Language, Cognition, and Biblical Exegesis

The editors of Language, Cognition, and Biblical Exegesis enlist an outstanding group of scholars—fluent in both the relevant religious and scientific literatures and languages—to assemble a splendid collection of essays that variously recruit the many methodological, theoretical, and empirical resources of cognitive linguistics, of conceptual metaphor theory, and of the cognitive and evolutionary sciences of religion to insightfully illuminate biblical texts—both Hebrew and Christian--and the cultural settings from which they arose. * Robert N. McCauley, William Rand Kenan Jr. University Professor, Emory University, USA *
This book is a significant contribution to the new discipline called cognitive philology. It draws on the combined competences of the cognitive and humanistic sciences to understand the minds behind ancient and biblical texts. It is a treasure trove of studies and applications of cutting-edge science by leading biblical and cognitive science of religion scholars. This is a must-read for all interested in new approaches to ancient texts. * Armin W. Geertz, Emeritus Professor of the History of Religions, Aarhus University, Denmark *
In this book, we are confronted with the cognitive turn. The authors challenge us to understand the mental processes that affect the creation, use, transmission, and reception of biblical texts. Their work provides us with a whole new meaning of the word exegesis. Without replacing conventional literary, linguistic, historical, and social scientific outlooks, each author sees the text through the cognitive looking glass. Such a new look helps us to see, like Alice, that what we thought we knew might need to be revised. * April D. DeConick, Professor of Biblical Studies, Rice University, USA, and author of The Gnostic New Age (2016) *