This very readable project on interruptions of speech as a literary phenomenon is a slightly revised version of S.'s doctoral thesis, written under the guidance of D.E. Aune at the University of Notre Dame. The aim of the book is to investigate interruption of speech in ancient Greek narrative, but particularly the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
S. follows a rigorous methodology, set forth clearly in his introduction. Interruption occurs, according to S., ‘if there is evidence of a claim of interruption’ (p. 23). Such a claim of interruption by an ancient writer could, for example, be indicated by the phrase ἔτι λέγοντος ‘as he was still speaking’. S. further distinguishes between two types of interruptions, ‘interruption by external events’ and ‘interruption of speakers by their hearers’. S. consistently applies these criteria to identify and subsequently discuss each case of interruption, while taking sufficiently into account the context in which each interruption occurs. S.'s systematic treatment of his inquiry is also visible in the way he discusses interruptions in the works of the ancient authors under investigation: S. invariably provides first a discussion of an author's view on turn-taking (i.e. whether the author adhered to the customary legitimate speaking turns found in the ancient world), second an analysis of the use of interrupted speech in the author's work, and finally a summary of this discussion.
The scope of the work is all ‘narrative’ material written in Greek up to the terminus ad quem of the Gospel of Luke (i.e. early second century c.e.). S. quite rightly selects only those works of which a substantial portion of continuous text has come down to us. Further divisions of this corpus can be discerned in the respective chapters, dealing in turn with Greek historiography (Homer to Appian), Jewish historiography (Job to Josephus), Greek novels (Xenophon and Chariton), the Gospel of Luke (including discussions of Mark and Matthew) and the Acts of the Apostles. A minor point of contention might be S.'s inclusion of Homer under the rubric of ‘historiography’, but S. pre-empts this critique by providing satisfactory reasons for his decision (pp. 27–8). One might, in any case, debate to what degree ancient authors (like Luke) heeded these delineations of genre.
The study provides enough details that it will be accessible even for those not familiar with classical literature (e.g. biblical scholars, for whom the book is primarily intended). At the same time, the study provides thorough enough detail to be a useful reference point for classicists. In fact, despite the book's focus on Luke–Acts, S. does full justice to the other ancient writings under investigation. The four detailed appendices listing the instances of interruption discussed will be helpful to biblical scholars and classicists alike.
S.'s conclusions are generally sound. His study convincingly shows that interruption (whether by external events or by the speaker's audience) is a literary device that regularly occurs at ‘key narrative turning points’ (p. 99). There might be differences of opinion about his selection and classification of some instances of interruption. For example, one might wonder whether Diodorus Siculus' use of ὑπολαβών in Bibl. hist. 17.54.5 should really be taken as Alexander ‘interrupting’ Parmenion (cf. p. 76). It could be that Parmenion had only made a remark and has therefore finished his speech. The use of ὑπολαμβάνω is not necessarily a sign of interruption and the verb could simply be translated ‘take up a turn’, as S. also points out (p. 134). However, debatable cases like these are extremely rare in S.'s study and will in any event have minimal impact on his conclusions.
In the field of biblical studies, S. makes a valuable contribution. Even though Acts has a long history of scholarship (as evidenced by the Forschungsgeschichte on pp. 8–15), the discussion has not sufficiently taken note of the use of interruption of speech in the literary climate (and literary history) in which this book was written. In this regard, S.'s conclusions on Acts are illuminating. The contribution to the study of the Gospel of Luke is even greater, as the interruptions in this book have been much neglected (or rather, gone unnoticed) by scholarship. S. contends that for both works ‘Luke highlights the offers of salvation to the Gentiles and the preaching of Jesus Christ as resurrected and exalted’ through the use of interruption of speech (p. 248). Of course, biblical scholars have identified similar themes for Luke–Acts through various other studies; but S.'s study makes clear a mechanism through which the author(s) sought to convey these themes. It is worth noting that S. is careful not to assume a shared author for Luke and Acts, although his findings point to this conclusion through the similar use of the literary device of interruption in both books.
S. carefully claims that the way that the author(s) in Luke–Acts use interrupted speech as a literary device is novel, especially with regard to the focus on the audience (cf. p. 247). This claim could perhaps be modified (or refuted) by future studies. As S. points out in his conclusion, not all possibly relevant works were investigated. A case in point would be Plutarch (specifically named by S. as a necessary point of further study, along with Plato and the playwrights), a rough contemporary of the author(s) of Luke–Acts. A cursory search on the TLG for the phrase ἔτι λέγοντος in the works of Plutarch, a phrase frequently under discussion in S.'s investigation, reveals fruitful ground for further study. However, the conclusions reached by S. will by and large remain valuable, and any subsequent study on the topic of interruption will have to take note of S.'s work.
Lastly, one should note the high quality of the production of the book. There are very few typographical or language errors (I counted a mere five), and in accordance with the norm for De Gruyter's BZNW series, the editing, including that of the appendices and indexes, is of a high standard. This volume will be a valuable asset for any scholar of Greek antiquity, but particularly for biblical scholars interested in the intersection between Luke–Acts and its literary environment.
