Margaret G. Sim – författare

A valuable contribution to linguistic studies bringing new insight to the translation and study of key passages in the Gospels and other New Testament texts.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 ἴνα 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.

An erudite introduction to relevance theory and its application to biblical criticism, illustrated through an examination of various New Testament texts.In A Relevant Way to Read, Margaret G. Sim draws on her in-depth knowledge of New Testament Greek to forge a new exegesis of the Gospels and Paul's letters. Locating her studies in the linguistic concept of relevance theory, which contends that all our utterances are laden with crucial yet invisible context, Sim embarks on a journey through some of the New Testament's most troubling verses. Here she recovers some of that lost information with a meticulous analysis that should enlighten both the experienced biblical scholar and the novice.Whether discussing Paul's masterful use of irony to shame the Corinthians, or introducing the ground-breaking ideas behind relevance theory into a whole new field of study, Sim demonstrates her vast learning and experience while putting her complex subject into plain words for the developing student.