[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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