Why Do People Learn Κοινή Greek?

One of the things that really fascinated and even awed me after I asked for comments from readers of this Greek email list is that so many of you have taught yourselves Greek.

Now, my experience is not universal, but I judge learning languages on one’s own to be, let’s say, uncommon. When I tell people that I speak Spanish tolerably well, every one of them without exception says, “I took Spanish in high school, but I don’t remember a word of it.” (High school Spanish teachers, could you not at least get hola into their heads?)

I’m in print arguing that the real motivation most people have for learning Spanish, French, German, or Chinese is what sociologists who have studied second-language acquisition call “money.” But knowing Κοινή Greek is unlikely to bring fortune, as I know all too well.

So why do people who are done with school study a language whose native speakers are all so dead? What makes people turn off the TV—a choice that probably ought to be investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee—and instead pull out a Κοινή Greek grammar book? Why do people learn Greek?

Because God spoke it.

Now I know it’s not quite that simple; I’m an ICBI kind of Christian familiar with the necessary theological distinctions. I know that God didn’t dictate the Bible to scribes but used the personalities and experiences and even the literary proclivities of the Scripture writers. I know that at least in books like Deuteronomy he used an editorial process (Moses didn’t write about his own death and burial). I also know that, as the KJV translators said,

The very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession, … containeth the word of God, nay, is the word of God.

Christians do not view the Bible the way Muslims view the Qur’an—as valid only in its original form. English (and Spanish, and French, and German, and Chinese) versions carry God’s authority.

But people who want to get closer to God, to understand him better, sometimes feel an impulse that nothing but the study of Greek (and Hebrew) can fulfill. They are frustrated when the precise import of a particular turn of phrase in Peter’s second epistle eludes them—because what God says matters to them. And they don’t want to teach the Bible to others without the particular kind of confidence that only comes from parsing the participles for yourself.

Luther took Greek and Hebrew so seriously that he said, “We will not long preserve the gospel without the languages”! In a letter “To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools,” Luther wrote,

The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit [Eph. 6:17] is contained; they are the casket in which this jewel is enshrined; they are the vessel in which this wine is held; they are the larder in which this food is stored; and, as the gospel itself points out [Matt. 14:20], they are the baskets in which are kept these loaves and fishes and fragments. If through our neglect we let the languages go (which God forbid!), we shall not only lose the gospel, but the time will come when we shall be unable either to speak or write a correct Latin or German.

Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, Vol. 45 : The Christian in Society II, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1999), 360.

I’m wary of claiming too much for Greek and Hebrew, and so is Luther:

A simple preacher (it is true) has so many clear passages and texts available through translations that he can know and teach Christ, lead a holy life, and preach to others. (Ibid., 363)

But Luther’s 500-year-old opinion is still, it seems to me, valid today:

But when it comes to interpreting Scripture, and working with it on your own, and disputing with those who cite it incorrectly…; that cannot be done without languages. (Ibid., 363)

I care about linguistic minutiae in the Greek New Testament, but not as ends in themselves. Sometimes it helps to remind ourselves what our goal is in our work.

New Greek students, remind yourself why you’re slogging.

Experienced exegetes, remind yourself why you slogged.

God has spoken, and it is our privilege and responsibility, we students of the languages, to listen especially closely.49819

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If you’re studying on your own and want some help, Learn to Use Biblical Greek and Hebrew with Logos 6 is now available.

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Written by
Mark Ward

Christian, husband, father, writer, ultimate frisbee player when possible.

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22 comments
  • Thank you, for the encouragement keep equipping me I so much want to learn this greek.

      • The verse I had in mind was actually “The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue” (2 Sam 23:2). And, of course, 2 Tim. 3:16—”All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” I qualified my purposeful overstatement with the ICBI for the reasons given in the post.

        I’d be happy to hear from a long-term Greek teacher how (or whether) you would qualify that statement.

  • I am not American, but each morning I delve into Greek, Hebrew, and Septuagint Greek to find out what was really said. I still love KJV but thank Logos for their exegetical tools, and all the other bits. I use the Gold edition. At 80 years of age I hope to continue for years to come. I trust that all who seek a real understanding of what the various translations attempt will get back to the source. I believe one must have the whole bible-not just the bits that suit your particular slant. Unfortunately a Sunday morning service, or the bible study group does tend to pick and choose those points which are tasty

  • We might go one step further. Given that God spoke (initially) to a particular region at a particular time, we can better understand His words’ first meanings and their later implications by better understanding the culture(s) into which He spoke. Learning the language of the day is a key way of helping us appreciate both the initial meaning and the cultural distance between then and now.

    • I agree that grasping the cultural distance is important; but sometimes interpreters speak as if ancient cultures are more perspicuous (more easily and confidently interpreted) than the Bible. This is an area calling for great care and study.

  • Because the NT is written in Greek.
    But someone once sail if the KJV was good enough for Jesus it is good enough for him.

  • This writer captured precisely my own experience and value given to the Greek text. I have used the Greek NT in Bible study since my days at Moody Bible Institute. Greek helps me to better understand how God thinks. The Word comes alive when I see the value of even prepositions and the moods and tenses of the verb. For over 50 years, I have translated the passage I would be teaching. There is simply no substitute for mastery of Biblical languages. Thank you for such a clear expression of the value of learning Biblical languages in understanding both how God thinks and how the Christian life works. Bless you my friend.

  • in the end, we are asked to “buy” a product, i.e. mEd. personally i am weary of this type of blogs that ends with a pitch to purchase.

  • Pitches for books don’t bother me if they are paying for the high-quality blogs we are seeing.

    Why learn Greek or Hebrew? It’s an easy question for anyone who is bilingual. Translations never communicate the whole message in quite the same way.

    Why are there so many autodidacts out there? Because there is no program of study (in a school) that will bring an average learner to the level of comprehension they need to enjoy reading the original. Add to this that the least effective method of language teaching is the one employed almost universally, the Grammar-Translation method.

    • I’m actually not qualified to speak to the most effective pedagogical methods. I have my theories, but no actual teaching experience. I’ll leave it to others to duke that one out. =)

  • I tell my students that learning Greek to do Exegesis is the difference between knowing how to drive a car & knowing how to build a car. Many can drive; few can build. Drivers can get where they want to go. Builders can get there faster if they need to. When there’s a problem (confusion) that is preventing a driver from getting to his destination (clear interpretation) a builder can take the car (text) apart, analyze it, put it back together, and continue on to the destination. Every driver is dependent on builders, and all they can do is trust & hope that what they’re driving works. But a builder can know what works and why it works. Congregations can be blessed by drivers, but the best leaders are have the skills of builders.

    • Okay, now here’s my thing: excessively few Κοινή Greek students I’ve known have been able to “build” a Greek sentence. So though my heart resonates with this illustration, my head says, “Doesn’t this 1) overpromise what studying Greek will do and 2) stretch the distance too far between careful students of the Bible who don’t know Greek and careful students who do?”

      I’ll have to think about this one… Interested in your thoughts, since you actually teach Greek and I don’t!

  • First, I learn Koine Greek, as well as Hebrew and Aramaic, because that is the language of the people that God chose to communicate or reveal Himself in Christ to Israel first, then the Gentiles.

    Second, because it is the language of the NT that is the Word of God, then it behooves me to learn it well to be able to proclaim its message accurately. It is God’s Word that is inspired and infallible in ALL that it teaches NOT just for faith and practice.

    Third, I am able to determine the meaning of the yext of Scripture instead of relying on the opinions of others. That does not mean I do not consult other opinions, but in the final analysis I am the one who accepts the responsibility and consequences of those decisions or choices that are made. I am responsible to God, ultimately, but to the church of God also to get it right. For the most part the English translations do a pretty good job of translating the Greek, as well as the Hebrew and Aramaic, but when I come across a passage, a word, etc., then I pull out the appropriate language the the was written in to obtain a better. understanding of the text.

    “Traddutore, traditore,” is the phrase that is extremely accurate. It means “the translator, a traitor.” I must get it right the first time; I may not have a second time

    Finally, it is for personal edification and knowledge.

  • Great question! about 100 or more years again a guy named J. Gresham Machen asked and answered this same question. In his short essay The Minister and His Greek Testament ( you can find it here: http://opc.org/machen/MachenGreek.html ) not to be confused with A. T. Robertson’s book also entitled The Minister and his Greek testament ( http://ntresources.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Robertson_MinGkTestament.pdf ) . It seem both Machen and Roberston pleaded for Christian to take their Bible serious enough to study and read them in their original languages. I think they would be happy if it is true that more and more today are learning Koine Greek. I also agree with a poster above who stated that the reason why people are studying on their own is because of the poor pedagogical method used in Seminaries to teach Koine Greek. I think guys like Randall Buth as well as the guys/and gals behind the BibleMesh language program are on the right track in regards to learning Biblical Languages or any other languages for that matter. At, any rate I do praise God for tools like Logos/Verbum/Noet software that can actually help speed up the process and help to keep people into the language whenever and where they are.

    • I’m young enough to be almost swept up with excitement about the promise of the living language approach, but I’m old enough to be skeptical that it’s quite the panacea some consider it. The best Greek instruction I got came from a man who not only believed in the currently prevailing pedagogical methods but was the main force behind their institutionalization at my seminary. I hope to do some more writing on this topic, and to get some guest posts in as well, but one of my very gifted friends who tried the method did say that he saw little ultimate difference.

      Yes, I’ve read that Machen article. Thank you for reminding me. I’m not sure I’ve read the Robertson one (though, full disclosure, I designed that website…).

  • Well, you have got my interest.
    I would love to read more of what you have to say about this topic!

    In ‘some ways’… I would say that the ulpan / living language approach is a return to the older classical language approach that actually required students to compose sentences and sort essays in classical Greek, Koine Greek, and in the case of Weingreen (classical Hebrew) in 1957 he actually re-published a text book called Classical Hebrew Composition ( http://www.amazon.com/Classical-Hebrew-Composition-J-Weingreen/dp/0198154232 ) that is devoted to encourage his students to learn (or rather) keep up with the Hebrew grammar by writing prose. I am a bit biased because I started with modern Hebrew, before I attempted classical Hebrew.

    Thanks for the reply, and you have great skill at web desgin!

  • I have been with Greek people most of my life which is 44 years and when I became a Christian I started to read the old greek in modern Greek prounciation. I learnt that the pronounication of some of the alphabet letters are pronounced differently. I did use a Koine` Greek text book which the Lord Jesus wanted me to get familiar with that particular Greek. Do you think by reading the Koine` Greek in using modern Greek pronounciation of the greek alphabet make any difference? I read the New Testament in the Koine` Greek because I find that if I read the New Testament written in modern Greek it there is a problem. The Koine` Greek is indeed the language so necessary to get the correct and precise understanding of what the Scriptures is saying. I do see the difference between the Koine` Greek and modern Greek. As I read the Koine Greek I do see where the New Testament written in English and loose a lot of the interpretation where the Koine` Greek gives you exactly what is needed. What do you think?

Written by Mark Ward
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