Argumentation and the interpretation of religious texts

The relationship between the fields of biblical interpretation and argumentation is an area of research that is increasingly starting to attract attention. The growing literature and studies in argumentation theory, which stemmed from the rediscovery of the ancient rhetoric and dialectics explored in Perelman’s New Rhetoric (Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca 1969) and Toulmin’s The Uses of Argument (Toulmin 1958), clarified the controversial notions of rhetorical discourse and persuasion, showing their central role in human communication. The complex dimension of rhetoric is partially captured by the methods of biblical interpretation named “rhetorical analysis” or “rhetorical hermeneutics,” which are founded on the principle that all biblical texts are in some measure persuasive (Williamson 2001:256). Modern argumentation analysis has become one of the master-keys for introducing readers to the inner meaning and whole connotative context of different kinds of texts, including the religious and strictly biblical. Argumentation theory is used as a method of bringing to light different aspects of religious texts. The contributions in the present Special Issue are dedicated to the analysis of arguments as pragmatic constructs in texts which are strictly connected to religious topics.