[B-Greek] The Utility/Worth of B-Greek (was "Top 3 Enlightenment")

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Tue May 25 09:35:57 EDT 2010


On May 23, 2010, at 2:48 PM, Robert George wrote:
> Please provide your personal Top 3 List (or more if you prefer) where
> B-greek discussion enlightened you about a Scripture?
> What insight did you gain?

I am not really surprised that this question has thus far evoked no responses at all. 
For that matter, I am not going to respond directly to the question as it was posed 
either. So many good discussions of Biblical Greek texts have drawn my attention
 and been instructive that I don't really think I can specify any one, two, or three 
of them as being more instructive than all the rest. It might be easier for those who 
have been on the list for a much shorter period. It is also true that we currently 
have 1874 list-members from all over the world; several subscribe from more than 
one e-address, but lurkers clearly constitute the vast majority of our subscribers. 
The lurkers must find some value in reviewing our list-correspondence; I have just 
a few off-list notes from some of them, but what Spiro Agnew once called "the
 silent majority" is an accurate description of the bulk of our list-membership.

For my part, list-discussion has made me much more profoundly aware of the
weight of assumptions and presuppositions bearing upon how we interpret the
Greek text. I think we may be more ready to acknowledge the range of alternative
understandings of the Greek text, but when endeavor to define the contextual
factors bearing most heavily upon understanding a particular text, we differ
considerably in how we determine the significant context. I think it is probably
the case that what one person thinks is a matter of minimal context to be taken
into consideration (the particular author, the particular chapter or verse, the
GNT as a whole, the Biblical corpus as a whole) will be seen by another as
an open door to eisegesis. Then there are questions of genre, of figurative
or metaphorical language, of authorship, of historical context, and so many
others as well. We are not in agreement as list-members about which of these
elements constitutes relevant context, and that is why we generally delimit
discussion to what we can discern as the meaning of the Greek text as a Greek
text. Mark Lightman has more than hinted recently at the questionability of
an effort to treat Biblical Greek texts as "proof-texts" for particular stances.
Nevertheless, I think it is safe to say that there's a good reason why the same
passages come up repeatedly through the months and years for discussion is 
that almost everyone considers these passages to be critical to their faith.

Bill Mounce in his latest "Mondays with Mounce" blog entry has a nice note
on the importance of context in interpreting a Greek text which is open to
multiple legitimate interpretations: 
(http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/pQHu/~3/iCPRxmkgHfw/can-an-individual-interpret-scripture-2-pet-120.html)
 "As is so often in Greek, the original language gives us the range of 
interpretive options, but usually it is context that makes the final decision. 
Greek is not a magic key that reveals the one and only possible interpretation; 
otherwise we wouldn’t have endless supplies of Greek commentaries."

I do think that a list-membership of 1874 indicates considerable satisfaction
with and appreciation of what B-Greek discussion offers. That hardly means,
however, that there aren't plenty of peeves about the list to go around.

Thirteen years ago we did a survey of the list-members and had 117 respondents 
from what was then a list-membership of 430. Here's what respondents said then 
about what they found useful and what they found to be weaknesses and strengths 
of the list -- some of the same items were listed as both strengths and weaknesses! 
The results were published in a message of October 20, 1997 
(http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/1997-10/21636.html) 

4. WHAT WE FIND MOST USEFUL IN LIST MESSAGES: 
76/117 appreciate grammatical explanations of specific Biblical passages; 
75/117 seek exegetical insights derived through grammatical analysis; 
76/117 look for news and information about Biblical Greek linguistics, 
including lexicology, morphology, and syntax; 
67/117 watch for new or useful bibliographical information; 
47/117 like discussions of pedagogy and experiences of others in learning 
and teaching Biblical Greek 
10/117 sent additional comments: "I like being able to put specific 
questions about my problems and get straight answers;" "I'm looking for... 
ways Biblical and Classical Greek are related;" "I like to see postings 
about Greek materials available at other sites on the Internet;" "I'm 
looking for anything bearing upon the Synoptic problem;" "I like the 
atmosphere of the list and the generosity of list-members;" "I like the 
challenges to my own theological conservatism to sharpen my apologetic 
skills;" "I enjoy even the flames and doctrinal discussions;" "I enjoy 
everything posted; that's why this is my favorite list." 

5. OUR WEAKNESSES -- AND OUR STRENGTHS: 
(Please note: these "peeves" overlap and balance each other out.) 
(a) "theological imperialism"--promoting a distinct theological attitude as 
normative for all; 26 persons--from both ends of the spectrum--voiced this 
complaint; 
(b) "interminable threads on exhausted subjects": 17 persons; 
(c) "flaming, discourtesy, clear violations of Netiquette": 11 persons; 
(d) posts clearly external to the focus of B-Greek: 5 persons; 
(e) One person "repeated questions about fundamental things," while another 
was deeply grateful for "recurrent clarifications of elementary grammar;" 
(f) "gender wars" on the list: 4 complaints; one spoke more bluntly of 
"testosterone-spitting contests disguised as 'theological discussion.'" 
(g) Two persons noted the readiness of list-members to respond to a 
question in ways revealing their own incompetence; 
(i) Threads on verbal aspect were deeply appreciated by several, while 
others admitted they found them utterly boring; 
(j) Excessive citation of an entire previous thread-history--a VERY 
frequent complaint; 
(k) Frustrations of one sort or another were noted: 
-- volume too heavy to keep up with (suggestion: get the digest and read 
only what matches your own interest); 
-- transliteration schemes inconsistent, hard to get accustomed to (but 
we're NOT going to prescribe a single transliteration scheme); 
--archive not up to date; 
--changing the subject without noting the change in their subject-headers; 
--a question may be asked on a topic and the focus will shift to another 
poster's concern before the first question has been answered; 
(l) Recently-established guidelines spelled out in the B-Greek FAQ and in 
clarifying statements made on the list have evoked some comments also: 
there's one complaint about narrow restrictions placed upon subjects open 
to discussion, but a majority clearly finds the restrictions and their 
enforcement welcome. Thus one respondent ends a list of peeves: "... but 
this is the best list I'm on." Another writes, "I have been on this list 
seven or eight years...  the best thing that has happened is the current system 
of policing; some  are still off on a theology point, but it is better now." 
Another long-term list-member is less enthusiastic, but hopeful: "... it's 
not as bad as it once was... "


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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