Channels, Fall 2018

Page 30 Yost • Speech Act of Naming Conclusion Clearly, the naming that occurs in the Old Testament is a significant act. In using speech act theory and Alston’s framework of illocutionary rules (2000) as a tool for analysis, I have shown that Old Testament naming is subject to certain rules with necessary circumstances, conditions, and authority occurring within a community. Because this is a complex, important act that appears throughout all of Scripture, Christians and scholars should bring the act of naming to theological conversations more regularly and continue to study for a more thorough understanding.