The Heptateuch Poet as a Battalist: Strategies of Epicization in Battles Scenes and Military Speeches

Donato De Gianni

2024-01-01

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Abstract

The paper examines the rhetorical and stylistic devices adopted by the poet of the Heptateuchos in rewriting the battle scenes and military speeches of the first seven books of the Old Testament. Compared to the biblical hypotext, in the paraphrase, there is a prominence of the ecphrastic amplifications, pathetic and surprising details, as well as narrative elements that highlight a process of Romanisation aimed at bringing the narratio closer to the expressive and cultural codes of the Roman audience. The poet characterises armies and military leaders by marking the difference between Israel and its enemies and also draws attention to the military strategies employed by the respective leaders. Biblical direct speeches are sometimes transformed into indirect speeches other times rhetorically reworked in order to make the narrative more vivid, regulating its pace. Adherence to traditional epos standards is ensured by the reuse of classical intertexts, especially from Virgil’s Aeneid, mostly, but not necessarily, from a Kontrastimitation perspective.