[B-Greek] Yes, DO continue! (was: "Please discontinue")
Kathleen Creager
kathleen.creager at comcast.net
Wed Nov 24 08:43:34 EST 2004
In the year or so that I have subscribed to the list, I have been very
impressed by the time and effort that several list "experts" devote to
giving clear explanations and advice to beginners. I mostly "lurk," and I
have found that reading the responses to beginners' questions was often
helpful to me. And as I have progressed in Greek, it is encouraging to find
that I know the answers to many of the beginner-level questions -- I can
tell I must be learning something! I also find encouragement in the
discussions that are way over my head -- they hold the promise of
fascinating study ahead after I persist through the more tedious work of
acquiring vocabulary and basic grammar.
Kathleen Creager
----- Original Message -----
From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu>
To: "A. Dirkzwager" <dirkzwager at pandora.be>
Cc: <JEvans1007 at aol.com>; <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2004 7:27 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Yes, DO continue! (was: "Please discontinue")
> At 9:40 AM +0100 11/24/04, A. Dirkzwager wrote:
> >I think you made the wrong decision. As far as I know beginners can ask
> >their questions on the list and will get answers. But the "guys ... so
far
> >over my head" have their questions too to be discussed. In my opinion
they
> >ought to have this opportunity without feeling guilty that not everybody
> >likes what they are doing.
>
> While Arie may think he should have expressed himself more diplomatically,
> what he says is right on target. Anyone who has stuck with B-Greek for a
> month or more knows what our FAQ means when it says, "We are grateful to
> David for his vision of a forum where the Greek text and language of the
> Bible are probed in ongoing conversation by an eclectic group of beginning
> students and veteran teachers, lay persons and clergy, conservatives and
> liberals, earnest inquirers and academic scholars --equally committed to
> probing the Biblical text in the original Koine, and jointly exploring the
> mysteries and probabilities of Biblical Greek morphology and syntax."
>
> Back in the Fall of 1997 we asked B-Greekers to respond to a
questionnaire;
> we had 117 responses at that time; I endeavored to summarize the findings
> from those responses in a message dated 97.10.20 that you can find in our
> archives, "B-Greek Survey Report: some brief comments." Perhaps we should
> conduct a new survey after the passage of seven years and expansion of our
> subscriber list to something over 1400 worldwide, but I think that what we
> found then about ourselves is very likely still true. I cite from two
parts
> of that message:
>
> >>1. WHO WE ARE:
> >>33/117 Lay persons seeking to enhance skills in Biblical Greek
> >>20/117 Pastors seeking to enhance skills in Biblical Greek
> >> 5/117 Undergraduate college students studying Biblical Greek
> >> 3/117 Seminary students studying Biblical Greek
> >>16/117 Lay persons chiefly interested in Koine language/linguistics
> >>36/117 Professional teachers of Biblical Greek
> >>Others: Ph.D. candidates; one who wants involvement with "dispassionate
> >>scholarship in order to keep my scripture interpretation honest"; one
> >>missionary in Peru; one pastor "beginning to use the GNT in personal
> >>meditation"; one "bored pastor seeking intellectual stimulation."
> >
> >I have to say that I think this is a remarkably balanced break-down of
our
> >list-membership (or of those who have responded): there are relatively
few
> >young people beginning to learn Greek in institutions of higher learning;
> >most of us are adults: lay persons, pastors, and professionals in
academia,
> >with a smattering of individuals now working on professional degrees in
> >Greek or engaged --a couple, at least -- in mission work abroad, one of
> >them translating the GNT into a native language.
> ...
> >>3. WHAT KINDS OF GREEKS WE ARE:
> >> 6/117 have done little or no study in Biblical Greek
> >>16/117 have taught themselves much of what they have learned of Biblical
> >>Greek
> >>36/117 have done one or more years of formal course work in Biblical
Greek
> >>50/117 have been reading and studying Biblical Greek for several years
> >> 9/117 opted the "other" category and have explained themselves as
holding
> >>advanced degrees in Biblical Greek or in exegesis involving skills in
> >>Greek, four list-members admit to active involvement in research
projects
> >>directly concerned with Biblical Greek linguistics
> >
> >This is a good breakdown of long-term students and professionals in Greek
> >and new learners. That explains why we get elementary questions quite
> >commonly and I think that one of the services we can perform for new
> >learners is to help them. Personally I think this is a mission we share,
> >and the more so, the longer we've worked with Greek, although those who
> >have been learning for a shorter period may have a clearer notion of
> >exactly what frustrations new learners are coping with. On the other
hand,
> >many of our threads focus upon some fine points of syntax or diction, and
> >some involve elucidation of background cultural information that some of
us
> >are in better position to supply than are others. Our exchanges thus run
> >the spectrum from quickie grammatical explanations to much more profound
> >explorations of the range of possible meanings in a phrase or a pair of
> >verses. In sum, there's something here for Greeks of all kinds--and
> >especially for those who bring their gifts ...
>
> >----- Oorspronkelijk bericht -----
> >Van: <JEvans1007 at aol.com>
> >Aan: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> >Verzonden: woensdag 24 november 2004 5:34
> >Onderwerp: [B-Greek] Please discontinue
> >
> >
> >> Please drop me from your listing. Right now, you guys are so far over
my
> >> head that I get completely lost just trying to read the things you
> >discuss.
> >> Maybe when and if I learn more I will rejoin the group. Right now, I
will
> >try to
> >> find some beginners like myself and, maybe, get some help.
>
> --
>
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
> 1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
> cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
> WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
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