DESCRIPTION: This course is the first part of a three-quarter series designed to give the student a basic knowledge of the essential grammar of New Testament Greek as well as an introduction to morphology, syntax, and other matters of beginning grammar. Students registering for this course should plan to continue with parts B and C of the series, held in the Winter and Spring quarters, respectively.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of the three-quarter sequence the student should be able to (1) read the Greek New Testament aloud; (2) identify every word that appears more 50 times in the Greek NT; (3) identify and grammatically analyze various nouns, pronouns, adjectives, etc., found in the Greek NT; (4) identify and grammatically analyze various "regular" verb forms as well as "irregular" verb forms; (5) use a lexicon effectively to locate unfamiliar words and enhance the student's understanding of such words; (6) use a reference grammar effectively to locate unfamiliar grammatical and syntactical concepts and enhance the student's understanding of such concepts; (7) translate basic texts in the Greek NT; (8) understand the challenges, purposes, and value of learning NT Greek.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: A working knowledge of the original language of the New Testament is important for sound exegesis and informed interpretation of the Bible. Students who successfully complete this course will be able to interpret the NT with more confidence, thus enhancing many aspects of their ministry, from sermon preparation to Bible teaching. The skills and tools learned in this course will also serve to deepen their own personal study of the Bible, providing the excellent foundation that all ministers need to thrive.

COURSE FORMAT: The class meets twice each week for two-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament. 4th rev. ed. United Bible Societies, 1993.

OR Nestle, E., and K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 27th ed. Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1993.

Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar. Zondervan, 1993.

_________. Basics of Biblical Greek: Workbook. Zondervan, 1993.

See also the Biblical Division bibliography "Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Programs" available at http://www.fuller.edu/sot/ecds/084/Ling-Exeg-Biblio.html.

Black, D. A. It's Still Greek to Me: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Intermediate Greek. Baker, 1998.

Danker, F. W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3d ed. Based on Walter Bauer. . . . University of Chicago Press, 2000 [BDAG]. (Though not a required textbook, it is strongly recommended that the student purchase this as a helpful resource for his or her study at seminary and beyond.)

Kohlenberger, J. R., III, et al. The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament, with the New International Version. Academic and Professional Books, 1997.

Van Voorst, Robert E. Building Your New Testament Greek Vocabulary. 3d ed. Scholars Press, 2001.

Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Zondervan, 1996.