Discursive Claims to Divine Authority

Abstract

Chapter 5 considers Paul’s numerous claims to be a handpicked mediator between God and the world of gentiles—a claim that further legitimized his divinatory and wonderworking expertise. Such claims are contextualized within widespread rhetorical practices of divine authorization, seen in the LXX and in numerous Greek and Latin texts and inscriptions. Furthermore, the chapter highlights Paul’s “divinatory pedagogy,” in which he teaches his followers how to value and appropriately use their own divinatory and wonderworking skills. Thus, it is not just Paul’s engaging in specific divinatory and wonderworking practices that bolsters his authority and prestige; it is also his evaluating, sharing, and teaching of such practices to others. This chapter also offers an important link among the arguments of Chapters 3 and 4 to Chapter 6.