Pergeseran Register dan Relasi Kuasa dalam Dialog Pengadilan Yesus: Kajian Sosiolinguistik Matius 26–27

Abstract

This article examines the shifting registers and power relations in the trial narrative of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 26 and 27. Using a sociolinguistic approach and Ronald Wardhaugh’s theory of language variation, the study aims to analyze how the linguistic choices of Jesus, the High Priest, and Pontius Pilate reflect the social structures and strategies of power in the Jewish-Roman context. This study employs a qualitative-descriptive methodology through document analysis of the Indonesian New Translation Bible, supported by discourse analysis of speech acts, interactional forms, and silence as a strategic linguistic feature. The findings reveal that each character uses different registers aligned with their social status. The High Priest and Pilate employ interrogative and imperative forms as expressions of institutional authority, while Jesus consistently uses minimal responses or silence as a form of symbolic resistance to the dominant discourse. This study demonstrates that language in biblical texts is not neutral but is imbued with contested meanings, power dynamics, and ideological tensions that can be examined through the lens of sociolinguistics.