Reasons Not To Study Greek

Ken Smith kens at 180solutions.com
Thu Jun 29 13:19:14 EDT 2000


Dunno.  I'd almost turn it around.  I'd say, *don't* expect Greek to
make you more spiritual or more connected with God.  It's not a magic
language.  It's just a language.  It happens to be the one the Bible was
written in, but those who can read it aren't particularly special or set
apart because they possess this particular skill.  hH GNWSIS FUSIOI, hH
DE AGAPH OIKODOMEI.  Being close to God is about other things --
QRHSKEIA KAQARA KAI AMIANTOS PARA TWi QEWi KAI PATRI hAUTH ESTIN,
EPISKEPTESQAI ORFANOUS KAI CHRAS EN THi QLIPSEI AUTWN, ASPILON hEAUTON
THREIN APO TOU KOSMOU.

And sure, the above quotations are in Greek, but I'd have to say we
could all get their import quite clearly enough in English :-).  And
*getting* their import is far more important than what *language* we get
it in -- and doing something about it after we've got it is far more
important yet.

All that to say, I'd throw in my two cents as:

(1) Don't study Greek to get close to God.  Getting close to God is
about other things than whether the aorist refers primarily to tense or
aspect.

(2) Don't study Greek to look cool from the pulpit, or from the Sunday
School lectern.  The only people who'll care aren't the ones you need to
be reaching -- or at least, reached in that particular way.

Ken Smith

> -----Original Message-----
> From: B.J. Williamson [mailto:hellen_ic at hotmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 9:59 AM
> To: Biblical Greek
> Subject: [b-greek] Re: Reasons Not To Study Greek
> 
> 
> 
> Brian;
> 
> 
> Reason for NOT studying (Biblical) Greek:
> 
> I'll start with 2:
> 
> 1. If Greek will not primarily be used
>      as a tool for knowing Him (worship).
> 
> 2. If Greek is primarily of academic interest,
>      not spiritual.
> 
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
> B.J. Williamson
> 
> ______________________________________________________________
> __________
> Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at 
http://www.hotmail.com


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