[B-Greek] Using Greek

Alexander Ring akring at mac.com
Wed Mar 11 11:20:52 EDT 2009


I have always responded that you don't need Greek to understand the  
NT; any good translation will make it accessible, just as any good  
translation makes The Iliad accessible. What I do say though is  
reading the NT in English is like watching black & white tv. You get  
the picture and all the dialogue and you understand what is  
happening; the story is all there. Reading it in Greek is like  
watching color tv; suddenly another dimension is added and I'm seeing  
things I didn't notice at first. The story hasn't changed, but my  
appreciation (and often understanding) has deepened. (Although I've  
been thinking that with the advent of HDTV and Blu-Ray, maybe I need  
to change my analogy.)

I also take moments to point out in Bible classes where knowledge of  
the Greek impacts our understanding of certain texts. Not in an  
obnoxious way (I hope), but reminding them this really shouldn't be  
an option.

Alex

On Mar 10, 2009, at 7:20 PM, Stephen Lord wrote:

> We've all encountered someone who was dismissive of the utility of  
> knowing or exploring Greek in an effort to better understand and  
> interpret the NT.  I'm curious how list members would or have  
> responded to such an attitude.

Rev. Alexander Ring
11221 Farwest Dr
Lakewood, WA  98498

akring at mac.com

It is now quite lawful for a Catholic woman to avoid pregnancy by a  
resort to mathematics, though she is still forbidden to resort to  
physics and chemistry.
- H. L. Mencken





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