Welcome to TTNT 501: Beginning Greek I
Welcome to Greek!
You are about to start on a significant part of your theological education. Greek and the following exegesis courses will take up four or five semesters, depending on your degree. That means it is important to start well! Christian leaders throughout history have regarded Greek as an essential part of the study of the Word. Five hundred years ago, Luther said:
"Insofar as we love the gospel, to that same extent, let us study the ancient tongues... Where the languages are studied, the proclamation will be fresh and powerful, the scriptures will be searched, and the faith will be constantly rediscovered through ever new words and deeds."
And a thousand years before that, Augustine pointed out the need for the biblical languages so that we can understand the differences between the translations:
"[Students] need two other [languages] for a knowledge of the Divine Scriptures, Hebrew and Greek, so that they might turn back to earlier exemplars if the infinite variety of... translations give rise to any doubts."
As you start on this path, you may not see it happening, but at some point along the way, you will notice that subtle changes have begun in how you think about Scripture. You will ask different questions, consider new interpretive options, even recognize problems in how you have been interpreting the Bible. Erasmus, first to publish a Greek New Testament, encouraged the study of Greek with these words:
"It is a fairly troublesome business to learn... the only reason [a student] wishes to learn Greek is to be able to spend his time with more profit and more sure judgment on the Scriptures."
It may be challenging, but many students have succeeded before you. I look forward to being with you and coaching you in these first few semesters of your Greek study.
— Dr. Gary Manning