Irony in the Matthean Passion Narrative

Irony (as used here) is a rhetorical and literary device for revealing what is hidden behind what is seen. It thus offers the reader a superior understanding by means of the distinction between reality and its shadow. The book provides a history of different definitions of irony, from Aristophanes to Booth; discusses the constitutive formal elements of irony and the functions of irony; then studies particular aspects of the Matthean Passion Narrative that require the reader to recognize a deeper truth beneath the surface of the narrative.

InHee C. Bergis associate professor in religious studies at Concordia University College of Alberta; her research focuses on rhetorical-literary aspects of the Gospels, religion and literature, gender and Christianity, and Jewish-Christian relations.