Biblical Greek at Concord Baptist Church

The Society of Biblical Literature has release for FREE Download a new critical edition of the Greek New Testament. Here are the details from the SBL Greek NT web site:

The SBLGNT is edited by Michael W. Holmes, who utilized a wide range of printed editions, all the majorcritical apparatuses, and the latest technical resources and manuscript discoveries as he established the text. The result is a critically edited text that differs from the Nestle-Aland/United Bible Societies text in more than 540 variation units.

The SBLGNT is available as a free download. Students, teachers, pastors, and interested laypersons can use the SBLGNT right now for research, writing, and study—at no cost.

A reasonably-priced professionally produced print edition of the SBLGNT is also available directly from SBL. It includes the full apparatus of variant readings from the four primary editions on which the SBLGNT is based.

With Smyth-sewn binding, a Kivar cover, and reader-friendly type, the print edition provides a durable, affordable alternative for scholarly research and classroom use.

Last year I mentioned that the 3rd edition of Mounce’s Greek Grammar was coming our in December of 2009. So, of course, it did relese in December of last year and I got my copy of it for Christmas!

In light of this, I thought I should share a couple of things here on the blog:

1) The new edition is now in the bookstore. You can buy it through our ministry web site here. We also have listed the 3rd edition of the workbook that goes along with the grammar.

2) Earlier this year a review of the 3rd edition was released at the Review of Biblical Literature web site. It is very, very thourough and highlights many of the errors that still remain in the book - in terms of spelling and references, etc. Don’t be discouraged by it, but read this review so that you know where they are and have an idea of what to look for as you go through the 3rd edition on your own.

I do not intend to post much more about this new edition right now. I’m currently beginning to go back through Mounce’s Grammar for my own personal review of the Greek language, as time permits. If there is anything particular that is not in the above review, I will let you know about it in future posts.

Last Seminary is a great resource site with thousands of free articles available from a variety of different disciplines. In particular, I wanted to point everyone to their articles page for Greek Language studies in the New Testament. Here is one article from their page that I highly recommend for anyone looking to get acquainted with how to use the Textual Apparatus of the Nestle-Aland 27th critical edition of the Greek New Testament.

The Nestle-Aland 27 Textual Apparatus

This is a tutorial on how to use the NA27 Textual Apparatus found at the bottom of the Novum Testamentum Graece. It breaks down a section of Mark so that the reader can learn what the symbols mean, which is important for understanding the variant readings. It has been said that to read NA27 you need to learn two languages: Greek and the Textual Apparatus. This will help you to learn the latter of those two.

I know it has been a long time since I posted something new here, but this is so appropriate and priceless I could not miss the chance to pass these songs along. Enjoy!

I need more cow bell, baby!

This video below is simply hilarious!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Bill Mounce’s textbook, the textbook we refer to at this web site, is coming out at the end of the year with a new and revised 3rd edition from Zondervan Publishers. I’m thoroughly exited about this new edition and I’m hoping that the actual textual changes were for the better.

Here is a basic description of the changes from Zondervan’s web site:

Now in a larger size, with an attractive 2-color design, the third edition adds an element of fun, with encouragement, songs, and more, which appear in the margins. Chapter 35 has been split into two chapters, “half-time review” sections have been added to every chapter, and new exegesis sections are now included. These and other improvements serve to enhance the learning experience and will continue BBG’s legacy as the premier introduction to biblical Greek.

I encourage you to pre-order from Amazon.com here and make it one of your Christmas presents! Or ask someone else to give it to you as a Christmas present!

Either way, I hope that this new edition continues the great tradition of learning Biblical Greek to the glory of God. Amen!

This book is our classes next step in studying New Testament Greek. Now that we have finished Mounce’s book, we are going to be translating the various passages in this Summer Greek Reader by  Zondervan Publishing. I would encourage any of you who have gone through Mounce’s book to make this small book your next goal in learning New Testament Greek.

This book contains several weeks of translation (6 readings per week) that are designed to reinforce what you have learned from Mounce’s book. It also contains new vocabulary each week to build your vocabulary skills up so that you will know all the Greek words in the New Testament that occur 30 times or more.

If anyone completes Mounce’s book and then this Summer Reader, they will be fully prepaired to READ the Greek New Testament “Reader’s Edition” of the UBS, which can be purchased here. I’m very thankful for the great materials that Zondervan and the UBS have created for students of New Testament Greek.

I hope that all of you will enjoy your studies and continue to grow in your knowledge of God’s word through the study of original languages!

Here is the audio recording from our last class covering Mounce’s book. We reviewed the last two chapters of the book. This marks the end of our audio recordings for the time being. I might try to do some more one day, but for now the remaining members of my class as Concord are going to meet regularly to translate various passage of the New Testament Scriptures. I hope to continue to use this web site to post on the latest issues or topics that I am studying regarding Biblical Greek. Enjoy this last lecture and please post any questions or comments you have in the comments sections below.

Class 36 - Chapter 34-35 [ 1:00:37 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download