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Jonah - short, easy, nice for early reading outside of GNT

Posted: August 1st, 2012, 12:24 pm
by Jonathan Robie
I started reading Jonah in the Septuagint yesterday, and began to wonder why it isn't more widely recommended to people who want to read outside the Greek New Testament. It's familiar vocabulary, short sentences, and the entire text is quite short.

Does anyone use Jonah in their courses?

Re: Jonah - short, easy, nice for early reading outside of G

Posted: August 2nd, 2012, 10:29 am
by ed krentz
Jonathon,

The way one grows is to keep readingr texts that are more difficult than the NT. The LXX is good for this. I would suggest reading Psalms as a starter. They are short (not Ps 119!) and their content is familiar.

But then move into the apocrypha. Try reading sections of Sirach, start with chapter 44. One you find that doable, move on to Wisdom of Solomon 7ff. and 4 Maccabees.

There are some good aids to this, e.g. the old Dropsie Series of commentaries on apocryphal books, or Dancy on 1 Maccabees.

Once you have done t4his, then move on to Greek literature of the Roman empire period.

Ed Krentz

Re: Jonah - short, easy, nice for early reading outside of G

Posted: August 2nd, 2012, 2:37 pm
by Jonathan Robie
ed krentz wrote:The way one grows is to keep readingr texts that are more difficult than the NT. The LXX is good for this. I would suggest reading Psalms as a starter. They are short (not Ps 119!) and their content is familiar.

But then move into the apocrypha. Try reading sections of Sirach, start with chapter 44. One you find that doable, move on to Wisdom of Solomon 7ff. and 4 Maccabees.
Thanks - it probably is time for me to spread my wings a bit. I've read a bit outside the GNT, but not at all widely.
ed krentz wrote:There are some good aids to this, e.g. the old Dropsie Series of commentaries on apocryphal books, or Dancy on 1 Maccabees.
I'm not familiar with either. Dropsie seems to be largely Hebrew resources, I'm not sure I'm looking at the same thing you are talking about.

Thanks for the advice!