The Importance of Epideictic Genre in Classical and Contemporary Rhetoric (On the Example of the Analysis of Christmas Messages of Croatian Bishops) Cover Image

Važnost epideiktičkoga žanra u klasičnoj i suvremenoj retorici (Na primjeru analize božićnih poruka hrvatskih biskupa)
The Importance of Epideictic Genre in Classical and Contemporary Rhetoric (On the Example of the Analysis of Christmas Messages of Croatian Bishops)

Author(s): Gabrijela Kišiček
Subject(s): Christian Theology and Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Language, Theory of Communication, Sociology of Religion, Rhetoric
Published by: Katolički bogoslovni fakultet u Đakovu
Keywords: epideictic rhetoric; deliberative rhetoric; pathos; Christmas messages;

Summary/Abstract: The paper presents an overview of the historical development and importance of the epideictic genre in rhetoric. Aristotle divided rhetoric into deliberative, judicial and epideictic, distinguishing between them according to their end goal, according to the means of argumentation, according to the dominant means of persuasion, and according to temporal orientation (deliberative rhetoric is directed to the future, judicial to the past, and epideictic to the present). The paper presents the rhetorical specificities of the epideictic genre and emphasizes the importance and value of this type of speech in both classical and modern rhetoric. As an example of current presence of epideictic rhetoric, Christmas messages of Croatian bishops are analyzed in order to show on concrete examples how epideictic speaking looks in contemporary practice, and at the same time Christmas messages are described as one specific and special type of Christian rhetoric.

  • Issue Year: 27/2019
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 323-338
  • Page Count: 16
  • Language: Croatian