Three conjugations?

B. Ward Powers bwpowers at optusnet.com.au
Tue Jun 4 19:14:14 EDT 2002


Hi, Waldo.

At 10:54 PM 020603 -0700, waldo slusher wrote:
>Rev. Ward
>
>What overall advantage(s) does a student who learns
>attic Greek AND hellenistic Greek have, if any, over a
>student who learns the Greek of the New Testament
>only?
>
>Waldo Slusher
>Calgary, AL


I take your question as it stands, and assume that one comes to have 
learned attic Greek because of doing study in it in some appropriate 
situation, e.g. at high school or in the course of a general arts degree. 
That's how I came to it - I did classical Greek for three years in a B.A. 
degree. Cut my teeth (classically speaking) on Xenophon's "Anabasis" at 
Sydney University. I note that Carl says,

<<If you're willing to read lots of Xenophon's Anabasis, as late Victorian 
students both British and American were doing about the same time they were 
excelling in Bulwer-Lytton's Boy Scouts, Crosby and Sheaffer can still be 
found in second-hand stores and may even still be in print--but I and most 
readers nowadays don't find the Anabasis the most exciting subject matter 
one could cut one's Greek teeth on.>>

"Anabasis" has loads of military terms, and is a bit repetitive at times, 
but actually I myself liked it.

Someone who has studied classical Greek has a broader basis for 
understanding New Testament Greek (and the background of Greek culture 
generally) than if one's only Greek is NT Greek. I have found it useful in 
three ways (a) knowing a bit more about how Greek words are used than one 
gets from the NT alone, which in turn can throw extra light on use in the 
NT, (b) understanding more of the original "pattern" (especially in syntax) 
from which the Greek of the NT is at times something of a departure, and 
(c) seeing how the focus of meaning can change a bit for some words. If 
someone is doing a general secular course and has the opportunity of doing 
classical Greek as part of it, there would be a case for saying to them, 
Take the opportunity.

But let me now change the form of the question a bit. If you were to ask 
me, "Is it a good idea/worthwhile taking the time to learn classical Greek 
first as a preliminary to learning koine Greek, when your aim is to know 
the New Testament better?" my personal answer would be "no". (This is one 
of the several points where Carl and I hold differing opinions.) Everyone's 
available time has restrictions upon it, and I would say: to use your time 
to most effective advantage, get hold of an understanding of basic koine 
Greek grammar first up in the shortest possible time, and then (without 
waiting until you have mastered this grammar thoroughly) start reading the 
Greek NT. And use your available time to keep reading the GNT. Preferably 
in a class with other likeminded people, so you can encourage each other in 
your struggles with the text, and having a teacher/leader to focus your 
attention appropriately on the background and grammar which the text 
displays. And use suitable commentaries on the Greek that can tell you any 
relevant info from the classical era that will improve your understanding.

My experience has been that in practice not all that much of such classical 
background will be required, or given in commentaries. Mostly this consists 
of telling you that in classical times things could be said (or written) a 
little differently. Okay, but you can still get into the meaning of a 
passage pretty well without knowing how it might have been written a couple 
of hundred years earlier. (I don't question that at times a good commentary 
can give you useful info which throws useful light on a passage. But my 
point is that that is how you can get such info: from a commentary on the 
relevant NT passage, without yourself taking the time required to learn 
classical Greek yourself.)

I have just asked my Greek class members what they have to say about this 
issue. Now admittedly this is a pretty small sample, and likely to be 
biased, as they have chosen to do NT Greek with me rather than start with 
classical Greek, but they were unanimously of the view that they didn't 
want to read Plato or Xenophon first as a way into the GNT; they wanted to 
get hold of the fundamentals of koine Greek, and then get into working on 
the GNT at the first possible moment. Understanding the NT better is their 
goal.

I don't think that their study of the GNT, and their understanding of it, 
is going to be curtailed because they didn't study classical Greek first 
before coming to my class.

I don't doubt the benefits conferred by studying classical Greek and 
classical Greek authors. But in its own right, if that is what you want to 
do. Not because it is the best use of your time, if your aim is to improve 
your understanding of the New Testament. It comes down to use of time to 
achieve your goal, and what that goal is.

With respect to those who do not share my view.

Regards,

Ward


                                http://www.netspace.net.au/~bwpowers
Rev Dr B. Ward Powers        Phone (International): 61-2-8714-7255
259A Trafalgar Street          Phone (Australia): (02) 8714-7255
PETERSHAM  NSW  2049      email: bwpowers at optusnet.com.au
AUSTRALIA.                         Director, Tyndale College




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