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BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 22nd, 2011, 11:02 pm
by RobertStump
Greekers-

Until today I had been using Abbott-Smith's Manual Lexicon of NT Greek which can be found free on Google Books. For all of my intents and purposes it has served perfectly well, but the BDAG, from comments here and elsewhere, seems to be the mother of all Greek lexicons like the OED for Greek. When I checked the prices though I couldn't hardly justify $100+ for it at the moment. Looking at a couple of reviews on Amazon I saw someone mention that the 2nd edition had been going for $50 or less. It turns out used it can be had for $15. Needless to say I went ahead with the 2nd edition.

My question then is, what am I missing out from the 3rd edition? Is this something that later on I will want/need to upgrade? Are there any caveats regarding the 2nd edition?

For anyone else interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226039323

Propter Sanguinem Agni

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 1:11 am
by Mark Lightman
Robert asked:

Is this something that later on I will want/need to upgrade?
Yes. Later on you will want to upgrade to no lexicon at all.

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 6:07 am
by cwconrad
Mark Lightman wrote:
Robert asked:

Is this something that later on I will want/need to upgrade?
Yes. Later on you will want to upgrade to no lexicon at all.
That advice, of course, is based on an assumption that either (a) you will never read much Greek beyond a relatively small corpus of texts for which you will at some point have a complete mastery of all words and meanings, or (b) you will do any reading outside of that relatively small corpus in what some like to call "Reader's Editions," i.e. texts or collections of texts provided with a full set of glossary and grammatical helps. It may well be that the second edition (what is usually termed "BGAD" rather than "BDAG") will fill your needs for the foreseeable future; it all depends on how you understand your needs. If you can get by with a Model T Ford, why bother with a late model? What anyone considers a real bargain is a matter of personal judgment; I doubt anyone will be swayed by the advice to sell one's pearl of great price and purchase BDAG.

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 7:36 am
by Jonathan Robie
Rod Decker's review of the 3rd edition is probably helpful here:

http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/bdag.htm

I think the 3rd edition is significantly easier to use because of the definitions, the better typography, and some organizational changes. But the 2nd edition definitely gives you a lot more than what you had with just Abbot-Smith.

And don't throw away your Abbot-Smith, a small lexicon that you can easily carry is definitely a good thing to have. Abbot-Smith is a good one.

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 10:45 am
by James Spinti
Carl is right. You can occasionally find a third edition used for around $75-100. It is money well-spent. I held off getting the 3rd edition for several years, having used the 2nd edition since 1980. Once I took the plunge, I wondered why I had waited so long.

James

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 11:34 am
by RobertStump
That is very helpful. This is a little OT but do you know off hand any free/cheap Attic/Homeric lexicons of quality?

Propter Sanguinem Agni

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 11:45 am
by James Spinti
Personally, I prefer Cunliffe:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... =t&x=0&y=0

I know Carl has a different preference : )

James

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 12:36 pm
by cwconrad
James Spinti wrote:Personally, I prefer Cunliffe:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... =t&x=0&y=0

I know Carl has a different preference : )

James
Yes, I prefer the Georg Autenrieth lexicon (available from Amazon and others), admitting that Cunliffe is very good. I think the Autenrieth woodcuts that illustrate so many Homeric objects are priceless. I note that there's a dialogue at Textkit on the relative advantages of the two: http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-foru ... .php?t=818

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 8:33 pm
by Barry Hofstetter
cwconrad wrote: Yes, I prefer the Georg Autenrieth lexicon (available from Amazon and others), admitting that Cunliffe is very good. I think the Autenrieth woodcuts that illustrate so many Homeric objects are priceless. I note that there's a dialogue at Textkit on the relative advantages of the two: http://www.textkit.com/greek-latin-foru ... .php?t=818
I agree completely with Carl on Autenrieth. It got me through all of the Odyssey in my grad school days.

Re: BDAG 2nd Edition v. 3rd Edition

Posted: June 23rd, 2011, 9:45 pm
by RobertStump
Barry Hofstetter wrote:I agree completely with Carl on Autenrieth.
I have a copy of Autenrieth from the public domain. It was one I was considering printing for myself (I work for a printer). The version is from either late 19th C. or early 20th. The version on Amazon appears to be the same edition. Does anyone know if this is a modern reprint or a revised edition?