Westmont College -- 2007

Elementary Greek II - GRK 002

"Reading the bible in translation is like kissing your bride through a veil." Haim Nacham Bialik

Instructor	Bruce N. Fisk (Bruce Fisk <fisk@westmont.edu>)
Location	Voskuyl Library (VL 216) 3; Tuesday & Thursday @ 10:00 -- 11:50
Office	Porter Center 14. Phone/voice mail: 565-7369
Office Hours	Monday and Wednesday: 3:15 - 4:30 PM or by appointment

Course Description and Objectives

1. Description.

Basic Grammar and beginning reading in the Greek New Testament. This semester shall see the completion of Mounce's Grammar, picking up where you left off before Christmas. This two-semester course is the first step toward reading the New Testament carefully, thoughtfully, sometimes technically, in its original language. We'll be studying Hellenistic (or "Koine") Greek, the Greek that came to dominate the Mediterranean world after the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century B.C.E., and the idiom of the New Testament, the Greek Old Testament (commonly called the Septuagint) and many historians, philosophers, poets and novelists both Jewish and Gentile. This means learning a new alphabet, pronunciation, vocabulary, countless grammatical forms and facts and, along the way, learning to read (with helps) parts of the New Testament. By next year we'll put all this to good use as we read extensively in the New Testament, ponder difficult verses, evaluate exegetical arguments and generally engage in the task of exegesis.

The careful study of Greek grammar lays a solid foundation for further studies in any foreign language, not simply because so many languages are indebted to ancient Greek--rent My Big, Fat Greek Wedding to remove all doubts--but also because we'll learn about the nature of language itself, about parts of speech, grammatical agreement, clause structure, lexicography, parsing, and much more. In order to master Greek (and any language) we'll need to cultivate both sides of our brains. We have to be meticulous about the details but imaginative to see how they fit together. Beyond all this, our study of Hellenistic Greek will consider a number of questions that emerge at the intersection of language and culture:

Is there a difference between Greek and Hebrews modes of thought? between ancient and modern?
Is there anything special about Koine (1st century) Greek? Is it somehow more precise or nuanced than other languages?
Does the New Testament reflect Greek thought and culture or does it float above such particulars?
How important is it for the church (esp. its leaders) to be able to read the NT in the original Greek?
Is it possible to translate an idea from one language to another, without distorting or reducing it in some way?

If all this isn't enough, learning a foreign language--whether ancient or modern--makes you a better person! It will cultivate a greater appreciation for diversity, it will challenge your ethnocentrism and it will leave you with a far more sophisticated understanding, and a deeper appreciation, of your mother tongue.

Normally we shall introduce a new chapter of Mounce each week, and review the accompanying homework assignment during the following class. In addition to lectures, exercises, discussion and quizzes, we'll spend plenty of time together reading the text of the New Testament.

This course should help students:

- learn the rudiments of Greek morphology and syntax, through textbook study, lectures, homework and tests
- build a basic NT Greek vocabulary, through in-class review and frequent quizzes
- begin reading the Greek NT, with helps, through regular in-class reading opportunities
- establish life-long habits of reading and studying the Greek NT, through the discipline of course work and mutual encouragement
- understand some of the values of knowing Greek, through regular in-class demonstration
- review and deepen knowledge of English grammar, through comparisons and contrasts with Greekk
- begin to appreciate the value of foreign language study in the broader Liberal Arts curriculum
- prepare for GRK 101. . . and beyond

Course Texts

Recommended Texts and Tools
F. W. Danker, ed. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. University of Chicago, 2000.
R. Goodrich and D. Diewert, A Summer Greek Reader. Zondervan, 2001.
Robert Gromacki, Biblical Greek Vocabulary Cards. Visual Education Association, 1979.
S. Kubo, A Reader's Greek-English Lexicon of the the New Testament. Zondervan, 1975.
B. M. Metzger, Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek. 3rd ed. B. M. Metzger, 1980.
Web sites
Mark Goodacre's "Learning New Testament Greek" page of links	http://www.ntgateway.com/greek/learning.htm
Bill Mounce's Companion site for Basics of Biblical Greek	http://www.teknia.com/index.php?page=bbgtextbook

Evaluation

1. Quizzes: Grammar and Vocabulary (20%)

Each week we'll have (at least) one grammar / vocab quiz, beginning promptly at 1:15 PM, reviewing mostly new, but also some old, material. These will be graded immediately. You need to read, digest and review the weekly reading, learn new paradigms and memorize new vocabulary prior to this quiz.
Review both Greek-to-English and English-to-Greek vocabulary. Only translations listed in Mounce, Metzger or Gromacki will count as correct.
Quizzes missed due to excused absences (illness, family emergency, varsity athletics, etc.) may be retaken, within one week of the absence.

2. Exercises (25%)

Complete the exercises in the Workbook as assigned in the Schedule. Use one color of ink to complete the exercises and then immediately correct them, using Mounce's Key (pdf), in another color. Self-correction is part of the learning process; be sure you know why your answer was incorrect. Do not erase mistakes. Do no further work on them once class has begun. Submit these exercises at the end of class, on the day they are due. They shall be graded for completeness, neatness and (secondarily) for accuracy. We will review at least part of each exercise in class; come ready with questions.

3. Unit Tests (3 x 10 = 30%)

Three Unit Tests (Jan 30, Mar 1, Apr 5) are each worth 10%. The Workbook Review pages (listed below in the Schedule) are your study guide for each test.

4. Final Exam (25%)

Will include Unit Test #7 and selected review from entire year. Format and expectations will be explained in class.
Cheating: Inappropriately giving or receiving information, using notes during a test, etc., will be taken very seriously. At minimum the exam will earn an F; additional sanctions (e.g., an F for the course, suspension from the college) are also possible. Don't.

Grading Scale

.			B+	87-89		C+	77-79		D+	67-69	.
A	95-100		B	84-86		C	74-76		D	64-66	F	0-59
A-	90-94		B-	80-83		C-	70-73		D-	60-63	.

Schedule

Date	Chapters and Topics in Mounce	Workbook Exercises, Quizzes & Unit Tests
1-09	Introductions. Syllabus. Review of Nouns, etc.
1-11	18 - Present Middle / Passive Indicative. Review cont.
1-16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO CLASS
1-18	19 - Future Act / Mid Indicative. Review cont.	Exercise 18; Know: 18:7/16, 18; Vocabulary: 153-154
1-23	20 - Verbal Roots, Other Futures	Exercise 19; Know: 19:17, 19; Vocabulary: 162-163
1-25		Exercise 20; Know 20:16, 18; Vocabulary: 177-178
1-30	21 - Imperfect Indicative	Unit Test #4 (15-20): Review Workbook 201-205
2-1		Exercise 21; Know 21.7, 9, 10, 14, 22, 23; Vocabulary: 190-191
2-6	22 - 2nd Aorist A / M Indicative
2-8		Exercise 22; Know 22.6, 15; Vocabulary: 199-200
2-13	23 - 1st Aorist A / M Indicative
2-15		Exercise 23; Know 23.5, 14, 18; Vocabulary: 209-210
2-20 Presidents' Holiday - NO CLASS
2-22	24 - Aorist / Future Pass. Indicative
2-27	25 - Perfect Indicative	Exercise 24; Know 24.5,12, 15, 19; Vocabulary: 220-221
3-1		Exercise 25; Vocabulary: 234; Know 25.5, 7; Unit #5 Test (21-25); Review Workbook 101-104
3-6	26 - Intro to Participles & 27 - Present Participles
3-8		Exercise 26-27; Know 27.5, 9, 11; Vocabulary: 253-254
3-12 to 3-16 Spring Break - NO CLASS
3-20	28 - Aorist Participles
3-22	29 - Adjectival Participles	Exercise 28; Know 28.6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13; Vocabulary:267-268
3-27		Exercise 29; Vocabulary: 276
3-29	30 - Perfect Participles, Genitive Absolute
4-3	Participle Review	Exercise 30; Know 30.6, 8, 14; Vocabulary: 287
4-5	31 - Subjunctive	Unit Test #6 (26-30); Review Workbook 121-124
4-10		Exercise 31; Know 31.9, 11; Vocabulary 298
4-12	32 - Infinitive
4-17	Subjunctive / Infinitive Review	Exercise 32; Know 32.4, 5, 15; Vocabulary 308
4-19	33- Imperative
4-24	34 - MI Verbs; Indicative of DIDOMI	Exercise 33; Know 33.6, 8, 10, 11, 12; Vocabulary: 317
4-26	35 - Additional MI Verbs, etc.	Exercise 34; Know 34.6, 11; Vocabulary 325-26
		Exercise 35; Know 35.2, 5, 6, 7, 8; Vocabulary 330-32 Review Workbook 147-151
5-1 Final Exam 8:00 - 10:00 (including Unit Test #7: 31-35)