Teaching Top Down Analysis

Mr. Gary S. Dykes yhwh3in1 at lightspeed.net
Mon May 1 09:42:34 EDT 2000


Having been trained in "modern linguistics" and also knowledgeable in the 
"old fashioned" method of "Biblical" Greek studies, I feel I can give you 
my opinion.

The best Greek scholars perform a word and sentence level analysis because 
they are often cognizant of the discourse. That is, most believing 
scholars, who have spent years walking with the Lord, have a good innate 
grasp of the context already.

Further, along the lines of innateness, many hold to a monosemic (per C. 
Ruhl) semantic understanding (as opposed to a simple polysemy). Ruhl's 
definition of monosemy is here referred to. [LACUS journal, 1989]

Additionally the text itself (O.T. and N.T.) and the nature of its origin 
affords excellent material for a diachronic study as well as a synchronic 
study. Too often I encounter modern linguists -- who having just been 
brainwashed via Yale or Harvard,  U of Penn. (et al) language theories -- 
then "attacking" the Holy Writ as if it were some kind of common 
human-generated text.

Experience and faith add much to a philologist's arsenal when working with 
God's Word. I encourage the modern efforts, but I also need to filter out 
the rather rash theories, and stick to the essentials.

Mr. Gary S. Dykes 
yhwh3in1 at lightspeed.net  



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