William Ross has announced the forming of a new research group at the Institute for Biblical Research, spear headed by Elizabeth Robar. We would encourage you all to go and read Dr. Ross’s full account:

New IBR Research Group: Linguistics and the Biblical Text

Here is the description from IBR’s website:

This new research group explores applied linguistics within the field of biblical research. The theme for the first session will be the role of linguistics within biblical studies. Linguistics has proven unique in its ability to expose just how the biblical message is presented and how interpersonal communication is portrayed and effected. But, simultaneously, linguistic studies are notorious for incoherent jargon that only distance their readers from the Word of God. Four invited scholars, a mix of experienced and younger, will present a review of the history of linguistics and the biblical text and a recommendation for how linguistic studies should be presented in order to promote fruitful engagement with all of biblical studies (and, conversely, what other biblical studies scholars ought to be able to expect from linguistics).

We will certainly be looking forward to how this research group develops. For 2019, the contributors and panel will be:

Elizabeth Robar, Tyndale House, Cambridge, Presiding.

• Steve Runge, Faithlife Corporation / Stellenbosch University – “Using Linguistics vs. Doing Linguistics: Some Lessons from Koine Greek”
• Randall Buth, Institute for Biblical Languages and Translation – “Linguistics as a Two-edged Sword, Cutting in Both Directions”
• Kaspars Ozolins, Tyndale House (Cambridge) – “Linguistics and Dating the Biblical Text”
• Kevin Grasso, Hebrew University of Jerusalem – “Doing Theology or Grammar: Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew Verbs”