[B-Greek] [B Greek] Goetchius Textbook

Mark Lightman lightmanmark at yahoo.com
Wed Feb 2 20:35:21 EST 2011


Jeremy wrote

<...what really helped me with koine Greek was reading papyri.>

Hi, Jeremy,

What GRONT score would you give the papyri? 

http://www.vnoel.com/component/option,com_gront/Itemid,1068/

 

 Mark L
Φωσφορος


FWSFOROS MARKOS




________________________________
From: Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
To: B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wed, February 2, 2011 11:57:50 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] [B Greek] Goetchius Textbook

This was clearly intended for the list rather than for me personally.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: spencerj76 at aol.com
> Date: February 2, 2011 12:14:55 PM EST
> To: cwconrad2 at mac.com
> Subject: Re: [B Greek] Goetchius Textbook
> 
> 2 Feb 2011
>  
> A Contribution to Biblical Greek Discussion
>  
> Friends:
>  
> I've been following the discussion of Biblical Greek pedagogy with interest as 
>well as some of the other discussions on the list. I'd like to mention a 
>textbook I used in the mid-1970s--Eugene Van Ness Goetchius, "The Language of 
>the New Testament" (1966). The textbook used a modern, linguistic approach, and 
>seemed, at the time to have a linguistic orientation. The most important thing, 
>though, is that it helped me learn to read the New Testament through fundamental 
>skills, which could be supplemented with other materials later. I agree with 
>Carl's point that authentic Greek style, rather than made-up sentences is 
>probably best for most learners of koine. In some ways, though, I think that 
>what really helped me with koine Greek was reading papyri. My college library 
>had a book containing a collection of papyri letters (without translation) and I 
>endeavored to translate those letters as a one-semester independent study 
>project. Since there were few helps other than massive dictionaries for that 
>sort of thing (or I wasn't aware of them at the time) I had to wrestle with the 
>language for myself. I wouldn't claim a lot for my "translations," but I learned 
>a lot about tricky participles and Greek word order, and I probably even used 
>the "find the main verb" technique more than once. I've wondered at times 
>whether the use of sentences from the Greco-Roman world at the time of the New 
>Testament (inscriptions, papyri) might impart some of the flavor of the times in 
>which the NT was written.
>  
> As I was learning to read NT Greek, I found H. E. Dana and Julius R. Mantey's 
>"A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament" (published by Macmillan in 1927 
>and again in 1955) helpful. There are certainly better texts on syntax today, 
>but what I liked about it at the time was its simplicity and lucidity, each 
>example carefully chosen (I thought then), and not so many examples as to be 
>overwhelming, but just enough. The book is 368 pages but my copy is of small, 
>compact size. I still use it.
>  
> I'd be interested in hearing from anyone else who used Goetchius' 
>textbook--specifically, whether that approach contributed to a long-term 
>interest in, and use of, Biblical Greek.
>  
> Best wishes,
> Rev. Jeremy Spencer
> Pastor, Odessa Baptist Church
> Odessa, NY


      


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