The rhetorical tradition is absolutely central to the
Western tradition. The Apostle Paul was obviously educated in that tradition,
given his highly literate use of various rhetorical devices throughout his
letters. The early Church Fathers, such as Augustine and Chrysostom, employed traditional
rhetoric while re-tooling it for specific ecclesiastical needs (homilies,
teachings, biblical exegesis). The Reformation was fueled in part by a return
to classical rhetoric (Melancthon, Luther’s right-hand man, wrote a widely
influential textbook on the subject).
In the modern era,
writers as various as C. S. Lewis, T. S. Eliot, Dorothy Sayers,
Frederick Buechner, and Annie Dillard use the full complement of rhetorical
techniques to move us and instruct us.
Here is a useful guide to rhetoric as it surrounds us in
the American tradition: American Rhetoric.
This site is full of helpful features, such as a speech
bank of famous American speeches, apologetics link, and –my favorite part of
the site—examples of speechifying in movies. The other part of this site I like
is the “rhetorical figures in sound,” in which you hear a variety of speakers,
many who are famous, display figures of speech. Enjoy.