Metanoia and the Transformation of Opportunity

Abstract

When Kairos, the god of opportunity, passes by, Metanoia is left in his wake. At first glance, Metanoia is the embodiment of regret, a sorrowful woman cowering under the weight of remorse. However, there is more to the concept of metanoia than feelings of regret. This article looks to the long-standing partnership between kairos and metanoia as a way to better understand the affective and transformative dimension of kairos. The kairos and metanoia partnership can take shape as a personal learning process, a pedagogical tool, and a rhetorical device. Kairos and metanoia stimulate transformations of belief, large and small, that can advance personal understanding and lead to more empathetic responses. As such, this article argues for further exploration of the kairos and metanoia partnership in rhetorical theory and practice.

Notes

¹Since the epigram is written in the ekphrastic tradition, a genre with a tendency toward exaggeration, the historical accuracy of the information may be questionable. According to Kay, however, Posidippus's description of Lysippus's Kairos can be considered the most accurate, as it is the earliest known account (written within a century of the sculpture) and subsequent descriptions “become more flowery and unconvincing the later their date” (98). Veracity of information aside, Posidippus's epigram was undoubtedly a source of inspiration and information for artists and authors over many centuries.

²Da Carpi's painting also calls to mind the Kairos entry in Callistratus's Descriptions, a third or fourth century collection of short essays in which each piece focuses on a statue of a mythological character. Callistratus's provides vivid descriptions of Kairos, referring to the statue as “head to foot resplendent with the bloom of youth” (397).

³According to Pathrapankal, “there is complete agreement among scholars that the word corresponding to the New Testament words metanoein and metanoia is the Hebrew verb shubh” (35). Pathrapankal goes on to explain that shūbh “is basically a verb of motion and movement: ‘turn, return, turn back, go back, come back’, all within the meaning of this verb” (35–36).

⁴The sermon is also referred to as “Remaining Awake through a Great Revolution,” delivered March 31, 1968.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kelly A. Myers

Kelly A. Myers is a Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow in the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University, 590 Escondido Mall, Sweet Hall, 3rd floor, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.