GENRE AND NARRATIVE COHERENCE IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES by Alan Bale A thesis ...

323 Pages·2012·1.7 MB·English

GENRE AND NARRATIVE COHERENCE IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

by

Alan Bale

A thesis submitted to the
University of Birmingham for
the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
University of Birmingham Research Archive

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ABSTRACT

This thesis embarks upon a thorough investigation into the relationship between genre and interpretation,
using the principle of narrative coherence to provide a methodological basis upon which to build. It argues
that the attempt to find a single or even simple hybrid genre for Acts is an academic cul-de-sac that is
curtailing effective progress, and advocates instead a model of fluid intertextuality that sees the author
make use of many different genres. It then goes on to explore these findings in three separate studies, all
of which make use of different intertextual and generic frameworks to interpret the text in new ways. The
first study makes use of a device seen in Epic and Tragedy, the second makes use of wider systems of
characterisation, particularly of divinely elected heroes, and the third looks at the use of comedy in
sections of the narrative. Overall, the conclusion of the thesis is that only a change in methodological basis
from history and source to narrative and text will allow biblical studies to make substantial progress in the
interpretation of the scriptures.
To Anna Callaghan and Father Denis Labartette, because I don’t know who I would be now
if you hadn’t had faith in me then.
ACKOWLEDGEMENTS

There are always many people to thank when writing the acknowledgements to a work such as this, and
many of those who deserve thanks will have to remain nameless. My high school teacher and priest,
named in the dedication, represent an early point in what has been a long and often difficult road.
All the people who have put up with my continual arguing, speculating, hypothesising, and general
tendency to behave like a dog with a bone when it comes to some minor academic issue have my
gratitude, not least those at the British New Testament Conference that were unfortunate enough to
venture an opinion on my thesis or any subject related to Acts; in particular, Sean Adams and Hannah
Brooks (now Cocksworth), Professors Loveday Alexander, Andrew Lincoln and Max Turner, and Dr Helen
Bond. Perhaps most kind of all has been Peter Doble, who nobody should ever be without.
Needless to say this thesis has bored my wife witless, and I would like to thank her for her patience and
kindness, her willingness to proof-read, to translate essays on source theories from German and French
(for which she should be canonised, frankly), and to generally support my reckless and ill-conceived dream
of being an academic, at much personal and professional cost to herself. Professor David Parker, and in
fact the whole ITSEE team, have also been patient, insightful, and brilliant. Barbara Bordalejo has been a
shrewd critic – her approval of my literary ideas was hard-won and sharpened them considerably. My
supervisor, Dr Philip Burton, has done all the things a supervisor should and more. His willingness to
grapple with my ideas and to make sense of what, even by his standards, was complicated stuff, is very
much appreciated.
CONTENTS

Page numbers
FOREWORD 1

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION: GENRE AND NARRATIVE 3
1. Introduction 3
1.1. Outline of the thesis 6
1.2. Historicity, Fiction and the Genre of Acts 8
1.3. The Problem of Classification 10
1.4. The rational of Classifying 12
2. Preliminaries 14
2.1. My location in the debate 14
2.2. Unity with Luke’s Gospel 16
2.3. Preface 23
2.4. “We” Passages 26
2.5. Dating 30
2.6. Sources 32
2.6.1. The sources of Acts 33
2.6.2. Literary Artistry and The Negative 37
Search for Coherence
2.6.3. MacDonald’s Intertextually Founded 43
Coherence in Acts 10.1-11.18
2.6.4. Modern Approaches to the Source 44
Question
2.6.5. Coherence as the Acid Test 46
2.7. Textual Problems 48
3. Terminology 4 9
3.1. Author/Implied Author 50
3.2. Target Audience/Ideal Reader 52
3.3. Intentionality 55
3.4. Mode 58
3.5. Narrative Configuration and Narrative Coherence 59

Chapter 2. A SURVEY OF GENRE PROPOSALS 61
1. Introduction 61
2. A Look at Some Proposals 63
2.1. Acts as an Apologetic History 63
2.2. Acts as an Institutional History 68
2.3. Acts and the Ancient Bios 71
2.4. Acts and the Historical Monograph 75
2.5. Acts and Epic 77
2.6. Acts and the Novel 79
3. Pick a Box, Any Box: the options so far 86

Chapter 3. THE THEORY OF GENRE 90
1. Introduction 90
2. Genre, Classification, Hybridity 91
2.1. Pure Forms and Popular Texts 97
2.2. The Process of Generic Change 101
3. Genre, Conventions, Expectations 104
3.1. Intertextual Signposting, the Expectation of Relevance and 106
the Cognitive Environment
3.2. Multicultural Literary Environments and Intertextual 109
Dialogue
3.3. Modern and Ancient Literary Styles 111
4. Generic Hybridization in Interpretation 118
5. Conclusion: Genre and Narrative Coherence 122
5.1. Using Genre and Narrative Coherence as a Means of 123
Interpretation

Chapter 4. HISTORY AND FICTION 125
1. Introduction 125
1.1. An Overview of the Theoretical Problem 127
2. Fiction and Cognition 128
2.1. History as Constrained Narrative 131
3. The Conventions of Reading 134
3.1. Propositional versus Poetic Implicatures 138
3.2. The Hebrew Bible and the Rhetoric of Historicity 143
3.2.1. Acts and Inspired History 147
3.2.2. Heliodorus and the Rhetoric of 150
Realism
3.2.3. The Open Text and the Septuagint 153
4. Conclusion to Part 1: The Creation of a Cognitive Environment for Acts 157

PART 2: THE STUDIES 160

Introduction to the Second Part. CONFIGURING THE NARRATIVE OF ACTS 161
1. Introduction 161
2. Intertext and Convention: from Beginning to End 161
2.1. A note on method (or the lack thereof) 163
2.2. Confusion and Convention in the Preface to Acts 164
3. Acts 1.1-11: Dropped into a Dream 166
3.1. Transition and Displacement 166
3.1.1. Verse 4 167
3.1.2. Verse 6 168
Chapter 5. THE AMBIGUOUS ORACLE 172
1. The Oracle and the Plot 172
1.1. The Outline of the Plot: 1.6-8 172
1.2. Question and Answer in Acts 1.6-8 176
1.3. The Trouble with the Answer 179
1.4. Jewish Mission: Ups and Downs 184
2. Paul’s role 188
2.1. Arbiter of the Divine Will 188
2.2. A Final Twist 190
2.3. The Third Attempt 191
3. Support from Oracular Literature 192
3.1. Legendary/Historical Oracles 192
3.2. Literary Oracles 195
3.3. Foundation Narratives 197
4. Conclusion 199

Chapter 6. THE CONFIGURATION OF PAUL’S APOSTOLIC STATUS 202
1. Introduction 202
2. Paul as Apostle in Scholarship 203
2.1. Luke’s Portrayal of Paul 209
2.2. The Construction of Pauline Christianity 212
3. Paul’s Parallels 214
3.1. The Magician (8.9-24/13.5-12) 216
3.2. Healing of a Lame man (3.1-26/14.8-18) 218
3.3. Delivery from Prison (12.3-17/16.1-40) 219
3.4. Vicarious Healing (5.15/19.11-17) 220
4. The compound argument: The Example of Socrates 221
5. Apostolic Status 224
5.1. Divine Election 224
5.2. Witnessing and Sending Out 226
5.3. Barnabas as Apostle? 227
5.4. The Election of Matthias and its Narrative Value 229
6. Refraction of Intentionality and Configurative Value 231
6.1. Refraction and Citation 234
7. Luke’s Narrative Argument: a Summary 235
8. Parallels in Ancient Literature 239
9. Conclusion 241
Chapter 7. AN INTRODUCTION TO COMEDY AND CHARACTERISATION IN ACTS 243
1. Introduction: the Bible and comedy 243
1.1. Comedy in the Bible and comedy in Acts 244
2. Humorous Episodes in Acts 244
2.1. Healing at Lystra (14.8-20) 245
2.2. The Sons of Sceva 248
2.3. The Riot at Ephesus 249
2.4. Told you so 251
2.5. The Eutychus Episode 252
3. The problem of the Miletus Speech: Acts 20.17-38 256
4. An Analysis of the Speech 260
4.1. Talking 260
4.2. Immodesty 262
4.3. Rhetoric 265
4.3.1. Repetition 266
4.3.2. Pathos 269
4.3.3. Flowery Phrases 270
4.4. The Conclusion to the speech 273
5. Some Parallels 275
5.1. A Similar Episode in Acts 275
5.2. Parallels in the wider Milieu 276
5.2.1. Dio Cassius and Pompey (Roman 277
History 36)
5.2.2. Arrian and Alexander (Anabasis VII) 278
5.2.3. The Passing of Peregrinus 279
5.2.4. Achilles Tatius and Leucippe 281
6. Other Parallels and Data 282
7. Conclusion 285

Chapter 8. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 287
1. Summary 287
2. Conclusions 291
2.1. The Narratives that make Acts Acts 291
2.2. The Narrative Coherence of Acts 292
2.2.1. The Importance of Paul to Acts 293
2.3. Sources and Narrative Coherence 294
2.4. Genre and Methodological Strategies 295
3. Potential Avenues of Future Research 296
WORKS CITED 298