Pattern Analysis for 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Within Pattern Analysis, rhetoric is the persuasive portion of a literary unit based on its structure. Certain locations within each literary unit are potentially persuasive–they are presented below for the sake of analysis. Normally, many of the potential locations can be persuasive, but often not all. The student is encouraged to listen to what the Holy Spirit seems to be emphasizing.

Most commonly it is an A-A'-B-B' arrangement. It can also be an A-A'-B-B'-C-C' or occasionally with a larger number of repeated elements such as an A-A'-A''-A'''-B-B'-B''-B''' structure. In an immediate repetition, a theme is repeated then a second theme with its repetition, a third theme with its repetition, and so on. As few as two elements may have been used, A-A'. Usually the emphasis, if there is one, is found in the X center point or in a summarization. Sometimes the second element augments the first with greater meaning, B and what's more B'.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

In a chiasm, these are the two A elements: A-B-C-C'-B'-A'. Oftentimes an emphasis may be found in these locations.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

An emphasis or turning point that is at the logical center of a structure. It is either an X in the middle of a chiasm, parallel symmetry, immediate repetition, or list is a center point, or if two elements appear at the center of a chiasm rather than an X, those two elements are the center point. For example, X is the center point of A-B-C-X-A'-B'-C', and C-C' is the center point of A-B-C-C'-B'-A'.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

An opening or closing summarization that appears within a substructure. The schematic representation is the lowercase letters sum. This summarization may appear at the end of a substructure, a-b-x-a'-b'-sum, or at the beginning, sum-a-b-c-d. All the substructure summaries are emphatic.

A clarification of an element or a sequence of elements where the second part in some way removes the obfuscation that may be found in the first. An amplification can be a large increase such as the multiplication of believers in the book of Acts; the additional detail provided by its conjugate pair, seen especially when a substructure provides data that is not in the first; or in an immediate repetition where the second part adds more than just the antithesis to the first such as Kugel’s A what’s more B teaching.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

An emphasis or turning point that is at the logical center of a structure. It is either an X in the middle of a chiasm, parallel symmetry, immediate repetition, or list is a center point, or if two elements appear at the center of a chiasm rather than an X, those two elements are the center point. For example, X is the center point of A-B-C-X-A'-B'-C', and C-C' is the center point of A-B-C-C'-B'-A'.

A clarification of an element or a sequence of elements where the second part in some way removes the obfuscation that may be found in the first. An amplification can be a large increase such as the multiplication of believers in the book of Acts; the additional detail provided by its conjugate pair, seen especially when a substructure provides data that is not in the first; or in an immediate repetition where the second part adds more than just the antithesis to the first such as Kugel’s A what’s more B teaching.

Some questions seem designed to ask the reader to pause and reflect on his or her own answer. In those cases, the text is intended to slow the reader down and cause them to read the context, listen to what the Spirit is nudging them, gain a fresh understanding, and then respond. Questions are many times emphatic, but it is a mistake to say that most questions are emphatic. Whether any one question is emphatic or not can be subjective.

A summarization that concludes a basic structure which is designated with the letters SUM. For example, A-B-C-A'-B'-C'-SUM. A closing summary is also known as a concluding epitome, final unit, and an epilogue. It serves two functions: to summarize and to motivate. It is always emphatic and should be easily detected.