The way I learn to understand figures of speech will be illustrated in this post. The basic steps are:
- Find a figure of speech of interest on the Silva Rhetoricae web site
- Run a basic search in Logos/Verbum on the figure of speech name(s)
- Open a commentary from the search results.
- Open the Bible to the passage the commentary refers to.
- Examine to understand how the figure functions and affects the plain meaning in this passage
I have yet to find a label or multiple-attachment note method to document my study that is worth sharing.
Steps as screen shots:
I find that most of us are satisfied with a minimal understanding of classical rhetoric - forgetting that is has a major advantage in understanding the plain meaning. For the NT author, it was what was "common knowledge" at various levels depending upon one's level of education - not something imposed upon the text by the understanding of later generations.
