The Letter to the Hebrews by Donald Guthrie

The Letter to the Hebrews by Donald Guthrie

A growing frustration with spin doctors, doublespeak, and outright lying by public officials has resulted in a deep public cynicism regarding politics today. It has also led many voters to seek out politicians who engage in straight talk, out of a hope that sincerity signifies a dedication to the truth. While this is an understandable reaction to the degradation of public discourse inflicted by political hype, Elizabeth Markovits argues that the search for sincerity in the public arena actually constitutes a dangerous distraction from more important concerns, including factual truth and the ethical import of political statements.

Her argument takes her back to an examination of the Greek notion of parrhesia (frank speech), and she draws from her study of the Platonic dialogues a nuanced understanding of this ancient analogue of straight talk. She shows Plato to have an appreciation for rhetoric rather than a desire to purge it from public life, providing insights into the ways it can contribute to a fruitful form of deliberative democracy today.

Donald Guthrie (1915-1992) was a graduate of the University of London (B.D., Th.M., Ph.D.). From 1949 until his retirement in 1982 Guthrie was lecturer in New Testament studies at London Bible College, and from 1978 until 1982 he also served as vice principal of the college. His books include New Testament Introduction, New Testament Theology, and the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries on the Pastoral Epistles and Hebrews.