Introduction

[Paul-Nitz]

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My Two Cents for Mr. Marino.

[dmarino]

I would suggest holding off on reading about Greek (including Runge and Campbell, although too late there) and spending a lot of time reading Greek, thoroughly familiarizing yourself with the language, including reading as much extra-biblical Greek as you can fit in. When you've done that, you have a much better foundation to consider theory.

Thanks for the advice Barry! Do you suggest a straight reading from the text with only a lexicon at hand or are there other methods that are helpful for easing a person into reading greek regular. Also, how much should I normally try to read in one say, 30-60 min exercise?

[dmarino]

Regarding Mounce, I think there is much to commend it. I used it last year as a text and plan to use it next year. Having said that, though, it has some major shortcoming. By the time I got through Mounce on my own a few years ago, I kind of just threw it all away and spent many hours reading the text. The 'rules', I found, did not predict nearly so much they were supposed to. Furthermore, I didn't have enough brainpower to juggle all those rules and interact with the text in a real way at the same time. Now that I have gained some confidence about my understanding of the language I have a whole new appreciation for the "rules" of Greek grammar - but the text itself has priority. If I knew back then what I know now, I definitely would have paid way more attention to the communicative approach earlier on.

I would suggest that you take a close look at some type of real language (communicative) approach. Check out http://www.biblicallanguagecenter.com/. I would also watch some of Paul Nitz' YouTube videos. There are other communicative resources which you can find online.

Thomas, a friend of mine discouraged me from going with Mounce and suggested Porter instead. The reason I went with BBG is because of the accessibility and and resources available for someone studying on their own. It has helped me out a lot. I will definitely check out the other resources you suggested. Thank you for the help!

[Thomas Dolhanty]

Thomas, a friend of mine discouraged me from going with Mounce and suggested Porter instead. The reason I went with BBG is because of the accessibility and and resources available for someone studying on their own. It has helped me out a lot. I will definitely check out the other resources you suggested. Thank you for the help!

You're most welcome, Daniel. I do agree with your choice of texts considering that you were learning on your own. Mounce is much better, though (as is any intro grammar text), when there is a knowledgeable teacher to guide you through it. Now that you've done the basics, though, it is good to adjust and not carry forward some of the misconceptions you tend to accumulate when going through the basics alone. The work of Dr. Buth and company will direct you past the rather stiff and ultra-analytical perception of the language one gains from the typical first year grammar book, to a more nimble and 'living language' conception.

[Barry Hofstetter]

I would suggest holding off on reading about Greek (including Runge and Campbell, although too late there) and spending a lot of time reading Greek, thoroughly familiarizing yourself with the language, including reading as much extra-biblical Greek as you can fit in. When you've done that, you have a much better foundation to consider theory.

Thanks for the advice Barry! Do you suggest a straight reading from the text with only a lexicon at hand or are there other methods that are helpful for easing a person into reading greek regular. Also, how much should I normally try to read in one say, 30-60 min exercise?

I'm much better at general principles than specific applications...

But having said that, it all depends on where you are with your current skill level. Definitely set a specific amount of time each day to read, and however much you get done, you get done. First read through the text, absorbing everything you recognize. For unfamiliar vocabulary, note the form and syntax and attempt to divine the meaning from context. When you have so read through the text, then look up unfamiliar vocabulary. Don't just stop with the first usage that makes sense -- read through the entire entry to get a sense of the range of meaning. When you are done with this, go back and re-read the text without consciously translating. Shake and repeat as often as necessary... You may start with only one or two verses a day, but if you stick with it, your speed will increase, and one day you'll be doing chapters at a sitting instead of verses or short passages. It takes some effort, but the return on the investment is more than worth it.