This essay offers an example of Pacific Island biblical contextual reading. My approach draws on ‘Western’ methods (specifically sociorhetorical interpretation) but adapts and locates them for a Samoan cultural context. In this context, humour and derision can help save face in situations where violence and disorder may occur. The phrase mata o masiasi (face of shame) is utilized in Samoan society for such a purpose. This is an essential aspect of Samoan rhetoric, especially in a community where nurturing and sustaining the va (space-in-between, betweenness) is the sine qua non. The va is the relational space that is foundational to all relationships in society. Resituating the fool’s speech of 2 Corinthians 11.1–12.10 within an indigenous Samoan-inspired framework leads to new questions regarding the biblical text with the goal of resituating the biblical text to make sense in my Samoan context.
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