G. Horsley and C. Hemer noted, on the basis of statistical comparison, that the large
quantity of direct speech in Acts is atypical of ancient historiography. This study
builds upon their research by expanding the repertory to include representatives of
‘popular fiction’. Quantitative analysis reveals that direct
speech is one characteristic of popular literature and that, in this respect, Acts
is more like popular narrative than learned historiography. This finding contributes
to, but does not resolve, the question of the genre of Acts.
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