Abstract
In this elegantly written and highly informative monograph, Jennifer Houston McNeel probes the Pauline metaphors of ‘infant’ and ‘nursing mother’ that occur in 1 Thess. 2:7. The book is a revision of a doctoral thesis undertaken at Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond.
In the first chapter, the notion of metaphor as rhetorical strategy is explored. One of the major insights gleaned from cognitive metaphor theory is, as the term implies, that ‘metaphors are not simply decorative but carry cognitive content’ (p. 20). From this observation, McNeel is able to explore the persuasive force of the Pauline metaphors in 1 Thess. 2:7. In the second chapter, the grammatico-historical questions of the earliest recoverable form of the text, and its structure or punctuation are explored to great effect. The third chapter draws more widely on Greco-Roman culture to see how the metaphors of ‘infant’ and ‘nursing mother’ may have been understood by the Thessalonian audience. Here it is noted that these images help Paul to develop a sense of kinship relationship with his readers. The following chapter looks for the literary background to the two metaphors in 1 Thess. 2:7. Here it is noted that these metaphors ‘express a wide range of emotions and experiences in ancient literature’ (p. 121). Chapter Five then applies these wider insights to a reading of 1 Thess. 2:5-8, noting that the metaphor functions as a rhetorical strategy to strengthen Paul’s relationship with the Thessalonian community by the use of kinship language and by presenting himself as a reliable and trustworthy proclaimer of the Gospel (p. 123). The final chapter provides a wider reflection on Paul’s use of metaphor throughout the corpus of his writings. Perhaps most significantly McNeel notes that Pauline metaphors are a medium for theology.
This is a rich and finely crafted study that deserves close attention and interaction. McNeel has focused attention on two striking Pauline metaphors and illustrated the theological importance of the metaphors of ‘infant’ and ‘nursing mother.’ Greater attention should be paid to Paul’s metaphors as important vehicles for his theological ideas.