More Than Meets the Ear: Discovering the Hidden Contexts of Old Testament Conversations - Softcover

Stanley E. Porter, McMaster Divinity College "I commend Victor Matthews for bringing to bear the insights of recent linguistic research on biblical exegesis. His utilization of sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, frame theory, conversation analysis, and positioning theory each applied in different ways depending upon the context marks a significant step forward in interdisciplinary exegetical analysis. The bibliography is current and thorough, offering guidance to scholars who wish to pursue Matthews's line of thought. Biblical scholars will not be able to look at these Old Testament passages in the same way from now on."" Stanley E. Porter, McMaster Divinity College "I commend Victor Matthews for bringing to bear the insights of recent linguistic research on biblical exegesis. His utilization of sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, frame theory, conversation analysis, and positioning theory each applied in different ways depending upon the context marks a significant step forward in interdisciplinary exegetical analysis. The bibliography is current and thorough, offering guidance to scholars who wish to pursue Matthews's line of thought. Biblical scholars will not be able to look at these Old Testament passages in the same way from now on.""

More than a simple exchange of words, conversations in the biblical narratives offer an array of clues that define the characters and their relationships, the setting, and the language they employ. Using current critical communication theories from a number of fields -- anthropology, sociology, psychology, and literary studies -- Victor Matthews analyzes such biblical conversations as the interchanges between Judah and Tamar, Moses and Jethro's back-and-forth, Ezra's public address, and the dialogues recorded in Daniel. By crossing disciplinary divides as he does, Matthews creates a working synthesis that brings these embedded biblical dialogues off the page and breathes life into the social world that created them. His groundbreaking study will appeal to serious Old Testament students who want to stretch beyond traditional exegetical methods.