David Alan Black - Its still Greek to me: an easy-to-understand guide to intermediate Greek

1998 by David Alan Black

Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-5855-8316-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

To My Greek Students

Contents

Preface

P eople who teach or write about Greek grammar tend to treat the subject as though it were a green vegetable: you may not like grammar, but its good for you. The reason its good for you, of course, is that the depth of your preaching or teaching from the New Testament depends in large part on how well you handle the original Greek. As a friend once put it, A good preacher is like an iceberg: you see only 10 percent, but underneath you sense the other 90 percent. What he meant was that the key to effective preaching is the ability to simplify without becoming simplistic. Only a solid understanding of New Testament Greek grammar can give you this ability, and motivating you to continue your Greek studies is one of the main purposes of this book, even if grammar is not your cup of tea.

But enough lecturing. I learned very quickly when I first began teaching Greek more than twenty years ago that you dont have to do much sermonizing about the importance of Greek grammar to people whose livelihoods depend in large part on how well they communicate the Word of God. And I dont think its necessary to do much preaching in the introduction to this book. The fact that you either have bought or are thinking about buying this book suggests that you do not need to be sold on the idea of becoming more conversant with Greek grammar. What you need to know is whether Its Still Greek to Me offers you something you cant get from the scores of other grammar books now on the market. I think it does.

Its Still Greek to Me evolved out of a series of Greek courses I have taught to many hundreds of students in colleges and seminaries in the United States, Germany, Korea, and India. In these courses my objective is to teach people how to use Greek effectively in their personal lives and ministries. What makes these courses different, however, is the approach. I dont think its a good policy to make adults feel as if theyre back in third grade, and so I go out of my way to make sure the topics I cover are relevant to adults, in particular to adults whose business is the ministry of the Word of God. I also go out of my way to present the principles of grammar in a manner that is lively, challenging, and even fun.

What I have tried to doand think I have donein Its Still Greek to Me is to write a guide to grammar that does more than simply rehash the same litany of rules and principles that have been talked about, written about, argued about, and sweated over for centuries. I have tried to organize the book in a manner geared to the way people actually use the language, and I have done my utmost to make this book not only accurate but easy to understand and enjoyable to read. I have tried, in short, to produce a true users guide to New Testament Greek for the twenty-first century. The only prerequisites on your part are a basic knowledge of Greekand a healthy sense of humor.

Having said all this, let me point out quickly that neither this book nor any of the courses on which it is based are meant to be the definitive work on Greek grammar and usage. Greek grammar is a huge, sprawling subject, and if you were so inclined, you could devote the better part of your life to studying a tiny segment of itthe participle, lets say. On the reasonably safe assumption that you are not so inclined, I have focused my attention in this book on those specific grammar and usage issues that are the most relevant to everyday Bible study and sermon preparationand, just as importantly, on those misconceptions of grammar that can really hurt your preaching and teaching.

Each of the following chapters tells you something about the nuts and bolts of Greek grammar, how the pieces may be put together and taken apart again, and to what ends. I have put more emphasis in this book on what you should do if you want to use Greek effectively in your ministry and less on why it is grammatically incumbent upon you to do so. Yes, many of the guidelines in this book are supported by explanations that involve a grammatical principle. But whenever I have felt the need to clarify a grammatical guideline, I have done my best to keep the explanation brief and to the pointless is more being a fundamental law of writing as well as of teaching and public speaking.

In any event, if this book does nothing else, it will give you a better understanding of those grammar and usage standards that most ministers and educated lay people can be expected to subscribe to in the twenty-first century, and it will give you the knowledge and the understanding you need to incorporate those standards into your own ministry. For this reason alone, I think you will find Its Still Greek to Me a valuable book.

So, if youve ever had to admit Its still Greek to me! when asked about some point of Greek grammar, then this book is for you. As you brush up on your Greek, you will not only reacquaint yourself with the enduring significance of the Greek New Testament but also rediscover the indispensable role Greek plays in interpretation and preaching. Once that knowledge is part of your consciousness, I am sure you will find the language of the New Testament a circus ring of excitement as long as you live.

A Word to the Teacher

T his book offers you and your students a succinct explanation of the most important grammatical constructions and categories of New Testament Greek. As such, it can be used as a textbook for direct instruction. It is intended primarily for those who have finished one year of instruction in Greek, and is thus best suited for the first half of second-year Greek. Its fourteen chapters can easily be covered in a one-semester course, with ample time for review and testing. Once the contents of this book have been digested, students should be encouraged to acquire an advanced reference grammar of New Testament Greek as well as other necessary study tools. I have made recommendations along these lines in the postscript.

It is hoped that students who have worked carefully through this book will be able to read the Greek New Testament with greater facility. The words used in the translation exercises are those that occur frequently in the New Testament, and many sentences are taken verbatim from the Greek New Testament. However, no Greek-to-English dictionary is included at the back of the book, and the references of the Bible passages in the exercises are, for the most part, not given. This prevents students from relying too heavily on their Greek text (or their English translations) and forces them to become acquainted with the basic tools of New Testament exegesis. (Obviously, students should be discouraged from consulting the answer key until after they have completed their own translations.)

No special instruction is given here in the areas of linguistics (including discourse analysis), exegesis, or textual criticism. These essential matters have already been treated in my other Baker volumes, Linguistics for Students of New Testament Greek, Using New Testament Greek in Ministry , and New Testament Textual Criticism . These books also have an intentional light touch and may profitably be used alongside the present volume in a second-year class.