What Secular Greek texts do you give NT Greek students?

Other Greek writings of the New Testament era, including papyri and inscriptions
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Paul-Nitz
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Re: What Secular Greek texts do you give NT Greek students?

Post by Paul-Nitz »

Here's a blog that speaks directly to the question:
Background Reading for NT Studies
Paul D. Nitz - Lilongwe Malawi
Andrew Chapman
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Re: What Secular Greek texts do you give NT Greek students?

Post by Andrew Chapman »

H P V Nunn's in his Preface to his 'The Elements of New Testament Greek', (from which Wenham was derived - it has the accents still) suggests:

Xenophon, Lucian (in the Macmillan Elementary Classics series) and
Plato's Apology of Socrates studied with or without the help of a translation. The latter book is so interesting and important in its contents and so perfect and yet so simple in its style that it should be studied in the original language by all those who have the opportunity.
Andrew
Paul-Nitz
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Re: What Secular Greek texts do you give NT Greek students?

Post by Paul-Nitz »

Nunn's other book, "A short syntax of New Testament Greek," has an Appendix of passages from non-Biblical sources. It is about 9000 words and is lightly annotated. This book is available on Textkit or as a purchased book in Logos Bible Software.

Below you will find the titles of the excerpts and introductions (when given).

APPENDIX 2
The following selection of passages from Christian authors of the first two centuries has been added to this book in the hope that it may be useful to those who wish for some further knowledge of Greek than that which can be obtained from the study of a book whose contents are so familiar to them in an English version as are the contents of the Greek Testament.
In language and construction these passages very closely resemble the Greek Testament, but their subject-matter is unfamiliar, and this makes the study of them far more valuable as an exercise than the study of passages, the general meaning of which is well known.
References have been given in the footnotes to the paragraphs of the Syntax which explain the constructions which occur in these passages so far as they seem to stand in need of explanation.
A translation of the more uncommon words is also given.
It is hoped that these selections may prove interesting and valuable as affording first hand information about the beliefs and practices of the Christians of the first two centuries.

AN EARLY ACCOUNT OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS, FROM THE “TEACHING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES.” DATE ABOUT 100 A.D.

APOSTLES AND PROPHETS IN THE EARLY CHURCH

EXTRACTS FROM THE EPISTLE OF CLEMENT, BISHOP OF ROME, TO THE CORINTHIANS, WRITTEN ABOUT 95 A.D.
  • THE MARTYRDOM OF PETER AND PAUL
    THE RESURRECTION
    THE PRAISE OF LOVE
    THE APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION
    CLEMENT REBUKES THE CORINTHIANS

A VISION OF HERMAS CONCERNING THE CHURCH
Hermas was a Roman Christian, the brother of Pius, Bishop of Rome (142–157), according to the Muratorian Fragment. He imagined himself to be favoured with a series of revelations which were made to him by an ancient lady who declared herself to be the personification of the Church. In the introduction to the Vision given below he describes how he was commanded to meet this lady in the country and how she made him sit beside her on a couch, and then revealed the Vision to him, that he might report it for the edification of his brethren.

A SELECTION FROM THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PETER
This was discovered in a cemetery in Egypt in 1886. It is of a docetic character. The fragment begins with the account of Pilate washing his hands, and ends before the appearances after the resurrection. The text is reproduced here by kind permission of Dr Robinson, Dean of Wells, from his edition published in 1892.

THE CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD, BY AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR, PROBABLY OF THE SECOND CENTURY

THE MARTYRDOM OF IGNATIUS BISHOP OF ANTIOCH
The Acts from which this selection is adapted are not strictly historical, but are probably based on a sound tradition. Trajan was apparently not in Antioch at the time at which the trial of Ignatius before him is placed by the writer, and, if Ignatius had been tried by him, it is not likely that he would have written to the Romans asking them not to intercede for him that his sentence might be commuted, because there would have been no appeal from the sentence of the Emperor. The tendency to bring together celebrated persons living at the same era is common to all writers of historical romances. What is certain in the story is that Ignatius was Bishop of Antioch and that he suffered martyrdom in Rome by being thrown to the beasts about 107 A.D.

THE MARTYRDOM OF CARPUS
This passage is adapted from the Proconsular Acts of the martyrdom of Carpus, Papylus and Agathonice who were put to death in Asia either in the persecution of Marcus Aurelius or in that of Decius.

THE MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA, A.D. 155

A DESCRIPTION OF THE EUCHARIST IN THE SECOND CENTURY FROM THE APOLOGY OF JUSTIN MARTYR

A HOSTILE OUTSIDER’S VIEW OF CHRISTIANITY
Lucian, the writer of this piece, was a native of Samosata on the Euphrates, and lived in the second century A.D.
He was a cultivated man of the world who despised and ridiculed all religious and philosophic sects alike.
In the book from which this passage is taken he is describing the death of Proteus Peregrinus, a Cynic philosopher, who burnt himself alive at the Olympian Games to show his contempt for death. Lucian says that after a disreputable youth Peregrinus joined the sect of the Christians, and gives the following account of his relationship with them. Peregrinus afterwards ceased to be a Christian, and, becoming a Cynic, ended his life in the manner described above.

THE LAST WORDS OF SOCRATES TO HIS JUDGES
These selections may fitly close with one of the noblest and yet easiest passages in Classical literature. Socrates was condemned to death by the Athenians on the charge of corrupting the youth and of introducing the worship of strange gods. The passage below consists of part of his address to the judges who voted for his acquittal. Plato, Apology (abridged).

Nunn, H. P. V. (1920). A short syntax of New Testament Greek. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Paul D. Nitz - Lilongwe Malawi
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