I am presenting a paper in the New Testament and Second Temple Judaism Seminar. Here is the abstract:
The Psychology of Persuasion in the Book of Revelation and 4 EzraThis abstract is a longer version than the one on the website. I originally wasn't sure if I would have enough presentation time to include Simon's work. But it turns out that I do.Modern psychology has identified three stages of persuasion: getting and holding attention, persuasive presentation, and making the message memorable. In two books, Robert Cialdini has published some of the most important work on the psychology of persuasion. He has articulated key “pre-suasion” factors which draw the listeners attention, sex, fear, the self-relevant, the unfinished, and the mysterious. He has also identified seven “pathways” to persuade the listener: reciprocation, liking, social proof, authority, scarcity, consistency, and unity. Carmen Simon has identified factors which makes new information memorable. These include surprise, anticipation, repeatability, distinction, and story. This paper evaluates the use of persuasive techniques in the Book of Revelation and in 4 Ezra. Revelation has been evaluated in the light of ancient rhetoric manuals, but not in terms of modern psychology, while there has been minimal attention to persuasion in 4 Ezra. The evidence indicates that John is a highly skilled persuader. By comparison, the writer of 4 Ezra is a less effective persuader who sometimes gives the reader conflicting persuasive messages.
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