GREEK GRAMMARS

perry.stepp@chrysalis.org
Tue, 21 May 96 08:48:08 -0500

Re. introductory Greek grammars:

I am in the process of reviewing the revised edition of Ray Summers's
*Essentials of New Testament Greek* (and the accompanying student's guide/
workbook), and I must say that I like it quite a bit. I think it would be a
good introductory grammar for the type of situation you describe, and it costs
less than half of what Machen goes for these days.

The approach is somewhere between the traditional introductions (e.g., Machen)
and the modern introductions (e.g., Mounce). The reviser (Thomas Sawyer,
"mean, mean pride") has kept some of the characteristic features of the old
edition (eight-case system, etc.), while completely updating the language for
readability and adding sections on word order, basic (*extremely* basic)
linguistics, etc. Oh, and he moved the discussion of the article to earlier in
the book--the original Summers didn't discuss the article until the end of the
book.

The only glaring weakness (IMHO) is that the reviser has omitted all English to
Greek translation exercizes: I may be the only person around who thinks that
that particular pursuit is important, though.

Grace and peace,

Perry L. Stepp, Baylor University (Ph.D. candidate)