[B-Greek] Reading The Philosophers in Greek and other extraBiblcal reading

jerry gerald_davis at hotmail.com
Fri Feb 27 20:28:58 EST 2009


Thank you all so much for this. Although I am a lurker, and avid one, these 
opinions and references are invaluable.

jerry

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From: "James Spinti" <JSpinti at Eisenbrauns.com>
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 1:58 PM
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Reading The Philosophers in Greek and other 
extraBiblcal reading

> Not only are they available, but there is also an anthology:
> Anthology:
> http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521000260
> $29.99
>
> World of Heroes:
> http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521224628
> $28.99
>
> Intellectual Revolution:
> http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521224611
> $29.99
>
> HTH,
> James
> ________________________________
> James Spinti
> Marketing Director, Book Sales Division
> Eisenbrauns, Good books for more than 30 years
> Specializing in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies
> jspinti at eisenbrauns dot com
> Web: http://www.eisenbrauns.com
> Phone: 574-269-2011 ext 226
> Fax: 574-269-6788
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Carl Conrad
> Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 1:40 PM
> To: Suttles, Andrew C. (GRC-DSI0)
> Cc: B- Greek
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Reading The Philosophers in Greek and other extra
> Biblcal reading
>
> I'm not sure that these are currently in print, but I would guess that
> used copies are available:
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> J.A.C.T. Greek Course
> A World of Heroes: Selections from Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles
> Joint Association of Classical Teachers
> Joint Association of Classical Teachers Greek Project
> Subject: classical studies
> 1979        5 1/4 X 8 1/4        152 pp.        5 maps 35 plates
> Paperback        0-521-22462-4        $19.95
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> J.A.C.T. Greek Course
> The Intellectual Revolution: Selections from Euripides, Thucydides and
> Plato
> Joint Association of Classical Teachers
> Designed to take students from "Reading Greek" to wider reading.
> Joint Association of Classical Teachers Greek Project
> Subject: classical studies
> 1980        5 1/4 X 8 1/4        172 pp.        several tables several
> maps
> Paperback        0-521-22461-6        $19.95
>
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
>
> On Feb 27, 2009, at 8:45 AM, Suttles, Andrew C. (GRC-DSI0) wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Mark.  I just wrote someone off-list yesterday and told them
>> that your advice is always very helpful (at least to me).
>>
>> I know there are many on the list who are beginning to intermediate
>> koine readers who are always interested in additional resources for
>> learning/reading outside the New Testament.  As to Plato, do you
>> know of any "second year" readers, or any second year readers of any
>> Attic author that reference the readings in the work to standard
>> grammars like Smyth or Goodwin?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Andrew Suttles
>> Cleveland, OH
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
>>> [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Mark Lightman
>>> Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 11:51 PM
>>> To: B- Greek; Stephen Baldwin
>>> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Reading The Philosophers in Greek and
>>> other extra Biblcal reading
>>>
>>> I found Frank Beetham's Reading Greek with Plato to be very helpful.
>>> He presents the entire Greek grammar and then has you read
>>> through some of the Meno with lots of notes, with exersises
>>> (and an answer key!) that prepare you for the Meno.  In his
>>> notes he often rearranges Plato to fit normal English word
>>> order, which helps.
>>>
>>> As far as what else to read outside the NT, I bet there is a
>>> consenus that the single best thing to read to help your NT
>>> Greek is the Apostolic Fathers.
>>> Hermas is probably the easiest real Greek I have ever read.
>>> It's not great literature or theology but it's long and will
>>> help drill your forms and NT vocab and will introduce you to
>>> other vocab that you will need.  Bauer is the best thing to
>>> help you with it, as there are lots of words in the Apostolic
>>> Fathers that are not in even the big LSJ and Bauer helps you
>>> with some idioms.
>>>
>>> The other thing I would recommend is Morice's Stories in Attic
>>> Greek, if for no other reason than Anne Mahoney's 2006 reprint
>>> has the largest Greek font I have ever seen and she prints
>>> Morice's notes on the bottom of the page, instead of in the
>>> back of the book.  These stories are actually a bit tough in
>>> terms of the vocab, which is very extensive and includes some
>>> rare Greek words, but the syntax is simple by design.
>>>
>>> Then there is Homer.  I have been reading Homer for the last
>>> few months.  There is one huge drawback to reading Homer and
>>> two huge advantages.  The drawback is his ridiculously
>>> extensive vocablulary.  He has two or three or more synonyms
>>> for every word you learned in your NT Greek.  The guy must
>>> have fifteen different words for "noise."  I wish there were a
>>> Reader's Greek Iliad with all the words that don't appear in
>>> the standard textbooks in footnotes, but there is not.
>>> The advantages to reading Homer are (1) his syntax is very
>>> simple, with parataxis and word order closer to English and
>>> (2) his Greek is magnificent.
>>> You read a simple sentence and you are struck that every word
>>> is perfect.
>>> It's just like Shakespeare, beautiful in words, drama, and
>>> ideas.  I don't know how helpful Homer finally is to my NT
>>> Greek, but I don't care.  Much of the Greek that we read is
>>> uninspired, like Marcus Aurelius, or inelegant translationese
>>> like the LXX, or unsteady, like Ignatius, or overly fancy,
>>> like Plato.  Homer is the only Greek I have ever read outside
>>> the early Letters of Paul that leaves me 100% satisfied with
>>> the Greek.  So I would make it a long term goal to read Homer,
>>> but read the Apostolic Fathers first, and don't neglect your
>>> re-reading of the NT itself.
>>>
>>> Mark L
>>>
>>> --- On Wed, 2/25/09, Stephen Baldwin <stbaldwi at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> From: Stephen Baldwin <stbaldwi at hotmail.com>
>>> Subject: [B-Greek] Reading The Philosophers in Greek and other
>>> extra Biblcal reading
>>> To: "B- Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
>>> Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 7:05 PM
>>>
>>> Brethren:
>>> A marginally off-topic question.
>>> In reading theology books, much discussion mentions and quotes
>>> the Greek philosophers.
>>> I just wondered whether it is idiotic for an amateur Koine
>>> minnow to dip into the philosophers (Plato, Socrates etc.)  in
>>> their original Greek and hope to make anything at all from it?
>>> I'm not studying for a PhD or presenting a conference paper.
>>> It is more-or-less just for fun.
>>>
>>> If the idea is not entirely off the wall, are there particular
>>> editions aimed at the less competent amongst us?
>>>
>>> A supplementary question too:
>>> When reading the GNT, it is very difficult, once one has fixed
>>> the passage, not to guess and assume meanings -- because one
>>> is subconsciously hearing the familiar English as one reads
>>> the Greek, and anticipating the meaning of the Greek which of
>>> course is a capital offence. Reading brand-new stuff is a way
>>> round that problem. So I was going to ask: Outside of the GNT,
>>> where is a good place to start reading other Koine? I presume
>>> the Fathers? Are some easier than others?
>>>
>>> Rgds
>>> Steve Baldwin
>>> stbaldwi at hotmail.com
>>>
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>
>
>
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