hopes to acquire more honor through this relationship. However, on the Damascus road he has to meet an unexpected challenge. The challenge has an obviously negative, attacking character. The flashing light blinds Saul, and forces him onto the ground. The Lord, whom Saul persecutes, wants to deprive him of his social standing, i.e., of his status as zealous pharisee, and agent of the high priest. The relationship of master () and slave creates a new clientship in the life of Saul. The endlessly recurring expressions of seeing in the middle section of the story, thirteen times in vv. 718, prove Saul's intensive emotional and mental struggle. He seems to be the absolute loser in the game. His plans for acquiring honor through carrying Christians to the high priest are thwarted, and from the highest degree of ritual purity, the patronage of the high priest, he is sent to the ultimately impure company of the Gentiles. It is in this stage of minimum honor that Saul finds a new patron, that is Ananias. As a next step, he is able to positively answer the challenge of the disciples in Damascus, hesitant to accept him, and establishes a "colleague contract" with them. By the occurrence of "brother" ( in vv. 17 and 30 there is a shift from the patronclient images to the institution of family. However, his "client" status seems to be maintained in a sense, if we consider his relationship with Barnabas, and the number of instances when he is "taken", "brought" somewhere: 6 (25), (27), etc. (cf. inner texture). Saul's honor is finally rehabilitated through his appreciation by the apostles (2728). To be accepted by them means the same status of religious purity as the patronage of the high priest from the Jewish point of view. Here the drama of Saul's fall and ascension ends. The story of Saul's fall and ascension reflects a general model of the New Testament narrative. Several stories demonstrate that it is necessary to lose everything (one's honor) to become worthy for the Kingdom of Heaven (regain one's honor). It is also clear that the finishing point of this fall and ascension is not identical with the starting

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point. It is not Saul's original position which is regained in the story. After loosing his original honor he actually runs into the negative section of his original honor-scale. But by that time this negative has become positive for him. This is possible only by the inversion of the honor-scale. This inversion of the honor scale seems to be a basic Lukan concept, as introduced in Luke 1:5053. This is already the time when the eschatological order of values prevails. 4.3. Final cultural topics Finally we are left with the task of identifying the cultural location of the text of Acts 9:130. We have to decide whether the text speaks from the position of a dominant culture; if not, what is the dominant culture in the text, and which position of the possible four (subculture, counterculture, contraculture, or liminal culture) the text takes up against its dominant culture. The temptation is strong to apply here what we know from other Lukan passages about the cultural location of Acts and the Third Gospel. Then the Greco-Roman culture would be dominant, Judaism would be a subculture, and Christianity a counterculture (or a contraculture, alternatively). First of all, we have to identify what kind of cultural identities are referred to in the passage. We will find that the most reference is made to the Church. We have six times, and a number of other references. "The synagogue" (2, 20) or "the Jews" (22, 23) comes next. There is absolutely no mention of the Roman empire; the world outside Israel is evoked only two times: kQvr\ and "kings" (15). If we examine more closely "the synagogue" or "the Jews", we can see that they represent a complex cultural phenomenon, which also includes the "high priest" (1,14,20), the "sons of Israel" ( 15), and the "Hellenists" (29). This represents actually the whole contemporary Jewish culture. This complex is presented rather uniformly as the chief enemy of Christianity. It consists of several social groups, is supported by the social structures like the synagogue and the priesthood, and has enough power to persecute to death individuals (Saul) as well as groups (Damascus church). After all, Jewish culture can be regarded as the dominant culture of Acts 9:130. 26

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9:1130

Christianity can take up either of the remaining four positions: the status of a subculture, counterculture, contraculture, or liminal culture. What do we know about Christianity from the text? We know that Christians are "disciples" who follow the teaching that "Jesus is the Son of God". Their members come from the Jews; laying on of hands and baptism seal the conversion. They have respected members like Ananias and Barnabas, and first of all a board named "the apostles". They live around the synagogue, where they proclaim their message, and argue with different groups of Jews, who occasionally attack and persecute them aggressively. We hear only about male adults participating in their activities. The picture received this way presents a contraculture. We do not have knowledge about institutions which would embrace a wider range of sexes and groups, or ensure the continuity in successive generations. The contraculture of "the believers" basically accepts the conditions of the synagogue and the Jewish dominant culture. They argue their thesis ("Jesus is the Messiah") in this framework. 4.4. Conclusion We have examined the social and cultural texture of Acts 9:130 separately from the rest of the Lukan corpus. In the first part we found that the basic religious response of the text is basically conversionist and thaumaturgie, and slightly Utopian. The moral transformation and spiritual experience of the individual stands in the foreground. In the second part we followed the U-shape story of Saul in terms of common social and cultural topics. In this story Saul unexpectedly loses and then gains back his honor, but at the same time the whole honor-scale is inverted. In the final part we described the cultural location of the text. The story represents a contracultural Christianity against a dominant Jewish culture.

5. IDEOLOGICAL TEXTURE We are going to sum up in two main points what we have to say about the ideological texture of Acts 9:130. First we will analyze the ideology in the text, then we will examine some ideological structures
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occurring in the interpretation of the text. Before we begin our survey we have to make two preliminary observations. A discussion of the ideological texture may suggest that there is a neutral position, which the exegete attempts to occupy, and from which it is possible to judge the ideologies inherent in the text and its interpretations. We would like to suggest an alternative model of the ideological survey. According to our model the exegete takes up an ideological position (knowingly or unconsciously), and what occurs in the interpretation of the ideological texture is a dialogue between the exegete's ideology on the one hand, and the ideologies of the text and its interpreters on the other hand. In this discourse the exegete's ideology actually becomes the part of the ideological texture. Another remark concerns the ideology in the text and in the interpretations of the text. It follows from the above argumentation that the ideology found by any exegete in the text depends on the exegete's ideology. Similarly to its interpretations, the biblical text itself will be a partner in the dialogue of ideologies. Each participant in this conversation will create the others: the ideology in the text will be created by the ideology of the exegete and of the other interpretations, the ideology of the exegete by the ideology in the text and in the examined interpretations, and finally the ideologies of other interpretations by the ideology within the text and of the exegete. Referring to Michel Foucault (quoted in izell-Herzberg : 1130ff) we can assume that all the three participants are subjects and objects in an ideological discourse, and they do not exist prior to that discourse, but they are emerging in and being created by the discourse itself. 5.1. Ideology in the text In order to get a picture of the ideology in the text we are going to examine what kind of authority is created or affirmed by the text. First we will pursue an "analytic of power", as introduced by Michel Foucault and applied by Elizabeth A. Castelli (quoted in Robbins: 182). As for the system of differentiations in the text, the basic concepts are derivable from both the inner texture and the social and cultural intertexture. Earlier we assumed that the social relationships in the 28

SOCIO-RHETORICAL EXEGESIS OF ACTS 9 1 1 - 3 0

text rely on hierarchical distinctions: teacher-disciple, master-slave, father-son. The supreme source of power is evidently the Lord, whose direct discourse dominates the narrative. The Lord is also one of the two agents, who is referred to (six times) by the first person personal pronoun. The Lord's position is assumed to be that of the teacher and the master. Ananias is the character who shares this power, he is the one to whom the most revelation is given, and who is also signified (two times) by . As the chart of voices also testifies, it is the narrator, the Lord, and Ananias, who are the main subjects of the discourse. All the other characters (agents) are in the position of an object. Saul is the one who is assumed to share the position of power; the Lord's authority is mediated to him by Ananias. None of the remaining characters share this position. In this hierarchical relation of power the Lord acts upon the actions of Ananias and Paul, and Ananias acts upon the actions of Paul. Their primary objective is to affirm Paul's position of authority. The foremost rhetorical tool in promoting this relationship of power and this objective is the language of epiphany and sacrament. It is significant that this power is not institutionalized in the board of the apostles. Although Paul's authority is accepted by the congregation and its leaders, they are not the source or medium of his power. Paul's authority has to do rather with the institution of prophecy. According to this model the Lord endows with power the prophet, who may be accepted but eventually also rejected by God's people. The passage thus represents the identification of Pauline Christianity with the power structure of the prophetic tradition. Paul's authority seems to be rationalized immediately and to a maximum degree when he prophesies in the Damascus and Jerusalem churches. His authority is independent from his recognition by the Jerusalem church, which is a sharp contrast to Philip's dependence on the apostles in the previous chapter. The passage claims that the Pauline tradition embodies authentically the faith in the risen Lord. 5.2. Ideology in the interpretation of the text Earlier we stated that the ideology in the text is created by the discourse about the ideological texture. In our case this becomes obvious if we 29

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think of the eminent role of the Pauline tradition in the churches of the Reformation. For the Protestant exegesis the authenticity of the Pauline tradition, as affirmed by the passage, justifies the dominance of the Pauline theology in the churches of the reformation, especially in the Lutheran tradition. This is why the historicity of the conversion story is a primary issue even in literarily oriented commentaries (cf. Johnson: 173). Here we are differentiating between historicity (Faktizitt) and historicality (Geschichtlichkeit). The latter concerns the historiographical or biographical character of Luke-Acts, the former has to do with the question whether the event narrated in this unit has taken place in the given place and time in the way it is told by Luke. In the historical intertexture we have discussed the historicity of the text, and attempted to reconstruct the events reported in the passage. We are left with the task of "deconstructing" the present discourse, i.e., localizing the ideological position of our exegetical study. Although this task has to be performedfirstof all by the reader, some observations can be made here. This section also may allow some autobiographical considerations. First, I am eager to learn and apply new approaches in biblical interpretation. Therefore some pieces of this study may go beyond my actual exegetical knowledge and powers. Some rhetorical, cultural and anthropological statements are certainly in need of basic refinement. But I am also indebted to a couple of exegetical methods and notions. That is why historical-critical, literary and formalist approaches may have pushed into parts of the inner textual and intertextual study, and maybe also into other sections. But I am also convinced that applying new methods means the merging of the method with the exegete's earlier approaches. Thirdly, in certain issues 1 have experienced and also maintained a certain distance from the methodological position of socio-rhetorical criticism. This reluctance is the most palpable in the present section. The reasons for this distance certainly result from the fact that biblical exegesis is (as the need for an ideological criticism proves) never free from the political agenda of a society. Consequently an EasternEuropean exegete necessarily applies a method differently from American colleagues. Another ideological question concerns the
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"churchliness" of the exegesis. The multiple levels or arenas of meaning seem to do justice to the text, but at the same time make the exegete withdraw from kerygmatic utterances. The liberal ideology of pluralism, neutrality and faculty seems to dominate over a monolithic, biased and churchly discourse. The values of the former are to be promoted, while the latter is the only possible way to pursue theology which has relevance for a context in life. 5.3. Conclusion We set out with the thesis that the ideology in the text, in the tradition of its interpretations, and in the present exegesis, is created and maintained by the ideological discourse itself. We have seen that the passage represents the authenticity of the Pauline tradition; and that this ideology is explicated and at the same time nurtured by the Protestant exegesis. Finally we pointed out some ideological preoccupations of our project, although we are sure that others also can be found easily.

6. FINAL REMARKS It is difficult to summarize the results of such a multifaceted project. The most important result is perhaps that the method worked, and helped to give new insights about the text. The main results of the individual sections have been summarized in the relevant conclusions. The main merit of applying multiple hermeneutical concepts seems to be that the methods become "demythologized". Merging with each other their constituting philosophies are neutralized or at least balanced. The main danger lies in the same process: the exegete may not be able to control the methods. Another promising result is the model of the U-shape narrative as discussed in the social and cultural study. Although the expression comes from the literary exegete Northrop Frye, its presentation here is rather connected with anthropological notions. Recently we have attempted to use this idea as an overarching model for the entire LukeActs. However, much exegetical work is still needed to refine this concept.
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Works quoted Baltzer, Klaus (1975) Die Biographie der Propheten. NeukirchenVluyn: Neukirchener Verlag Bizell, Patricia and Herzberg, Bruce (1990) The rhetorical tradition. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press Haenchen, Ernst (1971) The Acts of the Apostles. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press Hubbard, Benjamin J. (1977) "Commissioning stories in Luke Acts: A study of their antecedents, form and content". Semeia 8 1131 Johnson, Luke Timothy ( 1992) The Acts of the Apostles. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press Mullins, Terence J. ( 1976) "New Testament commission forms, especially in Luke-Acts". JBL 94/4 603614 Robbins, Vernon K. (1995) Socio-rhetorical criticism and the New Testament (pre-publication draft) Quintilian Institutio oratoria. Trans, by H. E. Butler, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press

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