Working Definition of Composite Citation
A definition of a composite citation must
address both the noun and its adjectival modifier. For the purpose of this
volume we will consider a citation of the following factors:
·
The text must be marked as a citation
in some manner, either with: (1) an explicit attribution to an author or
speaker; (2) the use of an introductory formula; (3) a noticeable break in
syntax between the citation and its new literary context; or, (4) if the citation
is well-known in antiquity or cited elsewhere by the same author is well-known
in antiquity or cited elsewhere by the same author it can reasonably be
considered a citation.
·
More allusive examples of literary
borrowing, while offering potential information on citation techniques, must
only be considered with caution.
The composite nature of the
definition is equally important:
·
Within the citation, two or more texts
must be fused together.
·
This fusing tother must not include conjunctions
that break between the two fused texts (e.g., και, και παλιν, etc.). In some
instances, the presence of a conjunction within a citation will need to be
examined more closely in order to determine if the syntax is broken.
·
Prior to or following a list of
citations, if the citing author refers to a plurality of sources, the citation
should not be considered composite.
These culminate in the following
working definition: a text may be considered a composite citation when literary
borrowing occurs in a manner that includes two or more passages (from the same
or different authors) fused together and conveyed as though they are only one. (Sean
A. Adams and Seth M. Ehorn, “What is a Composite Citation? An Introduction,” in
Composite Citations in Antiquity, ed. Sean A. Adams and Seth M. Ehorn, 2
vols. [Library of New Testament Studies 525; London: T&T Clark, 2016], 1:3-4)
