Paul’s Offer of Leniency (2 Cor 10:1): Populist Ideology and Rhetoric in a Pauline Letter Fragment (2 Cor 10:1-13:10)

Donald Dale Walker advances biblical lexicography by carefully identifying and illustrating a semantic field present in 2 Corinthians 10-13, with particular focus on the key terms praytes and epeieikeia. For each of these words the author has also crafted detailed definitions. In addition, this study contributes to the recent interest in the investigation of Paul and politics by outlining the ideology of good rule and showing how it guided Paul’s christological imagination. By attributing popular ideas of good rule to Christ, Paul forged a rhetoric that he could use to promote his agenda in Corinth. The rhetoric of populist appeal is also the key to understanding Paul’s self-presentation in 2 Corinthians 10-13. By pressing the implications of good rule, this study breaks new ground in the analysis of Paul’s rhetorical ethos, expanding the discussion beyond the limited instructions of ancient handbooks to reveal the apostle’s modest populism (which incorporates his philosophical irony). Combining lexicographical insight, political theories, and rhetorical ethos creates a comprehensive reading strategy that integrates 2 Corinthians 10 -13.