Lexicons and calling for advice for new students

Bill W. Rodgers billfred at erols.com
Sat Dec 5 13:30:49 EST 1998


Greg Kilbrai wrote:
> 
> >Hello Fellow Greeks,
> >I am continuing a study of Greek that was started this semester and I
> want to know what you folks think is the absolute best Lexicon money can
> buy.
> >
> >I would really appreciate your input.
> >Joey Ingles
> 
> Hi Joey. I will answer from a student's perspective, because I'm only on
> my third semester of Greek so far. (Hopefully the faculty on the list
> won't cringe when they read this - but if they do, they are a friendly
> bunch and will point me in a better direction. ;-) )
> 
> As a little b-greeker, I have the Walter Bauer by Arndt and Gingrich
> [BAG] that others have recommended to you as the best. But at this point
> my knowledge of greek grammar and vocabulary is so limited that I find
> BAG very cumbersome to use. Although rich in detail for word studies,
> each entry is only in the standard dictionary form, which is difficult
> if you are reading a verb that is not in the 1st person singular,
> present indicative!
> 
> Because I still have trouble with parsing and identifying verb
> tenses/moods and the case of nouns by sight, I find I most often rely on
> another lexicon:
> 
>    The analytical lexicon to the greek new testament
>    William D. Mounce.
>    Zondervan, 1993.
> 
> This has every NT word listed regardless of gender, number or case or
> verb tense/mood/number, along with a general English translation and
> some scripture referrences. I use it constantly for preparing my
> assignments, because I'm still working on the basic foundations in
> greek.
> 
> I pray for the day when I will outgrow this stage, but at this point the
> Mounce lexicon is a much more helpful tool for me in my study of Greek
> than the BAG - I guess the definition of "best" will change depending on
> your level/proficiency in Greek and what you need it for.
> 
> Now then, perhaps the faculty members could add a few words of advice:
> am I taking a reasonable approach to my studies? If I keep at my studies
> how much longer will it be before I can get off this plateau I seem
> stuck on? Do you think the kind of lexicon I'm using is a genuine tool,
> or am I relying on it too much as a crutch? Would more paradigm
> "memorizing" help me? Should I be making more effort to parse by sight,
> or will this come with time? Any tips would be welcome!
> 
> Greg Kilbrai
> 
> ---
>Greg:  I think the best progress is actually made by reading as much Greek every day as possible.  Use whatever helps you move faster in that area.  The best lexicon is probably a concordance.  You really get to know a word when you see the many different ways it is used.
-- 
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Bill W. Rodgers            e-mail:  billfred at erols.com
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