The Pragmatics of Perception and Cognition in MT Jeremiah 1:1-6:30

Recent advances in cognitive linguistics provide new avenues for reading and interpreting Biblical Hebrew prophetic text. This volume utilizes a multi-layered cognitive linguistics approach to explore Jeremiah 1:1-6:30, incorporating insights from cognitive grammar, cognitive science and conceptual blending theory. While the modern reader is separated from the originators of these texts by time, space and culture, this analysis rests on the theory that both the originators and the modern reader share common features of embodied experience. This opens the way for utilizing cognitive models, conceptual metaphor and mental spaces theory when reading and interpreting ancient texts.

Jeremiah 1:1-6:30 is used as an example to continue to explore the dynamics of the study. The entire analysis demonstrates some of the strengths and weaknesses of using recent cognitive theories and methods for analyzing and interpreting ancient texts. While such theories and methods do not obviate the need for traditional interpretive methods, they do provide a more nuanced understanding of the ancient text.