05_Biblica_Aletti_Layout 1 01/04/14 12:04 Pagina 95 95 JAMES 2,14-26 3. The Progression of the Passage This arrangement requires a brief commentary. The chreia is not solely identifiable by its initial question, even if that is what is often determinative; the objection and the examples are further indicators that alert the attentive reader to the literary genres of ancient texts. Like several Pauline argumentations, Jas 2,14-26 is composed of two parts: a first part that briefly states the thesis and follows it with a primary reason (or ratio), which is very brief, so that the reader immediately sees the author’s position 18, and a second that takes up these elements and multiplies and develops the reasons that sup- port the defended thesis: vv. 14-17 brief first part first statement of the thesis and first ratio vv. 18-26 long second part other statements of the thesis and rationes If the chreia constitutes the disposition of the whole, it is not the only rhetorical tool utilized by Jas 2,14-26. The bipartite divi- sion is further identifiable thanks to the diatribe that begins in v.18, as was seen by Dibelius. The prosopopoeia (v. 18, evrei/ tij), in other words, the mention of a fictional interlocutor, and the provocative apostrophe (v. 20, w= a;nqrwpe kene,) — the reason for which Ruckstuhl speaks of Spottrede, of denigration — are some of the indicators that are not misleading. As we already noted above concerning the reading proposed by T. Kot, it is clear that v. 18 cannot be a conclusion. Rather, v. 18 is stating an objection and introducing the developments of vv. 19-25 as the two propositions in v. 18bc indicate: announcement of the examples the examples v. 18b dei/xo,n moi th.n pi,stin [sou] → v. 19 negative example cwri.j tw/n e;rgwn v. 18c kavgw, soi dei,xw evk tw/n e;rgwn → v. 21-25 positive examples [mou] thn pi,stinÅ . 18 In the Pauline letters, the clearest example is Rom 1,16-17 in which Paul states his position by furnishing a primary reason before the develop- ments that will run throughout the letter.