Alexander Loney, «Narrative Structure and Verbal Aspect Choice in Luke.», Vol. 18 (2005) 3-31
In order to represent the actions of past-time narrative, Luke can choose
to employ either the aorist or the imperfect tense, that is, either the perfective
or the imperfective aspect. By selecting one tense over the other Luke
manipulates verbal aspect to give organization to his episodic narrative and
to create contrastive prominence (enargeia) within individual pericopes. In
this way, he follows in the tradition of his historiographical predecessors
–most notably Thucydides– who, through their subtle play with verbal aspect,
composed narratives concerned with at once the factual representation
of the past and their own contemporary, didactic purposes.
Narrative Structure and Verbal Aspect Choice in Luke 31
The Discourse Modes of Chapter Four
diegetic
1a: (transitional)
I.
mimetic
1b-2a: (transitional)
diegetic
2b-13: (narrative)
diegetic
14: (transitional)
mimetic
15: (transitional)
II.
diegetic
16-20a: (narrative)
mimetic
20b: (heightened experience and reaction of
the crowd)
diegetic
21: (narrative)
mimetic
22: (heightened experience and reaction of
the crowd)
diegetic
23-29: (narrative)
diegetic
30a: (transitional)
mimetic
30b: (transitional)
diegetic
31a: (transitional)
III.
mimetic
31b-32: (transitional)
diegetic
33-35: (narrative)
mimetic
36-37: (heightened experience and reaction of
the audience)
diegetic
38-39a: (narrative)
mimetic
39b-41: (semi-transitional and heightened experi-
ence of Jesus or onlooker)
diegetic
42-43: (narrative and implied transition)
mimetic
44: (transitional)
Alexander C. LONEY
Department of Classical Studies
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PO Box 90103
Duke University
NC 27708-0103, Durham (USA)
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