Hearing Between the Lines

The Library of New Testament Studies (LNTS) is a premier book series that offers cutting-edge work for a readership of scholars, teachers in the field of New Testament studies, postgraduate students and advanced undergraduates. All the many and diverse aspects of New Testament study are represented and promoted, including innovative work from historical perspectives, studies using social-scientific and literary theory, and developing theological, cultural and contextual approaches.

The audience, and its varying levels of participation within a story, is a vital element for the communication of that story. The stories of Jesus as told in the gospels, and of the early Church as found in Acts, rely on audience members and on their participation - as do all stories. Without audience participation narrative fails. Consequently audience-oriented criticism, while given a name only recently, must surely be a phenomenon as ancient as story telling itself.

Kathy Maxwell explores the comments of ancient rhetoricians about `the audience', as well as the kinds of audience participation they expected and the tools used to encourage such participation and applies her findings to Luke-Acts, Maxwell's conclusions impact not only upon the ways biblical scholars should view the rhetorical abilities of the Evangelists, but also upon the ways in which modern readers `hear' the biblical narrative. The modern audience then also bears the responsibility of `hearing between the lines', of creating the story with the ancient author.

Kathy Maxwell is Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.