Il Presbitero e le Signore

Studio sulla personificazione delle Comunità in 2Gv

Abstract

In 2 Jn, the Elder refers to two Sisters. Taken as a whole, the text suggests that these feminine individuals are a literary figuration of believing communities known to the sender. Recently, the way in which the Johannine author expresses himself has been explained with the rhetorical device of the fictio personae. Adopting this explanation as a starting point, the article is organized in three parts plus a conclusion.  In the first part, a brief definition of the rhetorical device of personification is sketched out. Instead, in the second part, two other New Testament examples of personification (Gal 4,21-31; Ap 17–22) are further examined. Then in the third part an investigation is conducted which clarifies what the function of the personification of the two Sisters could be within the Letter, better defining the strategies used to make it work. In conclusion, we look at the methodological gains of this particular personification and the benefits regarding content in the relationship between the Elder and the two Johannine communities.