Tyndale Bulletin 46.2 (1995) 229-250. WHAT HAS ARISTOTLE TO DO WITH PAUL? RHETORICAL CRITICISM AND 1 THESSALONIANS Steve Walton Summary This article considers the application of rhetorical critical methods to 1 Thessalonians, summarising the approaches of significant scholars before considering the rhetorical genre of the letter. After considering the options, a key issue is identified: the question of whether Paul faced opponents in the church at Thessalonica. The evidence favours a negative conclusion, and the rhetorical genre is concluded to be epideictic, because of the focus of the letter on praise and blame. I. Introduction In recent times a growing number of studies have appeared using the tools provided by rhetoric, both ancient and modern, to analyse and understand the biblical documents. 1 In New Testament studies, Betz’ work on Galatians launched this new era, 2 followed by the highly influential work of Kennedy, 3 who has provided a classicist’s perspective to the development of the discipline. 1 For an introduction to rhetorical criticism, see my article ‘Rhetorical Criticism: An Introduction’, forthcoming in Themelios. 2 Hans Dieter Betz, ‘The Literary Composition and Function of Paul’s Letter to the Galatians’, New Testament Studies 21 (1975) 353-79; Hans Dieter Betz, Galatians: A Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Churches in Galatia (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979). 3 George A. Kennedy, Classical Rhetoric and its Christian and Secular Tradition from Ancient to Modern Times (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1980); George A. Kennedy, New Testament Interpretation through Rhetorical Criticism (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1984).