interpenetration occurred in Palestine itself as well as in the Diaspora.59 This indicates that it is appropriate to consider the Hellenistic context as an important context for the use of the OT in the NT writings. While Hellenistic culture has many dimensions, like any culture, one prominent aspect of Hellenistic culture was rhetoric.60 It formed the basis for the education of most Gentiles, at least among those whose socioeconomic status permitted the luxury of a formal education.61 As a result