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The Continuity of the Story of the Three Bodyguards and the Meaning of Truth

  • Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
  • Abbr : KJOTS
  • 2026, 32(01), pp.21~47
  • DOI : 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.01.21
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology
  • Received : February 1, 2026
  • Accepted : February 19, 2026

KWAK, UN SUNG 1

1계명대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study aims to investigate the performative and practical meaning of “truth” in the Story of the Three Bodyguards (1 Esdras 3:1–5:6) through an integrated rhetorical analysis. While traditional scholarship has often fragmented the text into "Greek" and "Jewish" layers or reduced the praise of truth to mere political propaganda, this article seeks to demonstrate how the concept of truth functions as the core persuasive driver for the historical resumption of the Jerusalem Temple reconstruction. To achieve this, the study adopts a holistic rhetorical strategy, reading the five speeches not as isolated fragments but as a coherent persuasive sequence. It traces the transition from epideictic contest to deliberative petition and employs an intertextual method to uncover how Hellenistic rhetorical forms consistently appropriate Hebrew scriptural language (from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Genesis, and Proverbs) as persuasive resources. The research first critiques existing editorial hypotheses by highlighting the narrative’s rhetorical continuity. It demonstrates that the first three speeches—on wine, the king, and women—utilize scriptural motifs to expose the inherent distortions in human judgment. Based on this, the study redefines Zerubbabel’s speech on truth not as another competing force, but as the normative criterion aligned with divine justice. The analysis culminates in Zerubbabel’s final appeal, where truth is transformed into a performative demand for the king to fulfill his prior vow, thereby linking speech and judgment to concrete historical action. The study concludes that the Story of the Three Bodyguards is a sophisticated performative discourse rather than a mere court tale. By redefining truth as the alignment of speech, judgment, and action, this research enhances the theological and ethical understanding of Septuagint literature. Ultimately, it offers a critical insight into political ethics, suggesting that the legitimacy of authority is fundamentally measured by its commitment to fulfilling spoken promises—a “performance” of truth that initiates communal restoration.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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