The Moody Handbook of Preaching by John Koessler

Author:John Koessler [Koessler, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8024-8019-4
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2008-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

TOOLS AND PRACTICES

One way to begin to read from the Greek text on a daily basis is to select a book. Choose a book appropriate to your level of ability. For example, the Greek of First John or John’s gospel suits the beginner rather than engaging the more difficult Greek of Matthew, Romans, or the especially challenging Hebrews. It is critical to set aside an uninterrupted block of time. Of course more time is better, but, as A.T. Robertson concludes, “It requires only a half hour a day and the determination to stick to it steadily, and one will win out and be glad of it all his life. So will his hearers.”3 The important thing is to commit to consistent daily study, not to a set number of minutes or verses. Even one or two verses a day will yield fruit over time.

Tools especially designed for reading the Greek New Testament are a great help, such as Sakae Kubo’s Reader’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Zondervan) or A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament (Rome: Biblical Institute) by Max Zerwick and Mary Grosvenor. These helpful tools will minimize the need for page-turning to look up words and paradigms. In addition, they parse the more difficult or rare forms. For those who are more technically savvy, the functions of Kubo and Zerwick can also be performed by software tools like Logos or Bible Works.4 While there are advantages and disadvantages to both paper and electronic tools, the choice is up to you.

As you read, you will need to review or relearn the forms (endings, verb principle parts) that are unfamiliar. Very few of us can become experts in the language; constant review is a must. In addition, the function of every word in each verse must be clarified. While English usage is largely determined by word order, Greek usage is determined by morphology. Pondering the function of each word goes hand in hand with reviewing forms.

As one becomes more proficient, more verses can be read and more complex questions can be asked. Such questions include how a noun case is used, what adverbial nuance a participle has, and how subordinate clauses are related. For these kinds of questions and their answers, one can dip into Wallace’s Greek Grammar or Brooks and Winberry’s Syntax.5

The study of the Greek text may require that more tools be added to your library such as a good lexicon and an exhaustive concordance. Reading a few minutes might require dipping into one or both of these in order to explore the significance of particular words or phrases.6 Though it requires mental effort, this program is not just an intellectual exercise. By the grace of God, daily reading of the Greek New Testament can become a time of rich personal blessing, prayer, and meditation.

It can be very difficult to establish and stick to this habit of daily Greek reading. For most of us, it requires great amounts of dedication and perseverance. But there is no other way.

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