[B-Greek] William D. Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek

Pastor Thomas C. Black tcblack at wireless111.com
Thu Dec 4 13:05:45 EST 2003


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Doug Hoxworth" <dhoxworth at charter.net>
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 2003 11:45 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] William D. Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek
<Snip>

> i'm interested what particularly is frustrating.
<snip>

The frustration came from more than just the case differences, but it
was compounded by the differences in each writer's pedagogical method.
Others on the list seem to have phrased it similarly to Summers
teaching form and Mounce function (as you mention).  As a result with
Summers I was memorizing paradigm after paradigm; with Mounce I only
have to remember a few paradigms but also have to memorize rule upon
rule to understand the form.  I'm really not sure which is worse IMHO.

While I can now see why Mounce and Summers have taken their respective
tact I continue wonder about the differences in Cases.  Since context
determines whether a given form is say Genitive or Ablative, why not
simply refer to such as a Genitive of Separation?  (Or some
appropriate phrase).  Why 8 rather than 5 cases?  Which is "right" and
which is trying to simplify the truth in order to make it learn-able?
I'd rather have a harder time learning it correctly than have to
retrain later because I learned the wrong way easily.

At any rate I think I've comfortably attained to that level of
persistent confusion that Mounce refers to as "The Fog".  That is: I
actually like it now.  ;-)
As I close out my first (repeated) Greek Semester I'm eager for the
next with whatever text is used.

Pastor Thomas C. Black
Moweaqua, IL.

 - Truth is still truth, even if you don't believe it.





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