5 Conjunctions, Clines and Levels of Discourse taxonomy of the conjunctions, heavily illustrated by examples5. Thrall’s work is retrograde in its treatment, as it approaches the conjunctions in the Greek of the Hellenistic period, including those of the New Testa- ment, as if they had degenerated from classical times and had lost their significance6. Blomqvist, in one of the few studies that addresses issues of Hellenistic Greek on its own terms, does not provide the kind of meth- odological rigor that is to be desired in the light of work being done in other linguistic circles7. Even the work of those who are linguistically informed often suffers from approaching the Greek of the New Testament either atomistically or in terms of Semitic influence–two approaches that inevitably skew the evidence and understanding. The failure to see the conjunctions as one of the systems of the language seriously impedes analysis. The most well-informed analysis of methodological issues con- cerning Greek conjunctions is provided in the recent work of Stephanie Black8. Black thoroughly surveys the recent literature on conjunctions in Greek and linguistic studies, and indicates a number of important dis- tinctions to guide analysis. These include answering the question of the role that conjunctions play in discourse, and the nature of their meaning. Black combines a functionalist and cognitive analysis in her definition of conjunctions. As a result of recent study of conjunctions, there are a number of important insights from which to begin our examination9. (1) The first is the realization that conjunctions constitute a functional system of discourse markers. All languages utilize a system of discourse mark- ers, and these markers perform a variety of necessary functions. These functions include creating cohesion in discourse, marking boundaries in discourse, and guiding understanding of the discourse10. Previous studies of the Greek conjunctions, while often lumping them all together, have neglected the systemic nature of their use. Systemic-functional networks of conjunction usage are dependent upon various entry conditions that result in selection of various features realized by, in this instance, a par- ticular form of conjunction. The realization statements imply selection of J.D. Denniston, The Greek Particles (rev. ed.; Oxford 1954). 5 M.E. Thrall, Greek Particles in the New Testament: Linguistic and Exegetical Studies 6 (NTTS 3; Leiden 1962). J. Blomqvist, Greek Particles in Hellenistic Prose (Lund 1969). 7 The best study we have found to date, and one that lays out many of these issues, is 8 S.L. Black, Sentence Conjunctions in the Gospel of Matthew: καί, δέ, τότε, γάρ, οὖν and Asyndeton in Narrative Discourse (JSNTSup 216; Sheffield 2002) esp. 1-71. Black defines many of these issues (and references sources cited here), but we develop 9 them in different directions. On the first of these three functions, see M.A.K. Halliday and R. Hasan, Cohesion in En- 10 glish (London 1976) 10; on the third, see D. Schiffrin, Discourse Markers (Cambridge 1987) 3.