About the Book
Hibbs explains and explores the language theory of Kenneth Pike in the light of the Reformed doctrine of the Trinity, showing how various facets of language are analogically linked to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and their intra-Trinitarian relations. Hibbs argues that Pike's theory is Trinitarian not only in its matter (showing how the Father, Son, and Spirit are ultimately behind human language) but in its manner (how various perspectives, hierarchies, and structures within language interact in a way that reflects the personal interactions of the Godhead). Because Pike's language theory faithfully represents a biblical and Reformed doctrine of the Trinity, it emphasizes the complexity and depth of language, and, by extension, the complexity and depth of the Trinity.
About the Author :
Pierce Taylor Hibbs (MAR, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary) is associate director for theological curriculum and instruction in the Theological English Department at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has written several articles on the doctrine of the Trinity and the language theory of Kenneth Pike in the Westminster Theological Journal and has written on related topics in the Journal of Biblical Counseling, Themelios, VII: Journal of the Marion E. Wade Center, Modern Reformation, and Perspectives: A Journal of Reformed Thought. He is also a contributor to Reformed Forum, Place for Truth, and Reformation 21. He, his wife, and their two children reside in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
Review :
"Having mastered the linguistic philosophy of Kenneth Pike, mined the Trinitarian theology of Cornelius Van Til, and meditated on the creative thought of his mentor, Vern Poythress, Pierce Hibbs in this work peers into the interlocking mysteries of language and the Trinity. How fitting that he stands on the shoulders of this triad of scholars--Pike, Van Til, and Poythress--to offer his own stimulating perspective on these subjects. In brief, Hibbs argues that Pike paints a picture of language that analogically reflects the triune God, who upholds all things by the word of his power. The writing is crisp and clean, the content is full, and the case is made. Read, reflect, and rejoice!"--Carlton Wynne, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary
"Structural linguistics has generally ruled the day from Ferdinand de Saussure's famous Course in General Linguistics (1916) through various versions, including its American types, particularly in the work of Leonard Bloomfield, until our own times. Saussure's most-recognized critics include the enormously influential Noam Chomsky, as well as Jan Koster, who chided the earlier work as failing to recognize the full range of natural language, but did not put into question its secular fundamentals, which owe much to Immanuel Kant and his progeny. An unjustly ignored figure in this history is Kenneth L. Pike, a Christian, long associated with the approach of tagmemics, which faults structuralism for separating language from the person and his history. In this brilliant and lucid account, Pierce Hibbs invites us to rediscover Pike's contributions, adding to it a robust defense of the implications of his views for a Reformed and biblical faith. He boldly finds the ultimate source of all language in the divine Trinity. Fresh and compelling, it is required reading for anyone wishing to navigate the challenging field of linguistics and make Christian sense of it."--William Edgar, Professor of Apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary
"The last century has witnessed a major preoccupation with language among philosophers. Theologians, too, have often tried to understand the language of God--his Word. Often these studies have endorsed relativism of various kinds--the view that true communication is really not possible. Reformed theologians have resisted these relativistic theories. But more helpfully, some Reformed thinkers over the last century have developed a positive understanding of language, based on Scripture. This began with Vern Poythress's theological appropriation of the tagmemic system of Christian linguist Kenneth Pike. Pike's system emphasizes threefold distinctions: particle, wave, field; contrast, variation, distribution. Poythress finds in these triads reflections of the Trinity. Hibbs has written an excellent popular book about this development. The present volume contains the research behind that book and sets it forth in a rigorous, technical, but very clear way. I have profited much from his formulations. This book will sharpen and encourage our thinking about the Trinity, the Word of God, and the centrality of language in a Christian understanding of the world."--John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando
