Overview

Aimed at both biblical scholars and those interested in linguistic theory, this book makes use of insights from a modern theory of communication, Relevance Theory, in examining the function of the particle 'hina' in New Testament Greek. Challenging accepted wisdom, Margaret Sim claims that the particle does not have a lexical meaning of 'in order that', but that it alerts the reader to expect an interpretation of the thought or attitude of the implied speaker or author. Evidence is adduced from pagan Greek and in particular the writings of Polybius, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Epictetus, as well as the New Testament. The implications of this claim open up opportunities for fresh interpretation of many problematic texts.

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9780227173770

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Reviews

This timely and fascinating study is of interest, not only to biblical scholars, but also to those interested in linguistic theory. Margaret Sim's original study of the 'purpose' marker 'hina' utilises the notion of metarepresentation, familiar from Relevance Theory, to provide new insight into the interpretation of certain key texts in the Gospels. In so doing, she shows how the ideas of theoretical pragmatics can be brought to bear on the study of other fields to enable new and exciting perspectives to be opened up on difficult problems of translation and interpretation. --Ronnie Cann, University of Edinburgh A model dissertation accounting for an important, long-ignored question. Literary and non-literary extra-biblical sources have been considered and the perspective is diachronic, distinguishing earlier and later usage from that of the New Testament. It is grounded in linguistic theory but free of jargon and intelligible to those not trained in Linguistics. --Carl W. Conrad, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri This is a major, innovative thesis in which insights from linguistic study (Relevance Theory) are used to free our understanding of the Greek particle 'hina' from the shackles of a fixed lexical meaning to one that is based on the communicator's intention, thus widening its scope from the traditional translation as 'in order that' (purpose). The implications of this carefully argued monograph for the interpretation of theological texts in the New Testament, especially those that are generally assumed to deal with divine purposes, are highly significant. --I. Howard Marshall, University of Aberdeen

"""This timely and fascinating study is of interest, not only to biblical scholars, but also to those interested in linguistic theory. Margaret Sim's original study of the 'purpose' marker 'hina' utilises the notion of metarepresentation, familiar from Relevance Theory, to provide new insight into the interpretation of certain key texts in the Gospels. In so doing, she shows how the ideas of theoretical pragmatics can be brought to bear on the study of other fields to enable new and exciting perspectives to be opened up on difficult problems of translation and interpretation."" --Ronnie Cann, University of Edinburgh ""A model dissertation accounting for an important, long-ignored question. Literary and non-literary extra-biblical sources have been considered and the perspective is diachronic, distinguishing earlier and later usage from that of the New Testament. It is grounded in linguistic theory but free of jargon and intelligible to those not trained in Linguistics."" --Carl W. Conrad, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri ""This is a major, innovative thesis in which insights from linguistic study (Relevance Theory) are used to free our understanding of the Greek particle 'hina' from the shackles of a fixed lexical meaning to one that is based on the communicator's intention, thus widening its scope from the traditional translation as 'in order that' (purpose). The implications of this carefully argued monograph for the interpretation of theological texts in the New Testament, especially those that are generally assumed to deal with divine purposes, are highly significant."" --I. Howard Marshall, University of Aberdeen"

Author Information

Margaret G. Sim is an International Translation Consultant with SIL and has been lecturing in New Testament at Africa International University since 1992.

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