Chapter Four: Macro Composition in Wisdom Literature and in Q

Macro-compositional proposals must be founded upon the form-critical and linguistic characteristics of the constituent units of the text, as well as upon the manner of their division, juxtaposition, and interconnection. A number of Q scholars, beginning in the recent phase of research with Luhrmann, not infrequently make astute macro compositional observations with regard to editorial techniques at work in this or that extended passage in Q. This chapter aims to evaluate, synthesize, and supplement these in accordance with consistent application of the methodology, a major aspect of which is demonstration of the rhetorical, communicative, text-pragmatic function exercised by posited macro sequences. It surveys the progress of recent scholarship in reconstructing macro-compositional techniques in ancient instructional genres to see if such provide models applicable in a heuristic manner to Q. Comparative wisdom-genre analysis is a promising avenue for research in Q.Keywords: macro composition; Q scholars; wisdom literature