Hi, Jeff. Did Susan and I spell your name right?Jeffrey Requadt wrote: The idea is to take a text, perhaps from the New Testament, but just as easily from any other Koine or Classical text, and to create several different versions of that text at progressing levels of difficulty. The first level might be a page with a few short sentences with only a predicate an a prepositional phrase, accompanied by a picture that shows what the page is telling. The next level might be sentences that fit more of an authentic Greek sentence pattern (although probably not the original, which would probably be too complex), including authentic Greek word order, but still not too far removed from level 1. Then as you progress levels, you come closer and closer to the original Greek text.
Jeffrey’s Level One is what I call “Method Three” in its most pure form. I call it “Method 3” because it is an alternative to grammar-translation (Method 2 and Method 1, respectively.) Here is Method 3 applied to Hebrews 10:19-22, a moderately difficult passage. Make sure to see if you can understand the unadapted passage before reading the leveled readings.
And, so you can see how this would work, here is the original text again:Hebrews 10:19-22 unadapted: Ἔχοντες οὖν, ἀδελφοί, παρρησίαν εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ αἵματι Ἰησοῦ, 20 ἣν ἐνεκαίνισεν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν πρόσφατον καὶ ζῶσαν διὰ τοῦ καταπετάσματος, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, 21 καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, 22 προσερχώμεθα μετὰ ἀληθινῆς καρδίας ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως, ῥεραντισμένοι τὰς καρδίας ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς καὶ λελουσμένοι τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι καθαρῷ:
Method 3 Level 1: ἔχομεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐρχόμεθα οὖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς λούει ἡμᾶς.
Method 3, Level 2: Χαίρετε! ἔχομεν τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἔχομεν οὖν παρρασίαν. ἐρχόμεθα οὖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ. τὸ δὲ καταπέτασμα ἐστιν ἡ θύρα τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Θεοῦ. ἡ δὲ θύρα ἔστιν ἡ σάρξ τοῦ Ίησοῦ. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ μέγας ἰερεῦς. διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὖν προσερχώμεθα εἰς τὸν τόπον τῶν ἁγίων. ἐρχόμεθα δὲ διὰ τῆς θύρας τοῦ καταπετάσματος. καῖ ἔχομεν τὴν καρδίαν πίστεως. ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς λούει καὶ ραντίζει τὴν καρδία ἡμῶν.
Method 3, Level 3: φίλοι μου, ἔχομεν παρρησίαν ἐν Ἰησοῦ. ἐρχόμεθα οὖν εἰς τὸν τόπον τῶν ἁγίων. ἔχομεν δὲ τὸ αἶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐποίησεν καινὴν καὶ ζῶσαν ὁδὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. ἐρχόμεθα δὲ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τῆς θύρας. καὶ ἡ θύρα ἐστιν ἡ σἀρξ τοῦ Ἱησοῦ. ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν μέγαν ἱερέα ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ ἐρχόμεθα μετὰ τῆς ἀληθείας. ἔχομεν οὖν τὴν καρδίαν τῆς πίστεως. ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς λούει τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν. οὐκ ἔχομεν τὴν πονηρὰν καρδίαν. οὐκ ἔχομεν τὴν πονηρὰν συνείδησιν. ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἐχει. καθαρὸν ὕδωρ. σὺν τῷ ὕδατι καθαρῷ ὁ Θεὸς ραντίζει καὶ λούει τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν.
Method 3, Level 4: Ἔχομεν οὖν, ἀδελφοί, παρρησίαν ἐν τῷ αἵματι Ἰησοῦ περὶ τῆς εἰσόδου τῶν ἁγίων. ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν καινὴν καὶ ζῶσαν ὁδὸν διὰ τῆς θύρας τοῦ καταπετάσματος, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ. Ἔχοντες οὖν ἱερέα μέγαν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, προσερχώμεθα μετὰ ἀληθινῆς καρδίας ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως, ῥεραντισμένοι τὰς καρδίας ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς καὶ λελουσμένοι τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι καθαρῷ:
There is only one way to evaluate Method 3. Is the person who cannot understand Hebrews 10:19-22 able to BASICALLY do so after reading through the levels a few times? I cannot evaluate the Method because I can already understand Hebrews 10:19-22. Pure beginners cannot evaluate the Method because they cannot even understand Level One. Fluent readers don’t need any of the Methods. Method 3 is really designed for intermediate learners, a class of folks who I think would benefit most from alternatives to grammar-translation methods.Hebrews 10:19-22 unadapted: Ἔχοντες οὖν, ἀδελφοί, παρρησίαν εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ αἵματι Ἰησοῦ, 20 ἣν ἐνεκαίνισεν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν πρόσφατον καὶ ζῶσαν διὰ τοῦ καταπετάσματος, τοῦτ' ἔστιν τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, 21 καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, 22 προσερχώμεθα μετὰ ἀληθινῆς καρδίας ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως, ῥεραντισμένοι τὰς καρδίας ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς καὶ λελουσμένοι τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι καθαρῷ:
I suppose what would make the Method better would be to add sub-levels, maybe to have as many as ten. I may do so when I get a chance. If anyone else wants to add levels or suggest corrections to the levels I have done, feel free to do so. Just make sure you understand the purpose of the sub-levels before making your suggestions. AND MAKE SURE YOU SPELL JEFF’S NAME RIGHT!
Μᾶρκος