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Philippians 1:12-26 and the Rhetoric of Success
Prof.
Johan S. Vos
Various authors have called attention to Paul’s use of military language in Phil. 1:27-30. According to Edgar Krentz, Paul uses not only here, but throughout Phil. 1:27-4:2 a rhetorical strategy similar to the one Onasander in his Strategicus recommends to a general during a battle. My thesis is that Paul already in 1:12-26 resorts to a rhetorical strategy recommended in the classical military handbooks. In his Strategicus (23,1) Onasander recommends that the general, if he happens to be on the right wing, should call out to his men: “Our left wing is defeating the right wing of the enemy”. If he is on the left he should say that the right wing is winning, “whether this is true or not”. When the leader of the enemy is some distance away, he should call out “The general of the enemy has been killed...” The effect will be that his soldiers are encouraged and doubly eager to fight, while the enemy loses heart. We find the same strategy repeatedly in the ancient strategemata-literature . We can term this the “rhetoric of success” or perhaps even the “rhetoric of victory.” The essence of this rhetoric is that the faith in the success is a decisive power in the achievement of the success. Paul writes his letter to the Philippians in a rather difficult situation: he is in prison and the outcome of his trial could lead to his death or acquittal. Moreover, some of the Christian preachers at the place of his imprisonment are hostile towards him. In the eyes of Paul, they do not proclaim Christ sincerely, but intend to increase his suffering in his imprisonment (1:17). In this situation Paul uses the rhetorical strategy of interpreting all the negative facts in a positive way: his imprisonment was not a hindrance for his missionary work but has actually served to advance his gospel: a) Throughout the whole Praetorium it has become clear that his imprisonment has to do with the Gospel of Christ; through this imprisonment most of his brothers in Christ have been encouraged to speak the word of God more fearlessly. b) Even if the proclamation of some of the brethren is from false motives, the important thing and a reason for rejoicing is that Christ is preached. c) Paul knows that this situation will turn out to his deliverance: whether by life or by death, Christ will be exalted through him. Differently from Onasander’s general, Paul does not distort the facts as such, but his selection and interpretation of the facts have the same function as the military rhetoric of success: he tries to encourage those who are fighting at his side (cf. 1:27) by transforming all negative factors into positive ones. The aim of his rhetoric of success is paracletic: the Philippian church is in a situation similar to that of Paul himself is: it is threatened by persecutions and by opponents. Paul wants them to be courageous, not intimidated by the opponents and striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
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