The relationship between word order and syntax in New Testament Greek (NTG), on one hand, and the meaning of the text, on the other, continues to be an important field for New Testament interpretation.
In a previous paper, I argued that a new method was needed to identify the purpose for patterns of word order and syntax and to account for variance from those patterns on a strictly linguistic basis. Using Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) and building upon the work of Stanley Porter, Andrew Pitts, Ray Van Neste, and others, the proposed method analyzes every section, clause, and word group according to their type and function downward along the rank scale. The Pastoral Epistles (PE) were chosen as a test case for applying this method due to their similarity in content, genre, and register. Initial results were presented that demonstrated the consistency of the method within the PE, outlined the rhetorical functions for variation from established patterns as found in the PE, and proposed additional steps forward.
In this paper, then, I hope to offer the next step for utilizing and refining the method in two stages. First, the linguistic profiles for each letter will be compiled, presenting the established patterns of word order and syntax, according to the method, downward along the rank scale for each letter individually. Second, the linguistic profiles for the letters of the PE will be compared to one another to determine areas of congruence and of difference between them. This will provide discussion of which patterns show enough minor variance within the PE to warrant larger investigation for NTG, which patterns have no variance and thereby lack an evident alternative choice, and which patterns show too much variance to be considered for further analysis.
This paper will contribute to the study of the PE and NTG in at least three ways. First, it will demonstrate the full results of applying the proposed method to the PE by presenting the linguistic profiles for those letters. Second, it will refine the proposed method by comparing the profiles of the PE to one another, allowing for the identification of specific word order and clausal patterns that might contribute to further study of word order for NTG. Third, it will propose next steps for refining the method and analyzing the potential impact of identified patterns for further study of register and intertextual comparison beyond the PE.