...there will be no class this Sunday. Sandy and I will be away for Easter...as a heads up for the next class on the 30th, you might want to brush up on your general grammar knowledge--specifically nouns, verbs and [gulp] participles!
...and it wouldn't hurt to find out what the word "parsing" means...
God Bless,
Jim
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
On Lesson Four
I’ve just posted today’s marathon Lesson Four—see the tab “4: The Source” above. There are quite a few footnotes that weren’t brought up in class, so as the indefatigable servant of you Searchers of Truth & Righteousness, I’ve decided to post them here with active links:
The first footnote was just the attribution of the NIV internet copyright statement. BibleGateway isn’t a bad Bible research site, but it isn’t nearly as cool as Blue Letter Bible.
1. NIV Copyright notice taken from BibleGateway.com NIV information page
Footnote two was a short explanation of the questionable “translation methodology” of the NIV:
2. The NIV used a method of interpretation which they called “Dynamic Equivalence”, which basically means rendering the sense of the text rather than the “static” meaning of words. Ironically, the DE method results in a more “static” translation by reducing multiple possible interpretations of a word or phrase (such as “the sign of the Son of man in heaven”) to a single meaning (“the sign of the Son of Man in the sky”).
The third footnote was another short explanation of a comment I made, but this one was referring to scholars who disagreed with the idea that the Biblical Canon was decided at the Council of Nicea. I found the note on this Wikipedia page (scroll down to the section called “Canonization” for the quote, then click on the footnote for the reference):
3. New Testament scholar Lee Martin McDonald notes, “Although a number of Christians have thought that church councils determined what books were to be included in the biblical canons, a more accurate reflection of the matter is that the councils recognized or acknowledged those books that had already obtained prominence from usage among the various early Christian communities”. From: McDonald, Lee M.: The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1995, p. 116
When I was mentioning that the Majority Text was another name for the Textus Receptus, I added footnote 4. Until the 1982, then 1991, the term Majority Text spelt S-A-F-E:
4. Beware: Two pairs of scholars, Hodges & Farstad and Pierpont & Robinson, in 1982 and 1991 respectively, came out with their own GNT’s and called them “Majority Texts”.
There is a 5th footnote, but I’d mentioned it in class and the link is active—go have a look at the bottom of Lesson Four…
I also checked out the birth & death dates of Pope Callistus. Looks like I need to brush up on my Papal history! Paul was right—it seems Callistus was an actual “head of the Church”-type Pope from AD 217 until his death in 222. They don’t know when he was born apparently. Here’s the Wikipedia page where I got the dates from.
Okay, all for now!
No, wait, one more thing--email me if you get this post and have trouble accessing the blog (the url is gntbiblestudy.blogspot.com [no "www" at the beginning])
God Bless,
Ἰακωβος
The first footnote was just the attribution of the NIV internet copyright statement. BibleGateway isn’t a bad Bible research site, but it isn’t nearly as cool as Blue Letter Bible.
1. NIV Copyright notice taken from BibleGateway.com NIV information page
Footnote two was a short explanation of the questionable “translation methodology” of the NIV:
2. The NIV used a method of interpretation which they called “Dynamic Equivalence”, which basically means rendering the sense of the text rather than the “static” meaning of words. Ironically, the DE method results in a more “static” translation by reducing multiple possible interpretations of a word or phrase (such as “the sign of the Son of man in heaven”) to a single meaning (“the sign of the Son of Man in the sky”).
The third footnote was another short explanation of a comment I made, but this one was referring to scholars who disagreed with the idea that the Biblical Canon was decided at the Council of Nicea. I found the note on this Wikipedia page (scroll down to the section called “Canonization” for the quote, then click on the footnote for the reference):
3. New Testament scholar Lee Martin McDonald notes, “Although a number of Christians have thought that church councils determined what books were to be included in the biblical canons, a more accurate reflection of the matter is that the councils recognized or acknowledged those books that had already obtained prominence from usage among the various early Christian communities”. From: McDonald, Lee M.: The Formation of the Christian Biblical Canon. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1995, p. 116
When I was mentioning that the Majority Text was another name for the Textus Receptus, I added footnote 4. Until the 1982, then 1991, the term Majority Text spelt S-A-F-E:
4. Beware: Two pairs of scholars, Hodges & Farstad and Pierpont & Robinson, in 1982 and 1991 respectively, came out with their own GNT’s and called them “Majority Texts”.
There is a 5th footnote, but I’d mentioned it in class and the link is active—go have a look at the bottom of Lesson Four…
I also checked out the birth & death dates of Pope Callistus. Looks like I need to brush up on my Papal history! Paul was right—it seems Callistus was an actual “head of the Church”-type Pope from AD 217 until his death in 222. They don’t know when he was born apparently. Here’s the Wikipedia page where I got the dates from.
Okay, all for now!
No, wait, one more thing--email me if you get this post and have trouble accessing the blog (the url is gntbiblestudy.blogspot.com [no "www" at the beginning])
God Bless,
Ἰακωβος
Sunday, April 10, 2011
First Post the Past
In 2010, I taught a basic NT Greek Course. One of the more well-received aspects of each class was the opening segment which eventually came to be called “Why Learn Greek”. These were brief, encouraging word studies, wherein we compared the English NT translations with the Greek NT, to illustrate how leaning NT Greek can enhance our understanding of Scripture—similar to what Bill Mounce calls “exegetical insights” in his popular Greek primer [i]. In a sense, this course is a continuation and expansion of those Why Learn Greek’s.
A link to the PBC Greek Class can be found in the “Check These Out” section on the right hand side of this page. You’ll also see a few other links there that I thought might be of interest to you. Here’s a brief explanation of each, going from top to bottom:
1. The first three are just online concordances—Biblos, Strong’s and Vine’s. If you’re not familiar with the last two—welcome to the Christian faith!
2. The Online Greek NT is the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. You can download pdf’s of the entire GNT in two formats—with verse numbers in the text or without.
3. The Blue Letter Bible is the fantastic, free, online Bible-study resource from Chuck & Nancy Missler’s Koinonia House. I seriously recommend getting to know this site.
4. The next is the world-famous e-Sword: the sword of the LORD with the electronic edge. If you have a PC and don’t own a big, expensive Bible-study program like BibleWorks, then you must downloaded this free, unbelievable Bible tool immediately!
5. The next is the link to the blog of the PBC Greek Class mentioned above.
6. Christian Value Books NZ is a great place to shop online for second-hand (pre-loved?) books of the Christian persuasion. I’ve bought many books from them—including my beloved GNT—and highly recommend them. The prices are very good and the service is fast.
7. Hebrew for Christians is a site where Christians can learn Hebrew the Messianic way! If nothing else, it’s a great place to learn the Hebrew alphabet—or should I say “aleph-beth”?
8. The next site is an old favorite. I first stumbled across Peter Misselbrook’s Musings when I was just getting started learning Greek. What he does is go through the entire NT verse-by-verse and give language and exegetical commentaries along the way. Okay, he uses the “wrong” Greek text (see lesson 4 above), but it’s a fun, informative way to improve your Greek knowledge nonetheless.
9. The website at the end of the last link on the list will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s Jim Brown’s Grace and Truth Ministries. Jim’s teaching style is a bit screechy and aggressive at times—an unorthodox mix of edgy brilliance and Southern-fried iconoclasm—but if you can stand the heat, you’ll come to love the kitchen. A major proponent of “define, define, define”, Jim is a no-nonsense, serious-as-cancer Expositor of the Word of God.
If any of you come across any other websites you think will interest us, just email them to me at ikwbospistos@hotmail.co.nz and I’ll put them on the list.
You’ll also find each of the ten lessons of the course by clicking on the Pages tabs above this post. We’re currently three lessons in and they should all be posted by the end of this week.
As for the course itself, the following is a list of miscellaneous introductory notes that should answer most FAQ’s:
1. KJV, the Textus Receptus & the Masoretic Text. For reasons that I will explain later in the course, the main English translation that I use is the Authorised Version (the KJV). The Hebrew text is the Masoretic Text and the Greek text I use is the Majority Text, or as it’s more commonly called, the Textus Receptus. If you have a fear or loathing of any of those, you might just have to be medicated for the next nine weeks.
2. Challenging Material. We are all Christians, yes, but I think it’s safe to say that our uniformity with regards to belief and doctrine ends there. We all have different backgrounds and have walked different paths; our theology and doctrine are as individual as our personalities. What this means is that some of what I will show you and teach you over the next 9 Sundays will, undoubtedly, be challenging to you, will perhaps be shocking, and, yes, could even offend you. If this happens, I can only ask that you hear me out and that you take the point I’m making in the spirit in which it is intended—which is one of brotherly affection—examine the Biblical evidence I present, and then, of course, take it before the Lord.
3. Course Material. There is no text-book with this course—primarily because I haven’t written it yet. Just like last year’s Greek Class, I’m more or less making it up as I go along—the course and the text book, that is. There will be hand outs—tables, lists, notes, etc—which I prefer to email to you and have you print up and bring to class. If I can’t get any of these to you before Sunday (which is highly likely given that I’m preparing them between classes) I will provide them in class. As well, I don’t have an editor, so there will be typos and mistakes. If you spot any, just let me know and I’ll apologise and correct them as soon as I can.
4. What to Bring. All you need to bring is yourself—auditing the class is allowed (tell others this, too). But to get the most out of the class, it’s advisable that you bring something to write with, anything I might send you, and your Bibles (English & Greek) and dictionaries.
5. Homework. There won’t be any assigned homework, per se, but from time to time, I might ask you to look things up, check out some website or read something as preparation for the next class. Obviously, you’re free to do this or not. That being said, however, today, for those of you who can’t read Greek (read in the purely mechanical sense—“sounding out the words”), we will be learning the Greek alphabet and how to read Greek. We won’t have heaps of time in class to do that, so it’ll pay huge dividends if you practice what you learn today over the next seven days.
6. I Take the Word “Study” Seriously. While my intention is to make the material covered in this course accessible to everyone, I take the word “study” very seriously. By that I mean I won’t dumb-down or dilute the teachings of the Word of God just so you don’t have to exercise your brains. I will endeavor earnestly to explain the material in a way that is simple, but not simple-minded. If every one of us here can read and write and think clearly enough to have made it this far in life, we are more than capable of understanding everything presented in this course. Just add your thinking caps to the list of things to bring.
God Bless,
Ἰακωβος
[i] Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, MOUNCE, William D., Zondervan, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, 1993
A link to the PBC Greek Class can be found in the “Check These Out” section on the right hand side of this page. You’ll also see a few other links there that I thought might be of interest to you. Here’s a brief explanation of each, going from top to bottom:
1. The first three are just online concordances—Biblos, Strong’s and Vine’s. If you’re not familiar with the last two—welcome to the Christian faith!
2. The Online Greek NT is the website of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. You can download pdf’s of the entire GNT in two formats—with verse numbers in the text or without.
3. The Blue Letter Bible is the fantastic, free, online Bible-study resource from Chuck & Nancy Missler’s Koinonia House. I seriously recommend getting to know this site.
4. The next is the world-famous e-Sword: the sword of the LORD with the electronic edge. If you have a PC and don’t own a big, expensive Bible-study program like BibleWorks, then you must downloaded this free, unbelievable Bible tool immediately!
5. The next is the link to the blog of the PBC Greek Class mentioned above.
6. Christian Value Books NZ is a great place to shop online for second-hand (pre-loved?) books of the Christian persuasion. I’ve bought many books from them—including my beloved GNT—and highly recommend them. The prices are very good and the service is fast.
7. Hebrew for Christians is a site where Christians can learn Hebrew the Messianic way! If nothing else, it’s a great place to learn the Hebrew alphabet—or should I say “aleph-beth”?
8. The next site is an old favorite. I first stumbled across Peter Misselbrook’s Musings when I was just getting started learning Greek. What he does is go through the entire NT verse-by-verse and give language and exegetical commentaries along the way. Okay, he uses the “wrong” Greek text (see lesson 4 above), but it’s a fun, informative way to improve your Greek knowledge nonetheless.
9. The website at the end of the last link on the list will not be to everyone’s taste. It’s Jim Brown’s Grace and Truth Ministries. Jim’s teaching style is a bit screechy and aggressive at times—an unorthodox mix of edgy brilliance and Southern-fried iconoclasm—but if you can stand the heat, you’ll come to love the kitchen. A major proponent of “define, define, define”, Jim is a no-nonsense, serious-as-cancer Expositor of the Word of God.
If any of you come across any other websites you think will interest us, just email them to me at ikwbospistos@hotmail.co.nz and I’ll put them on the list.
You’ll also find each of the ten lessons of the course by clicking on the Pages tabs above this post. We’re currently three lessons in and they should all be posted by the end of this week.
As for the course itself, the following is a list of miscellaneous introductory notes that should answer most FAQ’s:
1. KJV, the Textus Receptus & the Masoretic Text. For reasons that I will explain later in the course, the main English translation that I use is the Authorised Version (the KJV). The Hebrew text is the Masoretic Text and the Greek text I use is the Majority Text, or as it’s more commonly called, the Textus Receptus. If you have a fear or loathing of any of those, you might just have to be medicated for the next nine weeks.
2. Challenging Material. We are all Christians, yes, but I think it’s safe to say that our uniformity with regards to belief and doctrine ends there. We all have different backgrounds and have walked different paths; our theology and doctrine are as individual as our personalities. What this means is that some of what I will show you and teach you over the next 9 Sundays will, undoubtedly, be challenging to you, will perhaps be shocking, and, yes, could even offend you. If this happens, I can only ask that you hear me out and that you take the point I’m making in the spirit in which it is intended—which is one of brotherly affection—examine the Biblical evidence I present, and then, of course, take it before the Lord.
3. Course Material. There is no text-book with this course—primarily because I haven’t written it yet. Just like last year’s Greek Class, I’m more or less making it up as I go along—the course and the text book, that is. There will be hand outs—tables, lists, notes, etc—which I prefer to email to you and have you print up and bring to class. If I can’t get any of these to you before Sunday (which is highly likely given that I’m preparing them between classes) I will provide them in class. As well, I don’t have an editor, so there will be typos and mistakes. If you spot any, just let me know and I’ll apologise and correct them as soon as I can.
4. What to Bring. All you need to bring is yourself—auditing the class is allowed (tell others this, too). But to get the most out of the class, it’s advisable that you bring something to write with, anything I might send you, and your Bibles (English & Greek) and dictionaries.
5. Homework. There won’t be any assigned homework, per se, but from time to time, I might ask you to look things up, check out some website or read something as preparation for the next class. Obviously, you’re free to do this or not. That being said, however, today, for those of you who can’t read Greek (read in the purely mechanical sense—“sounding out the words”), we will be learning the Greek alphabet and how to read Greek. We won’t have heaps of time in class to do that, so it’ll pay huge dividends if you practice what you learn today over the next seven days.
6. I Take the Word “Study” Seriously. While my intention is to make the material covered in this course accessible to everyone, I take the word “study” very seriously. By that I mean I won’t dumb-down or dilute the teachings of the Word of God just so you don’t have to exercise your brains. I will endeavor earnestly to explain the material in a way that is simple, but not simple-minded. If every one of us here can read and write and think clearly enough to have made it this far in life, we are more than capable of understanding everything presented in this course. Just add your thinking caps to the list of things to bring.
God Bless,
Ἰακωβος
[i] Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, MOUNCE, William D., Zondervan, GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, 1993
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