DESCRIPTION: This course is the first of a three-course 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 intermediate 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. The courses combine the deductive approach with an inductive study from the text of the New Testament.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students completing this course will have demonstrated their ability (1) to read aloud in the language; (2) generally to identify the varied nouns and pronouns of the language; (3) generally to identify subjects, adjectives, direct and indirect objects, prepositional phrases, and adverbs, when they read a text; (4) to use a lexicon to amplify their understanding of words and to find words they do not know.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: One of the elements in interpreting the text of the New Testament is understanding the language in which it was written. Students who successfully complete the three courses should, with the use of various resources, be able to consult the Greek text as part of the exegetical (and ministerial!) task and should be able to critically evaluate theological and exegetical positions that purport to be based on some feature of the Greek text.

COURSE FORMAT: The course meets two times each week for two-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Either Nestle, E., and K. Aland. Novum Testamentum Graece. 27th ed. Updated 8th printing. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 2001 [Nestle-Aland].

Or Aland, K., et al. The Greek New Testament. 4th rev. ed. United Bible Societies, 1993 (either with or without dictionary bound in back).

Kubo, S. A Reader's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Zondervan, 1975.

Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar. 2d ed. Zondervan, 2003.

_________. Basics of Biblical Greek: Workbook. 2d ed. Zondervan, 2003.

See also the Biblical Division bibliography "Linguistic and Exegetical Books Required in the Master of Divinity Program" available in the SOT Academic Advising office.

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].

Fee, Gordon D. New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. 3d ed. Westminster John Knox, 2002.

Van Voorst, Robert E. Building Your New Testament Greek Vocabulary. 3d ed. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2001.

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