Adelbert Denaux, «Style and Stylistcs, with Special Reference to Luke.», Vol. 19 (2006) 31-51
Taking Saussure’s distinction between language (langue) and speech
(parole) as a starting point, the present article describes a concept of ‘style’
with special reference to the use of a given language system by the author of
Luke-Acts. After discussing several style definitions, the question is raised
whether statistics are helpful for the study of style. Important in the case of
Luke is determining whether his use of Semitisms is a matter of style or of
language, and to what extent he was influenced by ancient rhetoric. Luke’s
stylistics should focus on his preferences (repetitions, omissions, innovations)
from the range of possibilities of his language system (“Hellenistic Greek”),
on different levels (words, clauses, sentences, rhetorical-narrative level and
socio-rhetorical level), within the limits of the given grammar, language
development and literary genre.
47
Style and Stylistcs, with Special Reference to Luke
6. Shifts in Expectancies
A. Shifts in expectancies of word-order
1. Unusual position in a clause: Hyperbaton.
2. Unusual position outside the clause: Prolepsis.
3. Insertion: Parenthesis and dihorthosis.
B. Shifts in expectancies of the syntax
1. Anacolouthon
2. Synecdoche.
C. Shifts in propositions
1. Apparent contradictions: Oxumoron and Paradoxon.
2. Contradictions in content and intent: Eironia, Litotes, Hyperbole
and Paraleipsis (to proceed contrary to the statement)
D. Shifts with regards to the communication function
1. Rhetorical Questions: Erotema.
2. Question and answer: Dialektikon.
3. Literal and figurative meaning: Metaphors, Metonumia and
Prosopopoiia.
E. Shifts between meaning and referent
Periphrasis and Antonomasia.
Although the list of possible rhetorical figures is not complete, the
value of Cronjé’s proposal is that he does not simply give a alphabetical
list67, but that he attempts to integrate them within the overall pattern of
shifts in expectancies.
7. The Style of Luke-Acts
The above observations can be applied to “Lukeâ€, the author of Luke-
Acts68. His style can be defined as the choices or variations (repetition,
omission, innovation) he makes within the many possibilities of his
language system (namely “Hellenistic Greekâ€), on different levels (words,
sentences, structure and discourse69), within the limits of the given
E.W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, Explained and Illustrated
67
(London 1898 [repr., Grand Rapids, MI 1993]); W. Bühlmann and K. Scherer, Stilfuguren
der Bibel (Fribourg 1973).
See B. Kowalski, “Stil in der neutestamentlichen Exegeseâ€, 124.
68
Cf. S.E. Porter - J.T. Reed (eds.), Discourse Analysis and the New Testament.
69
Approaches and Results (JSNT 170 = Studies in New Testament Greek 4; Sheffield 1999).
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