Re: exegetical significance
Randy Leedy (RLEEDY@bju.edu)
Tue, 12 Aug 1997 12:15:28 -0400
I'll add my voice to the chorus of response to Andrew's challenge.
While I understand and appreciate the motive behind it, I think it
betrays a VERY COMMON misunderstanding. People somehow think that a
list of Greek goodies can serve as a grid through which one may run a
NT text and thereby extract extra meaning not apparent in the modern
translation. This view fosters an attitude that there are some things
one can learn ABOUT Greek that will serve as reliable tools for
exposing these hidden meanings. It seems to me that the correct view
is that the only (relatively) reliable way to use Greek to uncover
meaning not apparent in a modern translation is to learn the language
itself and read it just like you read your own language (not with the
same degree of facility, to be sure, but using the same mental
processes), not learn some facts about it. Shortcuts will cut you
short; I don't see any other option.
But this is getting back toward a thread we had a year or more ago on
the value of learning only a little bit of Greek, and, since that
thread doesn't need repeating, I quit. I didn't get this as concise
as I want it, but I'm late for lunch and will therefore press SEND
and hope for the best.
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In Love to God and Neighbor,
Randy Leedy
Bob Jones University
Greenville, SC
RLeedy@bju.edu
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