[B-Greek] discourse function QUGATERES TESSARES Acts 21:8-9
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Sun May 6 14:00:24 EDT 2007
ACTS 21:8 THi DE EPAURION EXELQONTES HLQOMEN EIS KAISAREIAN KAI
EISELQONTES EIS TON OIKON FILIPPOU TOU EUAGGELISTOU, ONTOS EK TWN
hEPTA, EMEINAMEN PAR' AUTWi. 9 TOUTWi DE HSAN QUGATERES TESSARES
PARQENOI PROFHTEUOUSAI. 10 EPIMENONTWN DE hHMERAS PLEIOUS KATHLQEN
TIS APO THS IOUDAIAS PROFHTHS ONOMATI hAGABOS,
I cannot detect any discourse function which would explain the
somewhat elaborate introduction of QUGATERES TESSARES PARQENOI
PROFHTEUOUSAI. The daughters of Philip are not participants in the
narrative so why are they mentioned at all? Perhaps the daughters
were well known and mentioning them served to identify Philip with
further precision. However, it would seem a little odd in that
culture to identify a man by associating him with his four daughters.
The mention of four female prophets just before Agabus arrives on the
scene is another intriguing puzzle. S.Levinshon (Discourse Features
NT Greek, p290 n11(6)) suggests that the introduction of Agabus with
a pre-nuclear genitive absolute "... implies continuity of situation
and other relevant factors between the arrival of the prophet Agabus
and the presence in the house of Philip the evangelist of his seven
(sic) daughters who had the gift of prophecy." Levinshon then cites
an old work on Acts, J.A. Alexander (1857:264) "That the prophesying
of Philip's daughters had respect to Paul's captivity, is rendered
still more probable by this verse [Acts 21:10], which immediately
connects with it another intimation of the same sort from a very
different quarter."
It seems, however, passing strange that Luke would introduce the four
female prophets and make no reference to their prophecy concerning
Paul if there had been one. The only continuity of situation I can
detect here is that Paul has already been warned about going to
Jerusalem and Agabus is about to deliver a graphic warning to Paul
and his entourage.
Anyway, this question is about the discourse function of the non-
participants QUGATERES TESSARES PARQENOI PROFHTEUOUSAI, a subtopic
under discourse grammar and thus having to do with the language used
here as Levinshon has pointed out.
Elizabeth Kline
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