Rhetoric and Tradition ― John Chrysostom on Noah and the Flood

Amirav examines the rhetorical use of exegetical traditions in patristic homiletic writings, focusing mostly on that of John Crysostome (d. 407). Modern scholars widely consider patristic rhetoric only against the classical background of eminent Christian writers, he says, but contends that by the forth century, Christian writers had developed an elaborate rhetoric of their own, based on traditions of biblical interpretation to which they were theologically and ideologically committed. The study is slightly revised from his doctoral dissertation in ancient history, Exegetical Traditions and Rhetoric of John Crysostome: A Study of the Homilies on Noah and the Flood, for Oxford University in 2001. Distributed by the David Brown Book Company. Annotation c2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)