In this post, I plan to lay out a strategy for students interested in education past the MDiv level. Hopefully this plan will orient students on how to structure their Greek classes in preparation for higher learning. N.B. this post is directed primarily to NT researchers
1. Take a Greek class every semester in seminary. If you are an average seminarian, your course should last six semesters. So, that would allow six Greek classes; only 4 advanced classes if, like me, you didn’t have any Greek prior to beginning of seminary. My seminary course divided Intermediate Greek into two semesters. While it prolonged the syntax learning, the benefit is that it allowed us to practice what we were learning on NT books. In my final year of seminary, I took an Exegesis of James course and a directed study on the Greek Text of Hebrews, mostly in order to “catch up”. In total, I studied Luke, Acts, James, and Hebrews, which all are difficult Greek texts. An Advanced Greek Syntax class is also recommended, if available.
2. Read the NT. As simple as it sounds, I can’t relate to you how many seminary students try their best to neglect Greek. Here is my strategy: (1) Toward the end of “Baby Greek”, read completely through the NT with BibleWorks, Logos, or Accordance with the parsings and lexicons intact. Notice the endings and changes in the words and compare this with your recently aquired knowledge of paradigms and vocabulary. The main objective here is to familiarize yourself with the Greek text. (2) During Intermediate Greek, disable the parsing function but leave the lexicon intact. Now you should be able to recall paradigms from memory, or context. The main objective is to piece together sentences with syntax. Use the lexicon to help you with any unknown vocab. (3) In the final year, read only from your Greek NT. Obviously at some points you are going to have to punt, but stay away from the crutches as much as possible. If you begin at the start of the third year, you should read completely through by the time you graduate in May. Further, at the end of your seminary course, you should have been through the Greek NT and identify vocab down to a 20 work occurance.
3. Take up and read! It amazes me how many seminary students are afraid of being called “an elitist” or “a Greek scholar”. From the start of my second year of seminary, I carried my Greek NT to church. I tried to get as much practice as I could. There’s nothing better than listening to the preacher expound upon a text while you are formulating and wrestling with the text in the original language. If the pastor hasn’t put in his homework, your still getting your fill. It is an opportune setting for practice because you are hearing the passage in the English translation.
Work with the Greek. About 6 months ago I bought a Greek/Latin NT so that I could get better at Latin while I read my Greek. At the next opportunity, I am going to purchase a Greek/German NT so that I can use it to better my theological German. I rarely ever now take my English Bible to church. I’ll take Greek or Portuguese or some other language to get the necessary practice.
But the question arises about Hebrew during this Greek program. If you are going to do advanced studies, you’ve going to study various languages at the same time. I took Elementary Hebrew during my second summer of seminary. I took Intermediate Hebrew and Aramaic during my third year while on this reading program. If you make up your mind early that you are committed to the program and actually learning Greek, it will be easier at the end because the hard work has been applied at the beginning.
