| Abstrakt: |
AbstractThe Acts of the Apostles is a relevant New Testament document for discussing fearless speech (parrēsia) in early Christianity. According to Michel Foucault, parrēsiais a verbal activity that ultimately constitutes a philosophical attitude, namely, the parrēsiasticattitude, in which the speaker is bound to his/her utterances and their risky consequences. More precisely, Foucault’s concept of parrēsiais framed by the notions of frankness rather than persuasion, truth instead of silence, courage in contrast to fear, criticism instead of praise, and moral duty in opposition to self-interest. This multifaceted definition of parrēsiaseems to provide a heuristic framework of reference for exploring fearless speech in Acts. However, it is unclear whether this framework, which results from Foucault’s problematisation of Greek parrēsia, properly captures the picture of parrēsiain the narrative of Acts. The present article critically engages with Foucault’s multifaceted conception of parrēsia. Comparatively, it evaluates how parrēsiais similar to and different from expressions of fearless speech observed in the use of parrēsiain Acts. |
