[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Greek Grammars

David Mullens wrote on Wednesday 04/27/94 asking for help on updating his
Greek resources. He wants to (1)add to his Dana & Mantey, Machen, and
Rienecker/Rogers, (2)know about computer programs, (3)know about Louw-Nida
and semantic domains, and (4)about Friberg parsings and lemmas.

I'll jump in on some of that, as a fellow Asbury alum!
(1) For books to add to your collection: (a)You didn't mention a lexicon.
Should I assume you have BAGD? And do you have the key for it that allows you
to look up discussions relevant to a passage you are studying? (b)I make
frequent use of Dana & Mantey but have supplemented it with James A. Brooks &
Carlton L. Winbery (1979) "Syntax of New Testament Greek" University Press of
America. Be sure to get the 1988 edition which is typeset; the earlier one is
less readable. Be warned: They are also 8 case people. (c)I often read
recommendations for James A. Hewett (1986) "New Testament Greek: A Beginning
and Intermediate Grammar" from Hendrickson. Hewett says "Students who have
already studied Greek for a year or so will find this to be an excellent tool
for refurbishing and synthesizing prior knowledge and for acquiring materials
ordinarily presented at the intermediate level of language study." I have it
on my shelf to work through this year. (d)For a look at a fresh approach to a
basic grammar of Greek, and one that may have some hints and helps for all of
us whose memories keep slipping, look at William Mounce (1993) "Basics of
Biblical Greek" from Zondervan. (e)I am finding greater and greater value in
my copy of Wesley J. Perschbacher (1989) "Refresh Your Greek: Practical Helps
for Reading the New Testament" from Moody. It's expensive but packed with
helpful stuff. The grammar section in the back is a great aid and supplement
to D&M (and he's a 5 case man). (f)And get Zerwick's Grammatical Analysis
(overlaps somewhat with Rienecker but takes a basically different approach)
and use it with his "Biblical Greek." (g)Okay, one more. Get Schmoller's
Handkonkordanz (Bible Society). When I travel I take my UBS NT (not edition 4
yet--I can't abide that spidery scrawl!), Rienecker, and Schmoller.
   It may also be useful to know what to avoid. Don't spend money on
Blass-Debrunner-Funk for a grammar. I know we are all supposed to admire it
and it probably does have some useful stuff in it, but it is a *weird* book.
It looks like a compilation of the random notes swept of someone's desk.

(2) Computer stuff? Do you use Windows? If so, wait until Fall when GramCord
will release (I hope) their Windows version of GramCord. It should be based
on the approach they have taken for aCCordance (spelling?) their version for
the Mac. I tried Bible Windows yesterday. It's powerful--and ugly and
awkward. I'd avoid it. Check out Bible Works for Windows if you get a chance,
but I haven't used it yet. What do others think? I also make regular use of
Memcards (remember the fading memory problem?)--a great program.

(3) Louw-Nida? I've not used their two volumes yet; someone else can help us
there.

(4) Barbara and Timothy Friberg produced the "Analytical Greek New Testament"
in which each word is "tagged" with a code giving its complete grammatical
analysis. And "lemma" seems to be the word used now for what we used to call
(wrongly) "the root" or (better) "the dictionary entry" form. It's what you'd
find as the entry in a lexicon. So Bible Windows gives a three line
interlinear: the Greek text, the grammatical tag, and the lemma.

Let's see what others suggest. I need to find more tools useful for students
learning Greek via English but for whom English is not their first language.

David Housholder, Marietta Georgia.  28 April 1994.