Biblical Greek (I)

Renaissance Christian authors described the best of culture as “flying” on two “wings,” Latin and Greek. Classical Christian education tends to heavily emphasize Latin throughout the student’s elementary and early high school years, but typically leaves Greek for 11th and 12th Grade. Such a delay is not necessary and may lead to an imbalance in linguistic appreciation and ability. Indeed, for many students who have already worked with Latin for a while, it may be a welcome and edifying experience to tackle the Greek dialect in which the New Testament was written. The goal of this two year course (goes through 8th Grade) is to help students develop an acquaintance and facility with the basic grammar and vocabulary of biblical Greek such that by the course’s end they can confidently read large portions of the New Testament in Greek on their own.

Course Objectives:

1. To learn and recall a few hundred common Greek nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions.
2. To be able to recognize and work with Greek verbs in Present, Imperfect, Future, 1st Aorist, and 2nd Aorist varieties.
3. To recognize and work with Greek verbs in Active, Middle, and Passive Voice
4. To practice and hone techniques of translating Greek into good, idiomatic English.
5. To gain the ability to sight-read extended portions of the New Testament in Koine Greek, with minimal grammar and vocabulary help.

Texts:

• David Alan Black, Learn to Read New Testament Greek - ISBN-10 : 0805444939
• David Alan Black, Learn to Read New Testament Greek: Workbook - ISBN-10 : 080544792X