Table Of ContentThe Continuation War 1941-1944 as a Metanoic Moment
Jouni Tilli
The Continuation War
1941-1944 as
a Metanoic Moment
A Burkean Reading
of Finnish Clerical Rhetoric
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Nationalbibliothek
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Cover photo: „Chaplain at the front“
© Picture on the cover with kind permission of The Northern
Ostrobothnia Museum, Uuno Laukka Collection
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Tilli, Jouni, 1979-
The continuation war 1941-1944 as a metanoic moment : a
Burkean reading of Finnish clerical rhetoric / Jouni Tilli. — First
edition
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-3-631-64127-9
1. Lutheran Church—Political activity—Finland—History—20th
century. 2. War—Religious aspects—Lutheran Church. 3. Conti-
nuation War, 1941-1944. 4. Burke, Kenneth, 1897-1993. I. Title.
BX8029.T55 2013
284.1'489709044—dc23
2013019752
ISBN 978-3-631-64127-9 (Print)
E-ISBN 978-3-653-03072-3 (E-Book)
DOI 10.3726/978-3-653-03072-3
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Abstract
Tilli, Jouni
The Continuation War 1941–1944 as a Metanoic Moment. A Burkean Reading
of Finnish Lutheran Clerical Rhetoric
The study explores an aspect of the Continuation War 1941–1944 that has re-
ceived surprisingly little attention, although the war in general is one of the most
debated topics in the history of Finland. Accordingly, the research tackles the
rhetorical problem of how Lutheran priests applied religious and biblical typolo-
gies in order to support the war effort of the Finnish state. My interpretation of
priestly power consists of two steps. Firstly, the theological concept of metanoia
is used to frame an explanation of how clergy purported to change minds in
order to prepare the audience for action. Secondly, Kenneth Burke’s theory of
symbolic action is applied in rhetorical analysis of clerical texts.
As the research shows, the Continuation War was “emplotted” using an ap-
plication of the biblical drama. More specifically, the clergy relied on six typoi:
apocalypse, holy war & crusade, election & mission, jeremiad, the war within,
obedience & mortification. Hence the substantial change from eschatological
expectations, holy war and crusading to lamentations of individual and collective
sinfulness could be carried out using a rhetorical structure that was familiar to all
Finns. And most importantly, without questioning the authority of the church or
the state, whilst the military-political situation changed dramatically.
The primary material consists of texts produced by bishops, chaplains and
other priests. These texts include sermons, speeches, devotionals and newspaper
articles. The method is textual analysis, manifested in the application of a read-
ing strategy that examines the usage of biblical and religious imagery that were
used in interpreting the Finnish situation.
Keywords: The Continuation War, Kenneth Burke, symbolic action, rhetoric,
metanoia, clergy
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Acknowledgements
First and foremost I wish to thank Professor Mika Ojakangas for his support and
insightful feedback on the manuscript. In addition, I want to thank Docent Tuija
Parvikko whose expertise was invaluable especially at the early stages of the re-
search. I am also extremely thankful for Professor Clarke Rountree, PhD Mika
Luoma-aho and PhD Edward C. Appel for their astute observations and sugges-
tions. MA Eleanor Underwood has skillfully corrected my English. I am myself of
course solely responsible for the errors that remain.
Finally, I owe the warmest thanks to my wife Milla whose unwavering sup-
port I have been able to count on. Thank you Milla, your love has been pivotal. I
wish to thank also our daughter Sofia who has taught an impatient man a great
deal of patience. I am enormously grateful also to my dear parents Liisa and
Juhani who have stood by me more firmly than I could have hoped for.
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Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................... 11
1.1 The Continuation War, priests and rhetoric .......................................... 11
1.2 Plan of the study .................................................................................... 16
1.3 Finland before the Continuation War .................................................... 18
2. Fall and redemption: language as symbolic action ........................................ 21
2.1 Tools that weld, demons that divide ...................................................... 21
2.2 Symbols as entelechial movement ........................................................ 23
2.3 Identification, order, and the rhetoric of theology ................................. 25
3. The dialectic of dramatism ............................................................................ 31
3.1 The dramatistic pentad .......................................................................... 31
3.2 The dialectic of dramatic substance ...................................................... 34
3.3 Dominant topoi, circumference and root terms ..................................... 38
3.4 Symbolic action in biblical terms: typological identification ................ 42
4. The priestly politics of metanoia ................................................................... 47
4.1 Guidance towards salvation – priestly power in Christianity ................ 47
4.2 Metanoia – the purpose of priestly power ............................................. 52
4.3 Martin Luther’s political theology, nationalism and Lutheran
metanoia ................................................................................................ 59
4.4 The Lutheran justification of war .......................................................... 64
5. Setting the scene: visions of eschatology ...................................................... 69
5.1 Invocation: the Continuation War as a holy war, a crusade .................. 69
5.2 The Continuation War: Apocalypse now! ............................................. 71
5.2.1 Typos: apocalypse ....................................................................... 71
5.2.2 Behold, for something new is being born .................................... 73
5.3 Legion, for we are many – the enemy identified ................................... 82
5.3.1 “I will put enmity between you” – hostility and devil-terms .......... 82
5.3.2 Eternal enemy from the kingdom of the Beast ............................ 84
5.3.3 Chaos and the Asiatic hordes ...................................................... 93
5.4 Katechon and anomos, the temporized essence of the war ................... 98
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