The 'Powers' of Personification: Rhetorical Purpose in the 'Book of Wisdom' and the Letter to the Romans (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die ... und die Kunde der Alteren Kirche)

While scholars have often found value in comparing Wisdom and Romans, a comparison of the use of personification in these works has not yet been made, despite the striking parallels between them. Furthermore, while scholars have studied many of these personifications in detail, no one has investigated an individual personification with respect to the general use of the trope in the work. Instead, most of this research focuses on a personification in relation to its nature as either a rhetorical device or a supernatural power. The “Powers” of Personification seeks to push beyond this debate by evaluating the evidence in a different light – that of its purpose within the overall use of personification in the respective work and in comparison with another piece of contemporaneous theological literature. This book proposes that the authors of Wisdom and Romans employ personification to distance God from the origin of evil, to deflect attention away from the problem of righteous suffering to the positive sides of the experience, or to defer the solution for the suffering of the righteous to the future. Frontmatter 1 Contents 11 Introduction: Theme, History of Research, Approach 12 Chapter 1. Definitions and Specifications for Personification 38 Chapter 2. The Purposes of Personification 52 Section II: Introduction 62 Chapter 3. The Personification of Death in Wisdom 67 Chapter 4. The Personification of Creation in Wisdom 80 Chapter 5. The Personification of Logos 93 Chapter 6. The Personification of Wrath 101 Chapter 7. The Personifications of Wisdom 112 Section II: Summary and Synthesis 126 Section III: Introduction 130 Chapter 8. The Personifications of Sin and Death 134 Chapter 9. The Personification of the Law 151 Chapter 10. The Personifications of Grace and Righteousness 162 Chapter 11. The Personification of Creation and the Power of the Spirit 173 Section III: Summary and Synthesis 189 Section IV: Introduction 193 Chapter 12. The Personifications of Evil in Wisdom and Romans 194 Chapter 13. The Personifications of Creation in Wisdom and Romans 205 Chapter 14. Common Thread 213 Section IV: Conclusion 232 Backmatter 234 Theme, History Of Research, Approach -- Definitions And Specifications For Personification -- The Purposes Of Personification -- The Book Of Wisdom -- The Personification Of Death In Wisdom -- The Personification Of Creation In Wisdom -- The Personification Of Logos -- The Personification Of Wrath -- The Personifications Of Wisdom -- Summary And Synthesis -- Romans -- The Personification Of Sin And Death -- The Personification Of The Law -- The Personification Of Grace And Righteousness -- The Personification Of Creation And The Power Of The Spirit -- Summary And Synthesis -- Comparison -- The Personifications Of Evil In Wisdom And Romans -- The Personifications Of Creation In Wisdom And Romans -- Common Thread. Joseph R. Dodson. Originally Presented As The Author's Thesis (ph. D.). Includes Bibliographical References (p. [223]-245) And Indexes. Biographical note: Joseph R. Dodson, Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR, USA