Should we study Greek?

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romano:
It’s hard to see that yours differs significantly from my: " Yes, otherwise we’ll never fully understand the NT."

I don’t see yours as being “correct” as opposed to my allegedly “incorrect” option. They’re just two ways of saying the same thing. It’s just that mine’s a bit stronger.
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The difference is your use of the word “never” which would seem to preclude any possiblity of coming to an reasonably full understanding of Scripture without a knowledge of Greek. I utterly reject such a position. I know many people who have a good working knowledge of Scripture but who know no Greek. May statement isn’t the same as yours at all. It states that a knowledge of Greek may enhance what we can know without Greek.

Further, I’m not sure that even with a knowledge of Greek (and history, sociology, etc.) anyone can come to a “full understanding.” That would be like coming to a full understanding of the nature of God. It just isn’t possible because Scripture, like the Deposit of Faith, is infinitely deep.

Does that help to clarify why I didn’t think your poll contained the correct answer?

Deacon Ed
 
I belong to a Greek lettered Sorority. The Greek alphabet is not difficult to learn. Now if I could only have the same dedication to other languages! LOL!
 
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abalandy:
Many people think learning Greek they would understand more of the NT. Protestants have that habit and if we try to learn by ourselves the Bible and try to interpret everything, we could fall in the same mistakes they have. For instance: “Jesus Christ brothers”. Protestants say: in Greek, the word “brother” means no other than the son of my father, so as this is said so in Greek, Jesus had two brothers at least.

Do we need to have the same mistakes??Are we, Catholics, going to doubt our Mother, Mary, is pure??

Like this, there are many wrong interpretations from those groups.
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The people who are going to come to that conclusion because of the Greek would have already come to that conclusion because of the English. Even Catholic translations have the word “brother” in those passages. It takes no anti-Catholic bias to read “brother” and think that it is speaking of literal brothers, especially since English is full of other words and phrases to indicate other relations: brother-in-law, half brother, step brother, first cousin, second cousin once removed, etc.

As a side note, you seem to be equating virginity with purity, such that if Mary had not remained a virgin, she wouldn’t have remained pure either. If that were the case, all those who choose to marry would be choosing to become impure.
 
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romano:
Like Shakespeare, I have “lytel Latine and lesse Greke.” But I do know the Greek alphabet, and it does come in handy at times.
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I haven’t answered the poll - no choices fitted.​

I think that those with the aptitude for it, and the opportunity, would do well to study it. But to expect everyone to do so, would be very cruel and tyrannical - for people differ greatly in their abilities, as well as in their opportunities. ##
 
I voted “yes,” and i taught myself Koine Greek so i can read my New Testament, occasionally flipping through my dictionary (about which the same can be said for how well i read Cervantes, :rolleyes: so i don’t think i’m doing to shabby).

Having said that, i just wanted to point out that both St. Augustine of Hippo and Pope St. Gregory the Great never bothered to learn Greek—and they are Doctors of the Church! As valuable and rewarding as knowledge of Greek is, knowledge and understanding of the Deposit of Faith is infinitely more important, and that understanding is enough to carry us through every controversy, heresy, and dissenting voice, even if we don’t speak a single Biblical or Classical language. 🙂
 
Deacon Ed said:
[snp]
. . . . Does that help to clarify why I didn’t think your poll contained the correct answer?

Deacon Ed
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This was a POLL. And my formulation seems to have satisfied others. At present, 46.67% have clicked on it. That’s good enough for me. There are many possible formulations. If you like your own, fine. It certainly isn’t more “correct.” Its emphasis is a bit different, that’s all.
 
I could be wrong, folks, but I do seem to detect a whiff of phariseeism
here and there in this thread, a contempt for the little people, the
commoners, the Joe sixpacks, hoi polloi, the am-ha-arez - for, in other
words, the very people Jesus loved.

Perhaps one or two of the self-styled Grecians among us might do well to re-read the
NT in English. They might begin to appreciate its spirit a bit better.
 
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romano:
I could be wrong, folks, but I do seem to detect a whiff of phariseeism
here and there in this thread, a contempt for the little people, the
commoners, the Joe sixpacks, hoi polloi, the am-ha-arez - for, in other
words, the very people Jesus loved.
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I dunno. Last time I checked, YOU started this thread. And I see nothing of what you describe. I’ve only seen people here who have shown you an example of the value of learning NT Greek. And everyone seems to agree that it should be stufied IF POSSIBLE, but no one here seems to look down on those who can’t.
Perhaps one or two of the self-styled Grecians among us might do well to re-read the
NT in English. They might begin to appreciate its spirit a bit better.
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If statistics apply on these forums, it would seem the favorite translations here are the NAB and the RSV-CE, both of which are English translations. There are those of us who like to learn to Greek and other languages to get the nuances that are lost in the English. In other words, we want to understand God’s Word better. So what’s Pharisaical about that?

No one here holds any contempt for those who cannot learn the ancient languages; it’s not for everyone. But many here have shown you some examples already on how the Greek can illuminate many Bible passages, especially for apologetics.

Besides, knowing Greek alone is nothing great. After the Greek, there’s still the Hebrew for the OT. Of those who studied Greek, only a fraction will graduate to Hebrew. Yet they shoudn’t be stopped either.

I would have thought you might appreciate those who take the time and effort to learn more of the Holy Scriptures rather than branding them.

This is my last post on this thread; the air has gotten thick here.
 
Learning the Greek alphabet is a relatively easy way to recognize important theological terms like “kenosis,” “kerygma,” “logos,” etc, which can look strange when written in the Greek alphabet in the midst of a vernacular article. It is also nice to be able to go to a source text and see if the original Greek word is translated consistently throughout (the same Greek word might be translated by two or three English words throughout a given text depending on context). I am in awe of those who learn Greek well enough to read it as a vernacular. However, barring scripture scholars and academics, few of us would do this on a regular basis but could easily have questions about individual words in our scripture study. Learning just the alphabet and some rudimentary grammar (e.g., suffixes that denote a noun, a verb, and so on) can be quite helpful and greatly expand your study and reflection.
 
The talk about learning Greek, and the possible necessity of me having to learn it in a few years, prompted me to go out to Amazon and B&N.com to look for Biblical text written in the Greek (I believe it is called Koine Greek) at the time of the New Testament.

I have found many New Testament texts (including some Interlinear with English translations I am not enamored with), but I there seems be few Old Testament texts in the Greek of the time (I event tried using Septuagint in the search).

Does anyone have recommendations on both Old and New Testaments texts in the Greek of the time. I know it wil probably is impossible to find both in one text since they probabaly used Greek from two different eras. This would include interlinears.

Thanks.

PF
 
Why are you interested in a Greek version of the Old Testament?
 
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serendipity:
Why are you interested in a Greek version of the Old Testament?
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  1. *]Why not?
    *]Isn’t the Old Testament a part of the who body of Scripture?
    *]Why be only interesting the the New Testament in Greek.

    Besides, the Septuagint (the Old Testament in Greek) is the basis for the Old Testament Canon we use today.

    {F
 
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WanderAimlessly:

  1. *]Why not?
    *]Isn’t the Old Testament a part of the who body of Scripture?
    *]Why be only interesting the the New Testament in Greek.

    Besides, the Septuagint (the Old Testament in Greek) is the basis for the Old Testament Canon we use today.

    {F
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  1. My mistake. I thought the Old Testament was still available in Hebrew.
 
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serendipity:
My mistake. I thought the Old Testament was still available in Hebrew.
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For the most part, it is.

However, several of the books that were in the Septuagint are not available in the Hebrew Bible (which is the basis for the books in most protestant Bibles).

I am not saying Hebrew is irrelevant. I am saying I would rather have the Septuagint (Greek) with all the books in the Catholic Otd Testament Canon first and then Hebrew Bible. Both are important.

PF
 
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WanderAimlessly:
I have found many New Testament texts (including some Interlinear with English translations I am not enamored with), but I there seems be few Old Testament texts in the Greek of the time (I event tried using Septuagint in the search).
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Really? I went to three different book sites (2 new, 1 used) and typed **septuagint **in the search box. Got a pointer to the same book from all three. (Try author **Lancelot Brenton **if you still can’t find it) It’s interlinear, but you can always cover up half of the page.

tee
who really hates doing other people’s leg-work 😦
 
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tee_eff_em:
Really? I went to three different book sites (2 new, 1 used) and typed **septuagint **in the search box. Got a pointer to the same book from all three. (Try author **Lancelot Brenton **if you still can’t find it) It’s interlinear, but you can always cover up half of the page.

tee
who really hates doing other people’s leg-work 😦
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Tee:

When I did my search, that was the only one I found too.

I did not say I found none. I said I found few. In many case, I like to have more than one choice when making a selection.

PF
 
I like physical books better than web site, particulary when translating. Easier on the eyes, and better for notes. Web sites are helpful for me to decide if it’s something read often enough to consider purchasing.
 
Most people would do well to concentrate on bible study using a good translation. Logically, if one studies Greek, they should also study Hebrew, the language of most of the Old Testament.

Still, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, on her deathbed, expressed mild frustration on the differences in the various translations available in French in her time. She said that, had she been a priest, she would have learned both Hebrew and Greek to be able to read the Bible as God inspired it.

For those who wish to pursue Greek studies, there is a book that you cannot do without. It is a word by word analysis of the Greek New Testatament, originally written in Latin, now available in English.

It is Father Max Zerwick’s *A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament: *.

You can buy it at this site:

textkit.com/1_Max_Zerwick.html

He also has a Greek Grammar of the New Testament available at this site :

eisenbrauns.com/ECOM/_1GF0MQCXB.HTM

However, I have no personal knowledge of this grammar.

Verbum
 
Hi Tractarian,

Your statement that St. Augustine “never bothered” to learn Greek, is not altogether correct. He had no choice, he was taught it in school by a teacher he hated because he beat his pupils. He then vowed to never touch Greek again - something he regretted later.

click here for more details.

Verbum
 
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