Thomas Valgaeren: Moses’ Multiple Personalities: how the Cappadocians’ Literary Goals Influence Identity Construction

The Cappadocian Fathers discussed many aspects of the ideal Christian life throughout their writings and often used Biblical role models to persuade their audience to live as good Christians. While the way those models help to achieve this has been the subject of multiple studies, the influence of the literary context on the nature of role models has largely been neglected. The persuasive and rhetorical qualities of the Cappadocians’ works make such an influence probable and impactful, which gives rise to the hypothesis that it was more important to mould the models they used according to the goals of their texts than to keep up a consistent image of those models.
The communication focuses on the figure of Moses as a role model whose portrayal varies substantially in different texts of the Cappadocian Fathers and uses rhetorical analysis and framing theory to discuss this. Three examples are presented to illustrate the thesis. Firstly, Moses’ perception of his pagan education varies according to the purpose of the text in which it is brought up. Secondly, it will be shown how the extent of his kindness largely depends on the literary context. Finally, it is argued that Moses’ disposition when he entered the ‘darkness where God was’ (Ex. 20:21) can be described in strikingly different ways.
This study will show how the framing of Moses by influential authors can shape and  alter the audience’s perception of him. In the end, this raises questions as to Moses’ identity as a deliberate construct.