Hello from South Africa
Posted: September 16th, 2021, 3:49 am
Hi,
My name is Ben, residing in South Africa, member of a small non-denominational baptist/reformed church.
I have long been interested in learning biblical Greek so I can just be that one step closer to God's inspired Word when reading and studying it. And that is my main goal - to be able to (one day) put my English translation aside (mostly) and use a Greek bible as my primary bible for both devotional reading and serious study.
I've started twice before and quit before really getting past the first two chapters of the grammars I used at the time. Both times were different grammars. This is the third time, and a third grammar (Beginning with New Testament Greek), and I'm currently busy with chapter 5. I'm finding this grammar just the right mix between simplicity and technicality, and the pacing is perfect so far for me.
I'm really enjoying the process now, and I think that's what's making the big difference this time around - I'm focused on enjoying the journey, and not so much fixated at the end result/goal which can really seem to be very far in the distance if you worry too much about that.
I try to allocate 45 minutes in the mornings ever day to Greek learning. My routine is to start with Anki, either learning new vocab and paradigms that I need for the next chapter, or revising old vocab and paradigms. If the this takes up my full 45 minutes, that's all I end up doing that day, but this is by design. My emphasis is on the thing we tend to neglect most - memorization of vocab and paradigms.
Before I move on to a new chapter, I will skim through it, capture the vocab and paradigms on Anki, and then focus on learning those pretty well (as stated above) before actually starting to work through that chapter. I've found that this helps me focus a LOT more on the concepts and rules and stuff that the chapter is trying to teach me, rather than having to worry about paradigms or vocab, not recognizing certain words, etc.
The plan, currently, is to finish this as my beginner grammar. I want to then, as the next "phase" start introducing daily reading from a easy book of the new testament, like 1 John, and also then start with either an intermediate grammar, or maybe Mounce's beginning grammar, as I've been getting the impression that it's a bit more technical than some, and especially the one I'm working through now. The idea is that it will then basically just be revision of stuff I should already knowing, embedding it a bit more securely into my brain.
I'm here, hoping that this could be a space where I can mingle with like-minded, Christ-loving people, find some encouragement here, encounter some good tips and advice, ask some questions when I really get stuck, and also retain the motivation that often only comes when you do this together with other people.
My name is Ben, residing in South Africa, member of a small non-denominational baptist/reformed church.
I have long been interested in learning biblical Greek so I can just be that one step closer to God's inspired Word when reading and studying it. And that is my main goal - to be able to (one day) put my English translation aside (mostly) and use a Greek bible as my primary bible for both devotional reading and serious study.
I've started twice before and quit before really getting past the first two chapters of the grammars I used at the time. Both times were different grammars. This is the third time, and a third grammar (Beginning with New Testament Greek), and I'm currently busy with chapter 5. I'm finding this grammar just the right mix between simplicity and technicality, and the pacing is perfect so far for me.
I'm really enjoying the process now, and I think that's what's making the big difference this time around - I'm focused on enjoying the journey, and not so much fixated at the end result/goal which can really seem to be very far in the distance if you worry too much about that.
I try to allocate 45 minutes in the mornings ever day to Greek learning. My routine is to start with Anki, either learning new vocab and paradigms that I need for the next chapter, or revising old vocab and paradigms. If the this takes up my full 45 minutes, that's all I end up doing that day, but this is by design. My emphasis is on the thing we tend to neglect most - memorization of vocab and paradigms.
Before I move on to a new chapter, I will skim through it, capture the vocab and paradigms on Anki, and then focus on learning those pretty well (as stated above) before actually starting to work through that chapter. I've found that this helps me focus a LOT more on the concepts and rules and stuff that the chapter is trying to teach me, rather than having to worry about paradigms or vocab, not recognizing certain words, etc.
The plan, currently, is to finish this as my beginner grammar. I want to then, as the next "phase" start introducing daily reading from a easy book of the new testament, like 1 John, and also then start with either an intermediate grammar, or maybe Mounce's beginning grammar, as I've been getting the impression that it's a bit more technical than some, and especially the one I'm working through now. The idea is that it will then basically just be revision of stuff I should already knowing, embedding it a bit more securely into my brain.
I'm here, hoping that this could be a space where I can mingle with like-minded, Christ-loving people, find some encouragement here, encounter some good tips and advice, ask some questions when I really get stuck, and also retain the motivation that often only comes when you do this together with other people.