The Rhetorical Function of Interrupted Speech in Luke-Acts

For at least ninety years, scholars have commented upon the presence of interrupted speech in the Acts of the Apostles. Despite the many references to interrupted speeches in commentaries and monographs, there have been very few attempts to discern what the function of these interruptions might be, and even these scattered efforts frequently contradict each other. This dissertation argues that Luke uses interruption rhetorically to underscore his twin theological emphases on the resurrection of the Christ and the mission to the Gentiles.

Given the paucity of scholarly treatments of Lukan interruption, a fresh round of conversation partners has been called to the table. Surveying works from Homer's Iliad to Josephus' Jewish War to Chariton's Callirhoe, this dissertation identifies and categorizes the forms, functions, and frequency of interruption in Greek authors who lived and wrote between the eighth-century B.C.E. and the second-century C.E. This survey of interrupted speech in ancient Greek epics, histories, and novels grounds the analysis of Luke-Acts within a larger understanding of how intentional interruption functions in a wide variety of literary settings, illustrating both how Lukan usage converges with and diverges from contemporary models.

This dissertation demonstrates that Luke uses interruption as a literary device both in Acts and in the Gospel according to Luke. The frequent interruptions of Luke-Acts are designed both to highlight the pivotal closing words of the discourses and to draw attention to the ways in which the early Christian gospel was received. In the end, the interrupted discourses are best understood not as historical accidents, but as rhetorical exclamation points intended to highlight key elements of the early Christian message and their varied reception by Jews and Gentiles.