Contents -- List of Illustrations xi -- List of Abbreviations xiii -- Acknowledgments xv -- Prologue 1 -- Chapter 1. Introduction 5 -- The Need for this Study 6 -- Linguistics and Communication 16 -- Synchronic Analysis 22 -- Descriptive Approach 25 -- Structural Approach 33 -- A Greek Perspective 33 -- The Linguistic System as a Relational Network 34 -- The Nature of Communication 43 -- Semantic and Pragmatic Distinction 60 -- Preliminary Methodological Considerations 65 -- Limitations 66 -- Summary and Overview 69 -- Chapter 2. The Imperative Mood in New Testament and Linguistic Studies 73 -- Introduction 73 -- The Imperative in New Testament Greek Studies 73 -- The Meaning of the Greek Imperative Mood 73 -- The Range of Usage of the Greek Imperative Mood 76 -- The Tenses Used with the Imperative 88 -- The Imperative in General Linguistic Studies 99 -- Speech Act Theory 99 -- Various Theoretical Linguistic Approaches 111 -- Summary 118 -- Chapter 3. Semantic Analysis 121 -- Introduction 121 -- Definition and Existence 122 -- Method 129 -- Identifiable Idiomatic Expressions (Idiomatic Lexemes) 131 -- Toward a Semantic Meaning of the Imperative Mood 133 -- Imperative Semantics 1: Internal Considerations 135 -- Imperative Semantics 2: External Comparisons 156 -- The Distribution of the Imperative 193 -- The Imperative as a Volitional-Directive 196 -- Summary 197 -- Chapter 4. Pragmatic Analysis 199 -- Introduction 199 -- Definition and Method 202 -- Factors Contributing to the Force of an Imperative 206 -- Politeness and the Imperative 208 -- Higher- to Lower-Rank 221 -- Lexemic Meaning of the Verb Itself 221 -- Strategy 1: Words of Asking 224 -- Strategy 2: Indirect Third Person 227 -- Lower- to Higher-Rank 231 -- Strategy 1: Words of Asking 233 -- Strategy 2: Terms of Honor 236 -- Strategy 3: Indirect Third Person 240.

Addendum: Prayer and the Imperative 244 -- Other Observations about Force 247 -- Guidelines for Determining the Force of an Imperative 248 -- Event-Initiation and the Imperative 251 -- The Notion of Benefit and the Imperative 258 -- Negation and the Classification of Imperatives 265 -- The Third Person Imperative (Further Comments) 265 -- Who is the Recipient of the Third Person Directive? 267 -- Third versus Second Person: Clues to the Choice of Person 279 -- The Rare Negative Third Person Aorist Imperative 284 -- The Third Person and Some Clausal Relationships 285 -- Acts 2:38 and Our Study 286 -- Summary 289 -- Conditional Imperative?: Problems and a Solution 290 -- The Problems with the Conditional Classification 291 -- The Solution: Multilevel Analysis 292 -- Ephesians 4:26 and Our Study 303 -- Summary 306 -- The Imperative and the People of God: Some Concluding Thoughts 307 -- Summary 309 -- Chapter 5. Conclusion 311 -- Appendix 1: Modern Linguistics: Select History, Use in New Testament Studies and in this work, Evaluation, and Proposals for Future Use 315 -- Appendix 2: General Comments on Grammatical Mood 341 -- Appendix 3: Semantic and Pragmatic Distinction: A Brief Evaluation of a Recent Approach 343 -- Appendix 4: Synoptic Mood Parallels 347 -- Appendix 5: The Imperative + kaí + Future Indicative Construction: Examples in the New Testament 357 -- Bibliography 375 -- Ancient Reference Index 393 -- Illustrations -- 1 Moods in the Greek New Testament 6 -- 2. Simple linguistic system 36 -- 3. A stratified view of a linguistic system in relation to other aspects of communication 38 -- 4. Basic communication (code model) 44 -- 5. Code model of communication 45 -- 6. Second and Third Person Imperatives 82 -- 7. The Voices of the Imperative Mood 84 -- 8. Tenses of the Imperative Mood 88.