Re: Keeping up with NT Greek after class

From: Jim West (jwest@Highland.Net)
Date: Thu May 20 1999 - 17:12:24 EDT


At 05:04 PM 5/20/99 -0400, you wrote:
> I was wondering if any of the "middle" or "big" Greeks could offer a
>suggestion on keeping up with your Greek skills after you have finished
>your Greek classes. I took Greek 3 or 4 years ago and find it difficult
>to keep my skills up, much less improve on them. This is especially true
>when I am teaching a lot out of the Old Testament as I am this year. I
>simply do not get to study the NT much this year, so I am not using
>Greek very much.

Read it every day. Read it for your daily Bible reading. Read it on the
bus or train. read it in the "privy". Read it whenever you can. The best
way to keep your Greek is to use it- and the best way to use it is to read
it. If your teaching OT- read the LXX. Just read.

> I guess my basic question is "what is the best way to spend my
>time?" I do not have a lot of time (family, pastoring, still in
>seminary, etc.). If you could only devote 15-20 minutes a day, where
>would you devote it?

Reading.

> Working on vocabulary, reading through grammars to
>brush up, reading some portion of the NT, or a combination of the
>above?

Just read the text. The grammar will come back.

> If you recommend reading, do you recommend using a reader such
>as the Graded reader by Mounce, or simply opening the NT a little each
>day and reading.

Dont use a crutch. It might be slow going at first- maybes just a verse a
day. And dont bother with a lexicon either. Just read. The more you read-
the more you will pick up. Words will fall into place, your vocab will
rise- and your facility will triple. Just read.

> Finally, if it is reading the NT, what books would be
>most profitable to start with (few "unusual" constructions, easier
>grammar and vocabulary, etc.) Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Read the Johannine epistles and the Gospel first. Then move on to Mark and
Matthew. Do Pauls letters and then Luke-Acts. Finally, read the catholics,
saving 1 Peter, Hebrews, and Rev for last (for very different reasons) :-)

Best,

Jim

+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
email- jwest@highland.net
web page- http://web.infoave.net/~jwest

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