Let me put in my little bit here. I went to seminary when both Greek and
Hebrew were required for a B.D. This curriculum simply assumed that if you
were called to preach the Scriptures, you were called to understand them to
the max. The problem is that we Americans have swallowed the idea that
learning a language is hard. It is not hard, it simply requires regularity
of use. I made A's all the way through both Greek and Hebrew by spending
about 30 mins every morning before breakfast working on them. I have
continued that in translation. It is in translation that I have learned
more of the languages. Of course I work on Greek for the purpose of
writing at other times, but the real learning takes place every morning. I
have trouble believing that a pastor will ever be too busy to give that
much time to something that is so important to what he/she feels called to
do. I know of bi-vocational pastors who hold other jobs (two in particular
are school teachers) who handle the Greek very well by giving it 30 mins
every day. The real question is not whether you can learn Greek today, but
where will you be 5, 10 yrs down the road.
Carlton L. Winbery
Prof. NT & Greek La College
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net
winbery@andria.lacollege.edu