[B-Greek] Classic or Koine

Polycarp66 at aol.com Polycarp66 at aol.com
Wed Dec 17 23:43:22 EST 2003


In a message dated 12/17/2003 10:48:41 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
nuovocp2 at singnet.com.sg writes:


> I have a query similar to David Ramirez's, and this pertains too to the
> difference between Classical and Koine Greek. My main aim, next to learning
> to read the Bible in its Koine Greek(including Septuagint LXX and the New
> Testament), is actually reading the Byzantine texts featured as
> representative aspects (or parts) of Byzantine patristics from the
> subsequent Councils(from Chalcedon) onwards. I have heard from my senior
> pastor who teaches at my Bible college that Koine Greek is sufficient, but
> for my case, I would believe the university I plan to study at--an official
> doctoral granting institution--would require me to learn Classical Greek
> instead of Koine. Are there means(via textbooks and such) to make that
> active transition from Koine to Classical, since I am effectively ending my
> first year of Koine and would like to learn Classical Greek before jumping
> into my second year of Greek exegesis?
> 

________________

I too began with Koine then transferred to another school and had to start 
all over with classical.  That's the rough way to do it (of course, it didn't 
help that I met the one who would become my wife at that time -- that does 
wonders for the concentration).  I would encourage everyone to begin with 
classical.  As regards the value of classical for what you envision reading, I think it 
has already been mentioned that there was an Atticising tendency during the 
patristic period so that a knowledge of classical Greek would be of great value 
in that regard.

If you go to 

www.textkit.com

you can download a number of works in PDF format which would be helpful in 
studying classical Greek -- including Smyth's Greek Grammar (I would like to 
recommend the HTML version I'm doing for CCEL, but that is woefully incomplete).
       
gfsomsel



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