Exploring Interpersonal Meaning in the New Testament: Essays on Theory and Methodology (McMaster Biblical Studies Series)

This work explores how language functions as a resource for social action. Drawing on Halliday's concept of language as social semiotic, it proposes that what people "do" with language is fundamentally a matter of meaning making in social context, where every utterance enacts relationships, expresses values, and shapes interaction. At heart is the idea that communication involves the negotiation of social values. Thus, "doing things with words" entails adopting certain value positions and aligning or disaligning with others as people navigate complex social terrain. These processes are examined through the lens of Appraisal Theory, an influential extension of the interpersonal metafunction of Halliday's Systemic Functional Linguistics. Focusing on texts of the New Testament, this work investigates how the authors used language to (re-)position their audiences through the expression of attitudes and engagement with competing viewpoints. By combining linguistic theory with close textual analysis, this book offers new insight into how meaning, evaluation, and social interaction converge in discourse, illuminating the dynamic relationship between language, values, and the people who make up the various communities of Jesus-followers.