Comments on: How NOT To Learn Biblical Greek http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/ In principio erat Verbum... Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:01:50 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Jerry Collins http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-32826 Jerry Collins Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:51:33 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-32826 Greetings I have done some study on the Greek of the first century most of it was learned at home with the family then to a broader education in the street and byways of the day with the merchants and military traffic. It is not a high language used in religious matters but rather the religious used the street language to communicate with the people from Spain to India. I doubt if the learning of grammer was important to everyday life of earning a living. To sum it up the learning of modern first century Greek is a far cry from what the writers of the first century had to deal with. My own work has shown if one learns the lexical meaning of the Greek words as they are put down in any good text one can easily understand what the writers were trying to convey. In what I call grammer Greek the same word has many different meaning and it that isn't enough then add or remove what is necessary to convert it to English from a language of phrases and even phrases inside of phrase which the English can't handle so they revert to to all types of translating to cover what the English grammer Greek is unable to handle With the omission of many words, phrase and even the reversing the Greek phrase to make religious sounding verses when in truth it isn,t that way at all. Go to my site and take a look at a lexical translation without grammer and form, just English words added to make the Lexical meaning flow to make it readable. Remove the above section if it is against your position to talk about my work of seven years of effort to make a Lexical translation. Jerry Collins Greetings
I have done some study on the Greek of the first century most of it was learned at home with the family then to a broader education in the street and byways of the day with the merchants and military traffic.
It is not a high language used in religious matters but rather the religious used the street language to communicate with the people from Spain to India. I doubt if the learning of grammer was important to everyday life of earning a living. To sum it up the learning of modern first century Greek is a far cry from what the writers of the first century had to deal with.
My own work has shown if one learns the lexical meaning of the Greek words as they are put down in any good text one can easily understand what the writers were trying to convey.
In what I call grammer Greek the same word has many different meaning and it that isn’t enough then add or remove what is necessary to convert it to English from a language of phrases and even phrases inside of phrase which the English can’t handle so they revert to to all types of translating to cover what the English grammer Greek is unable to handle
With the omission of many words, phrase and even the reversing the Greek phrase to make religious sounding verses when in truth it isn,t that way at all.

Go to my site and take a look at a lexical translation without grammer and form, just English words added to make the Lexical meaning flow to make it readable.
Remove the above section if it is against your position to talk about my work of seven years of effort to make a Lexical translation.

Jerry Collins

]]> By: ancient monuments » The Western Hemisphere’s only Greek Romaniote synagogue http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-28451 ancient monuments » The Western Hemisphere’s only Greek Romaniote synagogue Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:06:47 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-28451 [...] How NOT To Learn Biblical Greek | Withering Fig [...] [...] How NOT To Learn Biblical Greek | Withering Fig [...]

]]> By: Daniel Foster http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-688 Daniel Foster Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:58:02 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-688 Great suggestions, Stephen! Regarding Point 3...I myself came to NT Greek through the Attic. I have fond memories of reading Greek lyric poetry with my professor over tea in his basement office. Classic Greek definitely builds out vocabulary and forces exposure to some complex syntax and forms. I also appreciate that you identify problematic practices, whether or not they are associated with digital tools. I've been guilty of cramming and of regurgitating memorized passages, neither of which aids in actual learning and neither of which depends on digital technology. Great suggestions, Stephen! Regarding Point 3…I myself came to NT Greek through the Attic. I have fond memories of reading Greek lyric poetry with my professor over tea in his basement office. Classic Greek definitely builds out vocabulary and forces exposure to some complex syntax and forms.

I also appreciate that you identify problematic practices, whether or not they are associated with digital tools. I’ve been guilty of cramming and of regurgitating memorized passages, neither of which aids in actual learning and neither of which depends on digital technology.

]]> By: Judy Redman http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-679 Judy Redman Sun, 15 Jul 2007 12:49:31 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-679 Point 3 made me smile as I remembered practising my Koine Greek with a friend on the train travelling to class and having some young Greek-Australians tell us that we shouldn't waste our time on it because it was waaaaay too hard! They were wearing the uniform of one of Melbourne's Greek Orthodox schools, so I expect they were expected to read the New Testament in Koine and it was worse than reading Shakespeare or even Chaucer for modern English speakers. :-) I agree wholeheartedly with 1. and 2., but I suspect that skipping straight to Koine is a reasonable course for those who do not intend to make a career in academia. A good knowledge of Koine can help you judge when commentators are making reasonable points and when they are indulging in wild flights of fancy based on the English rather than the Greek text. Point 3 made me smile as I remembered practising my Koine Greek with a friend on the train travelling to class and having some young Greek-Australians tell us that we shouldn’t waste our time on it because it was waaaaay too hard! They were wearing the uniform of one of Melbourne’s Greek Orthodox schools, so I expect they were expected to read the New Testament in Koine and it was worse than reading Shakespeare or even Chaucer for modern English speakers. :-)

I agree wholeheartedly with 1. and 2., but I suspect that skipping straight to Koine is a reasonable course for those who do not intend to make a career in academia. A good knowledge of Koine can help you judge when commentators are making reasonable points and when they are indulging in wild flights of fancy based on the English rather than the Greek text.

]]> By: Josh McManaway http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-670 Josh McManaway Sat, 14 Jul 2007 06:11:57 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-670 Really stellar post. Great advice. Really stellar post. Great advice.

]]> By: Dr. Platypus » Blog Archive » How Not to Learn Biblical Languages http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-664 Dr. Platypus » Blog Archive » How Not to Learn Biblical Languages Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:19:56 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-664 [...] How NOT to Learn Biblical Greek by Stephen Hebert [...] [...] How NOT to Learn Biblical Greek by Stephen Hebert [...]

]]> By: D. P. http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-663 D. P. Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:14:15 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-663 To amplify Bryan's comment, when I was a T.A. for a Greek syntax class, the professor gave a large chunk of Matthew's passion narrative to translate on the final. I can't tell you how many students stumbled through it importing details from the other Gospels when they couldn't quite figure out what the Greek in front of them was saying! If I had saved those exams, it would have made an interesting study in Synoptic relationships and/or the transmission of oral traditions :-) To amplify Bryan’s comment, when I was a T.A. for a Greek syntax class, the professor gave a large chunk of Matthew’s passion narrative to translate on the final. I can’t tell you how many students stumbled through it importing details from the other Gospels when they couldn’t quite figure out what the Greek in front of them was saying! If I had saved those exams, it would have made an interesting study in Synoptic relationships and/or the transmission of oral traditions :-)

]]> By: stephen http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-658 stephen Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:06:37 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-658 Good point, Bryan! Good point, Bryan!

]]> By: bryan http://www.witheringfig.com/new-testament/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/comment-page-1/#comment-657 bryan Fri, 13 Jul 2007 18:14:12 +0000 http://www.witheringfig.com/2007/07/13/how-not-to-learn-biblical-greek/#comment-657 Another point on (3) is that most students are already so familiar with the NT that they do not really end up translating the text. Another point on (3) is that most students are already so familiar with the NT that they do not really end up translating the text.

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