ENGLISH

Divine Talk: Religious Argumentation in Demosthenes

By Gunther Martin

Book information

Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Year
2009
ISBN
0199560226, 9780199560226
LCC
PA3952 .M28 2009
Open Library ID
OL24892105M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (1593202 bytes)
Series
Oxford Classical Monographs
Pages
356\356
Topic
Education
Time added
2010-02-18 13:16:04

Description

Gunther Martin examines the references to religion in the speeches of Demosthenes and other Athenian orators in the 4th century BC. In Part I he demonstrates the role religion plays in the rhetorical strategy of speeches in political trials: his main argument is that speakers had to be consistent in their approach to religion throughout their career. It was not possible to change from being a pragmatic to a `religious' speaker and back, but it was possible, when writing for others, to use religion in a way one would not have used it when delivering a speech oneself. In Part II Martin deals with assembly speeches and speeches in private trials, in which religious references are far scarcer. In the assembly, unless genuinely religious matters are discussed, religion seems to have been practically inadmissible, while in private trials it is procedural elements that supply the majority of religious references.

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