Reading the Christ hymn in Philippians in light of Paul’s letter to the Romans

Abstract

From a rhetorical perspective, the article argues that, for Paul, the figure of Adam serves as both a paradeigma (in a positive sense) and a contrarium (in a negative “epideictic” sense). This rhetorical technique occurs not only in Romans 5:12–14, but also in Paul’s “Christ Hymn” in Philippians 2:6–11. In metaphorical terms, Adam as contrarium is depicted as the “old” humankind, the pre-converted “sinner” who lives “according to the flesh” (κατὰ σάρκα), and Adam as paradeigma is depicted as the “new” humankind, the regenerated “righteous” one who lives “according to the spirit” (κατὰ πνεῦμα). The oxymoron that the paradeigma-contrarium rhetorical technique refers to the same person is explained in this article in terms of Paul’s emphasis on a spirituality of “transcendence in everydayness.”