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This Thesis Has Been Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for a Postgraduate Degree (E.G This thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. THE GENRE OF ACTS AND COLLECTED BIOGRAPHY By Sean A. Adams PhD Thesis University of Edinburgh 2011 2 The thesis is entirely my own work and no portion of it represents work done in collaboration with others. Neither has the dissertation been submitted for any other degree or qualification. Sean A. Adams 3 ABSTRACT This thesis argues that the best genre parallel for the Acts of the Apostles is collected biography. This conclusion is reached through an application of ancient and modern genre theory and a detailed comparison of Acts and collected biographies. Chapter 1 offers prolegomena to this study and further delineates the contours of the thesis. Chapter 2 provides an extensive history of research, not only to provide the context and rationale for the present work, but also to indicate some of the shortcomings of previous investigations and the need for this present study. Chapter 3 presents the methodological perspective for this exploration. Making use of ancient and modern genre theory, I propose that scholars need to understand genre as a dynamic and flexible system that is culturally influenced and highly adaptable. In Chapter 4 I trace the diachronic development of ancient biographies, describe different sub-divisions, and note the strong, enduring relationship between biography and history. In evaluating the development of biography as a whole, there appears to be a distinct preference by ancient biographers for collected biographies. Chapters 5 to 7 interpret Acts in light of its possible relationship with collected biographies. Chapter 5 provides a detailed comparison of the structural and content features of history, novels, collected biographies, and Acts. Overall, this chapter argues that the structural and content features of Acts are most strongly related to the genre of biography and, secondarily, to history. Chapters six and seven evaluate Acts as a modified collected biography, identifying notable similarities in content features, structure, and endings. Chapter 8 summarizes and concludes the thesis, along with a brief mention of avenues for future research. Related literary investigations, such as a list of literary topoi references in biographies, biographies referenced by Diogenes Laertius, and a full discussion of biography’s adaptability in the first century (modelled by Plutarch and Philo), are treated in appendices. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements 7 Abbreviations 8 Chapter One: Introduction 9 Why Is Genre Important? 9 Preliminary Issues 13 Authorship of Luke and Acts 13 Unity of Luke-Acts 16 Collected Biographies 17 The Text of Acts 17 The Genre of Luke’s Gospel 18 Dates 19 Chapter Overview 20 Significance of This Study 23 Chapter Two: History of Research on the Genre of Acts 25 1. Acts as History 25 1.1 General History 28 1.2 Deuteronomistic History 30 1.3 Political History 32 1.4 Apologetic History 33 2. Acts as Novel/Romance 36 3. Acts as Epic 39 4. Acts as Biography 42 Conclusion 47 Chapter Three: Modern and Ancient Genre Theory 49 Ancient Genre Theory 49 1. Ancient Literary Theory 50 1.1 Aristotle 50 1.2 Isocrates 54 1.3 Philodemus 57 1.4 Cicero 60 1.5 Horace 61 1.6 Quintilian 67 2. Aggregation of Ancient Literary Theory 69 2.1 Genre Features According to the Anciets 69 2.2 Genre Hierarchy and Greek and Latin Literary Preferences 73 2.3 Genre Fluidity and Development 76 Modern Genre Theory and the Function of Genre 81 What Makes a Genre? 81 The Evolution of Genre 84 Genre and Power Relations 88 Conclusion 90 5 Chapter Four: Ancient Individual and Collected Biographies 92 Definition of Biography 93 The Early Development of Biography 94 Biography in the Hellenistic Era and Early Empire 100 1. Political Biography 105 2. Military Biography 108 3. Intellectual Biography 110 4. Collected Biographies 116 4.1 Περὶ βίων 117 4.2 De Viris Illustribus 119 4.3 Schools and Successions 126 4.3.1 Philosophical Schools and Successions 127 4.3.2 Περὶ αἱρέσεων 133 What Are Collected Biographies? 134 Conclusion 137 Chapter Five: Acts as Collected Biography 139 1. Opening Features 140 1.1 Title 140 1.2 Opening Words and Preface 143 2. Subject 148 3. External Features 155 3.1 Mode of Representation 156 3.2 Metre 160 3.3 Size 160 3.4 Structure 163 3.5 Scale of Subject and Chronological Scope 165 3.6 Use of Sources 168 3.7 Literary Units 170 3.8 Methods of Characterisation 172 3.9 Summary 174 4. Internal Features 175 4.1 Setting 175 4.2 Topoi and Motifs 176 4.3 Style and Register 179 4.4 Atmosphere 183 4.5 Quality of Characterisation 184 4.6 Social Setting and Presumed Audience 186 4.7 Authorial Intention 189 4.8 Summary 192 5. Conclusion 193 Chapter Six: Characterisation in Acts 196 The Opening of Acts 197 The Characters of Acts 203 1. Characters in Collected Biographies 204 2. Characters and Disciple Lists in Acts 208 6 2.1 John 212 2.2 Stephen 212 2.3 Philip 215 2.4 Ananias 217 2.5 James 218 2.6 Barnabas 220 2.7 Summary 221 3. Those Who Are Not (True) Disciples 222 3.1 Judas 224 3.2 Ananias and Sapphira 225 3.3 Simon Magus 227 3.4 The Seven Sons of Sceva 228 3.5 Summary 229 Conclusion 229 Chapter Seven: Peter, Paul and the Ending of Acts 231 Peter and Paul 231 1. Prominent Disciples in Ancient Biographies 231 2. Narrative Allocation in Acts 234 2.1 Peter 237 2.2 Paul 243 2.3 Summary 248 Paul’s Missionary Journeys and Trials 249 The Ending of Acts 254 1. Rhetorical-Literary Approach and Ancient Works 257 1.1 Endings in Greco-Roman Literature 259 1.2 Endings in Collected Biographies 264 2. Ending of Acts 267 Conclusion 270 Chapter Eight: Conclusion 273 Why Did Luke Choose Collected Biographies 273 Overview and Contributions 274 Appendix One: Literary Topoi in Ancient Greek Biographies 284 Appendix Two: References to Biographical Works in Diogenes Laertius’ Lives of the Philosophers 288 Appendix Three: Divisions in Collected Biogrphies 290 Appendix Four: Plutarch and Philo 304 Plutarch 304 1. Lives of the Caesars 305 2. Parallel Lives 308 Philo 314 Conclusion 322 Bibliography 323 7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is a product of three years spent as a doctoral student at New College, University of Edinburgh, undertaken with financial support from the University of Edinburgh, the Overseas Research Studentship scheme, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Thanks go first to my supervisor, Prof. Larry Hurtado, for his support, lengthy discussions, and keen observations. My second supervisor, Dr. Helen Bond, was always welcoming and modelled for me the graciousness I hope to emulate in my career. I am fortunate to have been a part of a vibrant scholarly community at New College, and I am thankful for the friendships that were fostered, especially with my fellow New Testament students in Semples, Torrence, and the New Testament reading group. Special thanks are due to Mark Batluck for his friendship and conversation, Blair Wilgus for introducing me to the Water of Life Society, Seth Ehorn for our stimulating converstations, and Julia Snyder for her keen editing eye that improved the quality of this thesis. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to my family and their moral support. Most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, Megan, whose love and steadfastness have supported me throughout my time in Edinburgh. It is to her that I dedicate this thesis. 8 ABBREVIATIONS In addition to the following, all abbreviations in this thesis are taken from: Patrick H. Alexander, et al., The SBL Handbook of Style: For Ancient ear Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999). APA American Philological Association APAM American Philological Association Monograph CCSA Corpus Christianorum: Series Apocryphorum CHSC Center for Hellenic Studies Colloquia CL Collection Latomus CLL Classical Life and Letters CR Classical Review ECF The Early Church Fathers GAP Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha HE Historia-Einzelschriften IBT Interpreting Biblical Texts ICS Illinois Classical Studies JBS Jerusalem Biblical Studies JGRChJ Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism JHS Journal of Hebrew Scriptures JSPL Journal for the Study of Paul and his Letters LSCP London Studies in Classical Philology MS Mnemosyne Supplement OTM Oxford Theological Monographs PA Philosophia Antiqua PBM Paternoster Biblical Monographs PP La Parola del Passato PPFBRHUJ Publications of the Perry Foundation for Biblical Research, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem SAAA Studies on the Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles SAM Studies in Ancient Medicine SH Studia Hellenistica TANZ Texte und Arbeiten zum neutestamentlichen Zeitalter TCH The Transformation of the Classical Heritage TTH Translated Texts for Historians WGRW Writings from the Greco-Roman World YCGL Yearbook of Comparative and General Literature CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION One of the major issues within current Acts scholarship is the question of the genre of Luke-Acts.
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