Alliteration as Rhetoric? 2 Peter 2 as a Test Case

Though the methodology and significance of rhetorical criticism for New Testament studies is heavily debated, it has cemented itself as an integral part of the discipline. The role of alliteration as a form of micro-rhetoric, however, has been underappreciated. The purpose of this paper is to justify and develop a methodology for studying alliteration, initiate a discussion of alliteration’s rhetorical significance, and examine the role of alliteration in two key texts in 2 Peter, noting how such micro-rhetoric fits within the macro-rhetorical structure of that epistle as laid out by Duane F. Watson’s influential work.