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Studying Greek

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PreachParsly Feb 8, 2007

Hello!

I would like to begin the journey of studying Greek. Does anyone have any recommendations? I would be interested in books, audio/video teachings, or even correspondence classes. Right now I'm starting with little to no knowledge.

Thanks for the info!

I
InTheLight Feb 8, 2007

You may find [url=http://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Greek-Beginning-Intermediate/dp/0913573329]THIS BOOK[/url] helpful, you could use it to teach yourself the basics.

In Christ,

Ron

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philologos Feb 8, 2007

This book, [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0310250870/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-1224664-8453623#reader-link]Basics of Biblical Greek[/url] by William Mounce is another great place to start. It will be a little more costly than Ron (inTheLight)'s recommendation but it comes with a CD and access to a web site. I have just started a refresher and to check the foundations is very useful. There is a whole industry of support and encouragement behind this book. You can also get a companion workbook. Tje CD has video/audio powerpoint type support and the atmosphere of the college is encouraging too.

If you prod that 'Surprise Me' button a few times it will be almost as useful as browsing in the store.

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Provost Feb 8, 2007

Question to add
Did learning Greek help a bunch? I am reading a guide to exegesis by Baker book company and one of the authors said he would not tell people to not take it, but he doesn't feel it's a necessity. So I guess a). should I learn b). learn some basics c). the English verses are goog
(note since becoming a Christian I have no life and really just read my Bible hours a day)
Lemme know please
Thanx
Thom

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PreachParsly Feb 8, 2007

Ron B,

Is this the website the book gives you access to?

http://www.teknia.com

K
KingJimmy Feb 8, 2007

I agree, Basics to Biblical Greek by Mounce. We used it in seminary, and, having compared it to some other Greek grammars out there, I don't think there is a better system. Also, be sure to get the work book, so you can practice translating Greek from the New Testament from the very first chapter. Also, the book comes with a very good CD that has short 15 minute audio lectures on each chapter. Mounce also sells a full CD lecture series that he did at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary if you wanna fork up a few extra dollars for that.

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Vader Feb 8, 2007

I think it is a great idea to study original languages. I am getting ready to start hebrew studies. It really helps to catch the nuances in the scripture that I believe english doesnt get. Blessings

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PreachParsly Feb 8, 2007

Thanks everyone!

W
Willo Feb 9, 2007


philologos wrote:
This book, [url=http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0310250870/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-1224664-8453623#reader-link]Basics of Biblical Greek[/url] by William Mounce

I am studying NT Greek at Bible college this year, and we are using Mounces book for our study. Along with the work book.

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preacherafla Feb 9, 2007

Another resource to help understand the Greek meanings better (although not a Greek textbook) is Kenneth Wuest's set of word studies. He goes through the entire New Testament and really does a good job of explaining what the original meant. It is for the layperson as well as the "scholar."
I think studying the original languages are important.
May God bless your time of study.
In His service,
preacheraflame

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PreachParsly Feb 10, 2007

Hello!

I've learned the alphabet and how to pronounce some things.

I would like to buy a Greek NT so I can start reading it. Now, I don't know what any words mean but I would like to work on pronouncing words.

Any suggestions?

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philologos Feb 10, 2007

I would like to buy a Greek NT so I can start reading it. Now, I don't know what any words mean but I would like to work on pronouncing words.

1. Do you have any strong feelings about the family Textforms?
2. Do you want an Interlinear with the English translation or do you want to go 'cold turkey'. Note: Many Greek tutors would encourage you to have a text which was just in Greek without English helps.
3.Here's a site which may help or confuse you with Greek pronunciations; [url=http://www.biblicalgreek.org/links/pronunciation.php]The Institute of Biblical Greek[/url]
4.You can practise a little Greek pronunciation with this William Mounce's [url=http://www.teknia.com/index.php?page=exer04]Chapter 4[/url]. It will put a Greek text on screen and read it while you imitate.

sermonindex Feb 10, 2007


PreachParsly wrote:
Hello!

I've learned the alphabet and how to pronounce some things.

I would like to buy a Greek NT so I can start reading it. Now, I don't know what any words mean but I would like to work on pronouncing words.

Any suggestions?

[b]WOW! you really are going for broke!! But maybe an Interlinear New Testament, or even the whole Bible, (Greek and Hebrew Interlinear)would be best to begin with. Unless you are really gifted in languages. You would have to be pretty fluent to read [i]and[/i] understand it just in Greek.

I have the Interlinear NT by George Ricker Berry, and Hendrickson's Interlinear Bible. Hendrickson's has Strong's Numbers as well so you can look up the meanings of words in detail.

To lighten things::-P

[/b][i][b] [color=000099] FIRST GREEK LEARNER: [/color]Lego lego lego!
[color=000099]SECOND GREEK LEARNER: [/color]Let go what?
[color=000099]FIRST GREEK LEARNER: [/color]I'm telling you a joke - "lego" means "I say" in Greek!
[color=000099]SECOND GREEK LEARNER:[/color] I know a little Greek - he keeps a restaurant in town!
[/i]

I'm sure you can get online courses in Biblical languages, though not sure about probnounciation - that would be modern Greek probably. No-one can be sure of how ancient Greeks pronounced it anyway!

Jeannette
[/b]

K
KingJimmy Feb 11, 2007

I had a Greek teacher who taught Greek for nearly 35 or 40 years. He was often asked, "Am I saying this word right?" To which he would reply, "I don't know!" Don't put a big emphasis on the pronunciation of Greek. Nobody has spoken Koine Greek in many many years. And it is seldom you will ever come across anybody else that actually knows how to read Greek either :) All you have to do is to learn enough for memorization purposes :)

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philologos Feb 11, 2007

I had a Greek teacher who taught Greek for nearly 35 or 40 years. He was often asked, "Am I saying this word right?" To which he would reply, "I don't know!"

I have done quite a bit of preaching to Greek Cypriot groups and we have a Greek sister in our local church. They always want to correct my pronunciation, the bs should be pronounced vs, and the ks as gs... I always say Ah that the way you pronounce Cypriot Greek this is North Staffordshire pronunciation! ;-)

As you say nobody knows 'although' (look at that for a word!!) all languages change and the nightmare of English spelling is caused by the fact that pronunciation has changes. Greek will have changed in pronunciation dramatically over the centuries, although there is a movement among some to standardise on modern Hellenistic pronunciation.

With very few exceptions no one is going to be speaking Koine (biblical Greek). It was the 'street Greek' of 2000 years ago. You may however sometimes want to quote it to others who have a smattering of the language so a standard form of pronuniation can help. William Mounce's pronunciation is pretty much standard for 'students and academics'. Josh, you may as well stick to his patterns.

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philologos Feb 11, 2007

I have the Interlinear NT by George Ricker Berry, and Hendrickson's Interlinear Bible. Hendrickson's has Strong's Numbers as well so you can look up the meanings of words in detail.

Can you see which text this is based on?

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KingJimmy Feb 11, 2007

Indeed, Mounce's means of saying the Greek words is rather standard. And you will certainly go a long way in an academic environment if you can at least pronounce most of the words the same. Mounce's "syllabfication" method works great :)

K
KingJimmy Feb 11, 2007

It's interesting to note, but to date I have yet to ever come across a Greek NT at any Christian bookstore, unless it were an interlinear. Even at stores that sell Mounce's Greek books, not one Greek NT to be found! For translation purposes, these days most folks use the UBS4 (United Bible Society version 4) text.

sermonindex Feb 11, 2007


philologos wrote:
I have the Interlinear NT by George Ricker Berry, and Hendrickson's Interlinear Bible. Hendrickson's has Strong's Numbers as well so you can look up the meanings of words in detail.

Can you see which text this is based on?
[b][color=000033]The George Ricker Berry says its from the Stephens 1550 version. It also has notes on the Elzevir edition of 1624, (the official "Received Text"?).

The Greek of the Hendrickson (by [i]JP Green[/i], Hendrickson is the publisher) is also mainly the Received Text, but based on the 1976 version by Stephen Austin & Sons.

Someone told me that the Green version isn't as good. In college many of the students used the Nestle Interlinear, which the professor disliked. (He insisted on the pure Greek version, with no English, so maybe it was because of that or maybe he thought it was a poor translation)

As I said, I know a little Greek,:-D but not much (up to diploma only). But its wonderful to find gems sometimes, especially in John's Gospel (probably the simplest Greek, so a good one to start with from study and spiritual point of view).

For example, the cry from the Cross, "IT IS FINISHED!" is in Greek the Perfect tense (of course Jesus would have used Aramaic though everyone those days knew some Greek, but the Greek gives the true implications). The Perfect tense, if I understood it rightly, refers to something that was finished in the past, but [u] [i] the effects continue on [/u] [/i]. A clumsy, but more exact translation in English might be "It has been accomplished!"

Unlike the Aorist tense (another past tense) that refers to something that happened at a point in time and "that was that" - done, over, finished with. I think that's the tense used when Paul says "I have been crucified with Christ"

Hope you Greek scholars will correct me there if need be, but I found "tetelestai" ("it is finished!") absolutely thrilling.

Jeannette
[/color][/b]

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KingJimmy Feb 11, 2007

An aorist is a sort of "past tense" that simply states something has happened in the past, but it says nothing about the duration of that event, or even if that event as a past event had a completion.

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