Discourse Analysis - Already but Not Yet
Eric and Karol-Ann Weiss
eweiss at gte.net
Tue Aug 1 00:28:46 EDT 2000
> [2] In fact, that sentence is why I take
> the AGGELOI to be `messengers'
> and not angels. The idea of "speaking"
> (LALEW) is forefront in the
> author's mind. It is the first aorist
> finite verb. Messengers speak.
> And the first reference to AGGELOI
> is articular, thus indicating that
> the author thinks of the persons as
> already in the reader's cognitive
> environment. Who are they? Well,
> I think they are the "PROFHTHS" of
> verse 1. Why is PROFHTHS articular?
> Because they are already in the
> cognitive environment from the original
> reader's extra-textual context.
> To postulate that angels were already
> in the extra-textual context would
> require their prominence. Our not
> being able to produce extra-Biblical
> evidence in support indicates (to me)
> no prominence. Thus it seems
> more likely that they refer to the
> prophets who were prominent to a 1st
> century Jew.
But ... whereas the AGGELOI of 1:4 might be the PROFHTHS, I find it
difficult to reconcile this with 1:6-7 wherein the quotes from the
Psalms, which use AGGELOS in the LXX, seem to refer to divine messengers
(i.e., "angels"). I am a complete novice at DA, but I find it hard to
explain why the author would change his meaning for AGGELOS from
"prophet" to "angel" in the space of a couple verses, especially since
the later verses seem to flow from the earlier ones.
--
"Eric S. and Karol-Ann Weiss"
http://home1.gte.net/eweiss/index.htm
S.D.G.
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