Hello from South Africa

Please introduce yourself here, if you haven't already.
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hornjbl
Posts: 3
Joined: September 15th, 2021, 3:57 am

Hello from South Africa

Post by hornjbl »

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.
Barry Hofstetter
Posts: 2159
Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Hello from South Africa

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Welcome, Ben. Plenty of people here willing to help and support you on your journey. It sounds as if you are off to a good start this time, and have a method which really works for you. A few suggestions:

1) Intermediate and advanced grammars are usually reference grammars, not teaching grammars. Your best bet is to read as much GNT as possible when done with your current teaching grammar, and use any intermediate as a true reference source, rather than trying systematically to work through them. But some people also find reading grammars such as those very helpful, so it all depends on your preference.

2) In that same vein, I would not particularly encourage you to work through another beginning grammar. The one you are using gives you all the basic info you need to jump into the NT, and I would go directly to the GNT. In fact, occasionally dipping in even now is not a bad idea, particularly if your text gives you references to specific verses in the GNT.

3) There are lot of resources available on line now for individuals wanting to learn ancient Greek. You might want to see if there is a reading group available that you could plug into to join with other likeminded souls. Facebook I know has several such groups, and there are also people setting up Zoom or Google Meet for such activities. Just keep it mind for when you feel ready seriously to plunge into your reading.

4) Reader editions of the GNT which supply a lot of helpful glosses can be an excellent tool for rapid reading, but don't confuse the glosses with the full lexigraphical possiblities of the word!
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
Shirley Rollinson
Posts: 415
Joined: June 4th, 2011, 6:19 pm
Location: New Mexico
Contact:

Re: Hello from South Africa

Post by Shirley Rollinson »

Don't wait any longer - start reading a bit of the GNT each day (just a verse or so). Read it aloud, even if you don't understand all the words. Then go over it and try to work out the meaning. Then put it aside and do your grammar study. Then finish up by reading the GNT verse again. Let it start to settle in you, and you'll find that understanding develops. You could also sign up for (free) Daily Dose of Greek videos https://dailydoseofgreek.com/
hornjbl
Posts: 3
Joined: September 15th, 2021, 3:57 am

Re: Hello from South Africa

Post by hornjbl »

Thanks guys, appreciate the welcome and the advice. I will definitely put aside a few minutes a day to start reading in the the NT.
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