This study is intended to serve as a methodological illustration of how an embedded dialogue such as that found in John 4:1—26 can be analyzed using a variety of social scientific techniques. Each method will be briefly introduced prior to the exegesis of the passage to provide a theoretical foundation for drawing conclusions. The subsequent analysis of the successive stages in the dialogue makes it clear that identity is the central focus of this narrative. It also becomes clear that the author is employing socially/culturally understood conventions of dialogue to make the characters and the setting plausible to the audience.
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Van Langenhove, Luk & Rom Harré.1999. "Introducing Positioning Theory." Pp. 14-31 in Positioning Theory: Moral Contexts of Intentional Action, edited by Rom Harré and Luk van Langenhove.Oxford, UK: Blackwell.
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Note: the author wishes to acknowledge that J. Ramsey Michaels generously shared with him his forthcoming Commentary on the Gospel of John (Eerdmans, 2010).
