In Sarcasm in Paul's Letters, Matthew Pawlak tackles the difficult project of identifying and analyzing the apostle Paul’s use of sarcasm in his letters. The challenges of this endeavor are many: not only is Pawlak required to carefully attend to both ancient and modern understandings of sarcasm, but he also must conduct his examination in the absence of nonverbal cues, which are widely understood to be important signals of sarcasm. Pawlak successfully navigates this difficult terrain. The result is a thorough, precise, and nuanced examination of Paul’s use of sarcasm in his written communications with Christ followers.
Part 1 of this book (chapters 1, 2, and 3) carefully builds the foundation for identifying and analyzing the functions of Paul’s sarcastic remarks. In chapter 1 Pawlak both provides the reader with a working definition of sarcasm and identifies improvements to be made to Pauline scholarship on irony and sarcasm. The chapter begins with a survey of ancient Greek and Roman understandings of irony and sarcasm, as well as a careful summary of modern research on verbal irony and sarcasm. Taking both ancient and modern views of sarcasm into account, Pawlak then produces a definition of sarcasm that he thinks would satisfy ancient grammarians and modern theorists alike. Sarcasm, according to Pawlak, is “a subset of verbal irony in which an utterance that would normally communicate a positive attitude or evaluation implies a negative attitude or evaluation” (32). After establishing a definition of the term most central to his project, Pawlak traces the development of New Testament scholarship on irony and sarcasm. He argues that, while there has been a considerable increase in scholarly attention to irony and sarcasm in Paul’s letters over the past twenty-five years, such scholarship typically relies on outdated understandings of irony. This is a methodological shortcoming in scholarship that Pawlak rectifies in the ensuing chapters.
In chapter 2 Pawlak investigates instances of sarcasm in Job and the Prophets in the Septuagint. Here Pawlak helpfully draws the reader’s attention to the prominence of the sarcastic taunt in the prophetic works. He also argues that one of the primary functions of sarcasm in these texts is to communicate an implicit challenge, and that this challenge often critiques or reinforces social hierarchy. Chapter 3 examines the contextual and linguistic signals of sarcasm, as well as common patterns in the use of sarcasm in ancient Greek texts. This chapter also further explores the functions of sarcasm, focusing in particular on Lucian of Samosata’s use of sarcasm in his critiques of both higher and lower status targets.
Part 2 (chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7) focuses on Paul’s use of sarcasm in Galatians, Romans, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians, respectively. In all four of these chapters, Pawlak uses his previous examination of the contextual and linguistic signals of sarcasm in ancient Greek writings to guide his analysis of Paul’s letters. Chapter 4 investigates the use of sarcasm in Galatians, identifying obvious, plausible, and unlikely instances of sarcasm in this letter. Chapters 5 and 6 proceed in much the same way as chapter 4, though the complex rhetorical strategies in Romans and 1 Corinthians demand slightly more careful investigations by Pawlak than does Galatians. Pawlak successfully responds to this demand, carefully addressing the potential for sarcastic import in passages that include diatribe, hypothetical questions, and the echoing of popular slogans. Pawlak also helpfully identifies passages in which Paul engages in communicative acts that resemble, but do not amount to, sarcasm (such as the guiltive modality and facetiousness).
In chapter 7 Pawlak explores 2 Corinthians, identifying instances of both sarcasm and asteismos (self-deprecating irony). Given modern scholars’ intense focus on 2 Corinthians 10–13 in their analyses of Pauline irony, Pawlak engages more directly with recent scholarship in this chapter, at various points reinforcing, clarifying, and disputing previous scholarly claims about Paul’s use of irony. Ultimately, in this chapter and the other chapters of part 2, Pawlak argues that there is a significant degree of overlap between Paul and other Greek authors with regard to their expressions of sarcasm and the functions that their sarcasm serves. Pawlak highlights this point in chapter 8. This concluding chapter also addresses the implications of Pawlak’s study for understanding Paul’s education and social location, as well as his relationship with his epistolary audiences.
Pawlak’s investigation of Pauline sarcasm is commendable for several reasons. Most noteworthy is his coherent and rigorous argumentation, which is made possible by his methodologically sharp and disciplined approach to the material. Another admirable aspect of Pawlak’s book is his even-handed and meticulous evaluation of the extent to which sarcasm is present in Paul’s letters. He is careful to identify instances in which our existing evidence does not give us a clear answer as to the sarcastic import of Paul’s writing, and he anticipates many counterarguments that his readers might have. He also sensitively navigates the numerous minefields of Pauline scholarship, remaining attentive to divisions among scholars over the interpretation of Paul’s letters. Finally, this reader very much appreciated Pawlak’s exploration of the social functions of sarcasm, both in Paul’s letters and in the wider landscape of Greek literature. Pawlak emphasizes that sarcasm often functions as an implicit challenge to another party, and the propriety of this challenge depends on the social status of both the dealer of sarcasm and their target. This insight suggests that Paul’s use of sarcasm in his letters might be able to tell us something about his relationship with and social proximity to his encoded audiences. This book is a wonderful contribution to the study of Paul’s rhetoric, and it helpfully advances our understanding of Paul’s letters, as well as his cultural and social location.
Laura Dingeldein is a clinical assistant professor in Religious Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago.
Laura Dingeldein
Date Of Review:
February 14, 2024
