Which language should I learn?

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So, this fall I will be starting my freshman year of college (University of Saint Thomas, St. Paul Minnesota). I am required to take three semesters of a language and I have decided to go the classical route. At my school I can take either Greek or Latin, but I also have the option of taking Hebrew at another school (University of Minnesota — Twin Cities). So my question it, which should I learn? Here are my reasons for wanting to learn each language:

Greek:

  1. *]I’m really interested in translating the Bible so I think I might do that and since the NT was originally in Greek, I’d learn Greek so it would be more “accurate” or “authentic”. And yes, I would translate from the Greek OT.
    *]I’ve always loved Greek and I’ve always wanted to know it!

    Latin:

    1. *]I’m a Roman Catholic so it would make logical sense for me to learn Latin.
      *]I think translations to English from Latin are valuable tools to the Church and we do not have enough of them!

      Hebrew:

      1. *]I love Hebrew, I love the idea of writing right to left, and I love the characters!
        *]I think it would be wonderful to be able to translate at least the “Protestant” OT from Hebrew, possibly all of the OT . . . I’m not sure if all OT books were originally written in Hebrew . . .

        To tell you the truth, I think I’ll end up learning all three of them, so this question really amounts to which should I learn first? I think that the one I learn first will be the one I know best, so choose wisely!

        I’d also like to mention that the University of Saint Thomas offers a Classical Languages Major in which I would learn both Greek and Latin. If I went this route I would try to double major in Computer Science and Classical Languages which I think would be awesome.

        Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut!
 
Well, as you said, you can learn all three. Start by the one you like the most. I’d go with Latin or Greek first, but there are my opinions, and relax, you have a lifetime to learn all three. So, start with the one you like the most.
 
I would emphisise Latin first, here’s why:

#1 It will give you direct access to reading the Latin Vulgate, which is a good thing. No it’s not the same as having the source materail, but it is the official bible of the Church of the West, and it has had a tremendous impact upon all other Biblical translations.

#2 Above and beyond this, it has a certain practical benifit. Latin is the root of most western languages, it’s a living rosetta stone if you will, to all of our languages. So when you learn the other languages, and start taking pilgramages to ancient holy sites (assuming you do anyway) you’ll find knowing Latin is extrodenarly useful.
 
crazzeto said:
I would emphisise Latin first, here’s why:

#1 It will give you direct access to reading the Latin Vulgate, which is a good thing. No it’s not the same as having the source materail, but it is the official bible of the Church of the West, and it has had a tremendous impact upon all other Biblical translations.

#2 Above and beyond this, it has a certain practical benifit. Latin is the root of most western languages, it’s a living rosetta stone if you will, to all of our languages. So when you learn the other languages, and start taking pilgramages to ancient holy sites (assuming you do anyway) you’ll find knowing Latin is extrodenarly useful.
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I guess it doesn’t help much with spelling though!!! 😃
 
I’m not allowed to vote on the poll, but I’d say both Latin and Greek together if you’ve got a knack or love for languages. Otherwise, I’d start with Latin, then move on to the others.
 
If you’ve never taken a foreign language before, you will need to learn a lot of grammer.

Begin with latin. That will teach you grammer and you will be using familiar letters and roots.

Next greek. The sounds of the words will be familiar and you will be learning a new alphabet (greek for abc’s). To read classical latin well, you need to know greek as many of the words used by classical authors were greek (the language of the literate at the time).

Next hebrew. New sounds, new alphabet, new direction. But you will know your grammer, you will know what key thing to look for in a foreign alphabet.
 
Thank you for all of the replies! I just thought I should say one thing, if I did take Latin and Greek together, I wouldn’t be taking classes where they teach Latin and Greek in the same class. I would take entire classes on that one language, so as some have noted, I could take some Latin classes first than start on Greek, what do you guys think of that?
 
It is better to take one at a time. This way you can spend all your free time learning that language, and it will be easier than learning two languages at the same time. So yes, it would be better to start with a language at a time, which is Latin in this case.
 
I started off with Greek first, so I recommended that. As for Hebrew, it is actually easier to learn than Greek, the grammar is not as hard. The alphabet is obvously much different and it reads from right to left, but it really is not as hard as you might think. Once you learn your first language then it is easier to learn others. Which ever you pick make sure you start with the basics in grammar and I highly recommend flashcards.
 
Start with Latin. Not only does it have all the advantages others have mentioned, but I have been told by those who have studied Greek after Latin, that once you know Latin, you have all ready learned a lot of what you will need to know in learning Greek.
One Methodist pastor that I know, says that after 4 years of Latin in high school, he was flying through Greek in college, way ahead of the folks who had no Latin. Why? A lot of the grammar, etc–the “bones” of Greek–is very similar. Even some vocabulary will come naturally.
In other words: If you learn Latin first, Greek will come faster & easier for you. (Which will leave you with:thumbsup: that much more time & energy to devote to Hebrew.)
 
You are very much mistaken if you think that knowledge of the language of the source text is what is needed to translate the Bible. Many Protestant translators have done harm by translating the Bible, with good knowledge of the languages, but poor knowledge of theology (not to mention the Protestant heretical errors).

You are going to be in your freshman year of college, at a Catholic University, so I will reasonably suppose that your knowledge of theology and Biblical studies is very limited. You should study theology, so that you know doctrine well, and study the Bible, so that you understand this mysterious source of Divine Revelation. All of this is much more important than knowing the language.

Also, you should let God’s Providence and grace guide you, and not try to decide the course of your life, or of all the rest of your education, at this point in time. Begin your studies and pray and see where it leads. Do not decide right now what you will major in.
 
Thank you so much for all of your replies! I’m thinking I definitely start with Latin and move on to Greek (sorry, COPLAND!). My school offers four classes in each language to actually learn the language. Two elementary courses, and two intermediate courses — they do have many more classes to help with learning, they are all about reading from ancient texts and helping you to learn the language through reading. I’ll probably take the two elementary Latin courses then start on the elementary Greek courses while taking the Intermediate Latin classes. I can’t wait! 🙂
Ron_Conte said:
You are very much mistaken if you think that knowledge of the language of the source text is what is needed to translate the Bible. Many Protestant translators have done harm by translating the Bible, with good knowledge of the languages, but poor knowledge of theology (not to mention the Protestant heretical errors).
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I’m not sure if it is a lack of theology so much as too much theology — heretical theology, that is. The more you know about doctrine, the more you will subconsciously translate the text in such a way to reflect your beliefs, right? I’m in no way saying that someone should ditch theology to translate the Bible, I think that a solid background in theology gives the text a “warmer” feel, as is seen by St. Jerome’s Vulgate (by that I mean the Clementine Vulgate).

I also think one can err if they try to make special rules for the Bible. Yes, the Bible is part of God’s Revelation to man, but as Catholics, we tend to stress that the Bible is also a historical text. That is the basis of the historical-critical method of Scripture interpretation, no? A method our Holy Father undoubtedly admires. Please do not get me wrong, I’ve read the guidelines for Scripture interpretation in the Catechism and Vatican II, but the historical-critical method is endorsed by Pope Benedict and it helps with helping non-Christians see that the Bible is inspired . . . you know, our beloved “spiral” argument?
You are going to be in your freshman year of college, at a Catholic University, so I will reasonably suppose that your knowledge of theology and Biblical studies is very limited. You should study theology, so that you know doctrine well, and study the Bible, so that you understand this mysterious source of Divine Revelation. All of this is much more important than knowing the language.
Click to expand...
I am going to a Catholic school, and I’m required to take some Theology courses and I’ll probably take more than the requirements because by my calculations I’ll have a couple credits left over to use.

I will also kindly disagree with you that having a foundation in theology is more important than knowing the language. Knowing the language well is key to being able to translate (not interpret, as is hard to do when you have a set of doctrines you think need to be clear in the Scriptures) the text accurately. Ron, we are Catholic, the Bible is our book as you know. The text — when translated even semi-accurately — will point to Catholicism, there is no need to be defensive of Latin or the Church here. I am not trying to go my own way, and just because Latin is the official language of our Church does not mean it is wrong or bad to translate from the original languages. Yes, you never said that, but it seemed implied when I read your first comments above. And yes, I know you believe that Romans and Mark could have been written in Latin first, if that is the case, I would translate those two from Latin.
Also, you should let God’s Providence and grace guide you, and not try to decide the course of your life, or of all the rest of your education, at this point in time. Begin your studies and pray and see where it leads. Do not decide right now what you will major in.
Click to expand...
This assumes that I have not been letting God’s Providence guide me until now. Let me fill you in, up until just one month ago, I was dead set on double majoring in Computer Science and Math. Once I joined CAF in October of 2008 and started discovering how wonderful my faith is (previously I had been a lukewarm Catholic), I got a feeling that defending my faith and spreading it’s truth is something God wanted me to do. Why did I believe that (and still do) because there is only one other thing I enjoy as much as learning about my faith and defending it: that is computers. These two things give me a kind of joy that is unmatched by anything else (this is excluding my girlfriend, of course!). Since October 2008, I’ve been planning the way I am going to help out my fellow Catholics and I’ve got the beginnings figured out. I’m going to go to school, learn Latin and Greek and create a truly remarkable online Bible study tool. On top of that, I am currently in the process of gathering apologetical knowledge for an apologetics website that is unmatched by any other.

These are large goals that are, at the moment, seemingly unreachable to me, but I believe that this is what God wants me to do and I am doing it. Who knows, perhaps he will show me in the future that I am wrong in my interpretation of His actions in my life, but until then, I will continue on my current path. Thank you for the helpful advice, though. 👍
 
zach_dunn said:
Thank you so much for all of your replies! I’m thinking I definitely start with Latin and move on to Greek (sorry, COPLAND!). My school offers four classes in each language to actually learn the language. Two elementary courses, and two intermediate courses — they do have many more classes to help with learning, they are all about reading from ancient texts and helping you to learn the language through reading. I’ll probably take the two elementary Latin courses then start on the elementary Greek courses while taking the Intermediate Latin classes. I can’t wait! 🙂

I’m not sure if it is a lack of theology so much as too much theology — heretical theology, that is. The more you know about doctrine, the more you will subconsciously translate the text in such a way to reflect your beliefs, right? I’m in no way saying that someone should ditch theology to translate the Bible, I think that a solid background in theology gives the text a “warmer” feel, as is seen by St. Jerome’s Vulgate (by that I mean the Clementine Vulgate).

I also think one can err if they try to make special rules for the Bible. Yes, the Bible is part of God’s Revelation to man, but as Catholics, we tend to stress that the Bible is also a historical text. That is the basis of the historical-critical method of Scripture interpretation, no? A method our Holy Father undoubtedly admires. Please do not get me wrong, I’ve read the guidelines for Scripture interpretation in the Catechism and Vatican II, but the historical-critical method is endorsed by Pope Benedict and it helps with helping non-Christians see that the Bible is inspired . . . you know, our beloved “spiral” argument?

I am going to a Catholic school, and I’m required to take some Theology courses and I’ll probably take more than the requirements because by my calculations I’ll have a couple credits left over to use.

I will also kindly disagree with you that having a foundation in theology is more important than knowing the language. Knowing the language well is key to being able to translate (not interpret, as is hard to do when you have a set of doctrines you think need to be clear in the Scriptures) the text accurately. Ron, we are Catholic, the Bible is our book as you know. The text — when translated even semi-accurately — will point to Catholicism, there is no need to be defensive of Latin or the Church here. I am not trying to go my own way, and just because Latin is the official language of our Church does not mean it is wrong or bad to translate from the original languages. Yes, you never said that, but it seemed implied when I read your first comments above. And yes, I know you believe that Romans and Mark could have been written in Latin first, if that is the case, I would translate those two from Latin.

This assumes that I have not been letting God’s Providence guide me until now. Let me fill you in, up until just one month ago, I was dead set on double majoring in Computer Science and Math. Once I joined CAF in October of 2008 and started discovering how wonderful my faith is (previously I had been a lukewarm Catholic), I got a feeling that defending my faith and spreading it’s truth is something God wanted me to do. Why did I believe that (and still do) because there is only one other thing I enjoy as much as learning about my faith and defending it: that is computers. These two things give me a kind of joy that is unmatched by anything else (this is excluding my girlfriend, of course!). Since October 2008, I’ve been planning the way I am going to help out my fellow Catholics and I’ve got the beginnings figured out. I’m going to go to school, learn Latin and Greek and create a truly remarkable online Bible study tool. On top of that, I am currently in the process of gathering apologetical knowledge for an apologetics website that is unmatched by any other.

These are large goals that are, at the moment, seemingly unreachable to me, but I believe that this is what God wants me to do and I am doing it. Who knows, perhaps he will show me in the future that I am wrong in my interpretation of His actions in my life, but until then, I will continue on my current path. Thank you for the helpful advice, though. 👍
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I see that you plan to help out your fellow catholics. Depending on your particular journey I would urge you to learn spanish. There is a influx from the south that haven’t been taught the proper Catholic Faith.The shortage of priests unable or unwilling to learn spanish will
be an issue of contention in the near future. As I live in a major city, and am somewhat active in promoting our faith, I have found the Spanish attending Mass in greater numbers
yet the priests are in short supply.
Just a thought as you asked for some advice.
 
thomas_jd said:
I see that you plan to help out your fellow catholics. Depending on your particular journey I would urge you to learn spanish. There is a influx from the south that haven’t been taught the proper Catholic Faith.The shortage of priests unable or unwilling to learn spanish will
be an issue of contention in the near future. As I live in a major city, and am somewhat active in promoting our faith, I have found the Spanish attending Mass in greater numbers
yet the priests are in short supply.
Just a thought as you asked for some advice.
Click to expand...
Great advice!
 
I took Greek, but now that I’m Catholic i would really like to be able to learn Latin, and I would encourage any Catholic to learn Latin.
 
thomas_jd said:
I see that you plan to help out your fellow catholics. Depending on your particular journey I would urge you to learn spanish. There is a influx from the south that haven’t been taught the proper Catholic Faith.The shortage of priests unable or unwilling to learn spanish will
be an issue of contention in the near future. As I live in a major city, and am somewhat active in promoting our faith, I have found the Spanish attending Mass in greater numbers
yet the priests are in short supply.
Just a thought as you asked for some advice.
Click to expand...
I echo COPLAND 3, good advice, it’s a good thing I took four years of spanish in high school!!
 
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