Toward a Rhetography of James 1

1-18: Ekphrasis, Cinematography, and the Visual-Rhetorical Effects of the Passage

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3528284
AutoresDonghee Jeong (0000-0002-3064-8911, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Volumen16
Número4
Páginas406
Fecha de publicación2025-03-23
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaReligions (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
EditorialMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16040406
OpenAlexW4408783204
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas47

Within the analytical framework of sociorhetorical (or, socio-rhetorical) interpretation (SRI), this paper explores a sustained rhetography of James 1:1-18. It begins with a brief examination of visual elements in James through the lens of ancient ekphrasis, which offers a nuanced understanding of the social and cultural texture of the letter. Since the letter of James (especially 1:1-18) contains sporadic images that reflect ekphrastic tradition (rather than long, elaborate ekphrasis), a new approach is needed to understand its visual-rhetorical effects. Therefore, rhetography in SRI (especially cinematographic and editing techniques, such as shot types, shot transitions, and continuity editing with crosscutting shots) is introduced to the text. This sociorhetorical reading of James 1:1-18 helps readers understand the visual-rhetorical strategy of the text. This manifests in various ways: (a) displaying contrasting figures close-up (positive, less positive, and negative) to emulate or avoid; (b) portraying negative figure(s) in precarious situations through vivid similes that elicit emotional responses; and (c) envisaging eschatological consequences, thus making the invisible visible. The movement and sequence of the shots can effectively direct the letter's audience/viewer toward a wise and unwavering life in the diaspora

Art · Cinematography · Literature · Rhetorical question · Visual arts · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Classical Antiquity Studies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition