Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People

by Constantine R. Campbell

Seminarians spend countless hours mastering biblical languages and learning how the knowledge of them illuminates the reading, understanding, and application of Scripture. But while excellent language acquisition resources abound, few really teach students how to maintain their use of Greek for the long term. Consequently, pastors and other former Greek students find that under the pressures of work, ministry, preaching, and life, their hard-earned Greek skills begins to disappear.
Con Campbell has been counseling one-time Greek students for years, teaching them how to keep their language facility for the benefit of those to whom they minister and teach. He shows how following the right principles makes it possible for many to retain---and in some cases regain---their Greek language skills.
Pastors will find Keep Your Greek an encouraging and practical guide to strengthening their Greek abilities so that they can make linguistic insights a regular part of their study and teaching. Current students will learn how to build skills that will serve them well once they complete their formal language instruction.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Language, Theology, Nonfiction, Christian

97 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2010

About the author

also published under Con Campbell

Reviews

[Rohan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, punchy, good illustrations from music that transferred across well (especially the despair when you backslide, after so much effort!)

Tips to remember:
- only takes 10 min Greek reading a day. Some times slow (parsing each verb) but sometimes fast (for the vibe)
- practice paradigms in context of reading (e.g. as you read, if you miss an aorist, then and there write out the paradigm a couple of times to jog memory)
- for vocab, quality over quantity. The more you spend when you first see a word (and make mnemonic to remember) the better in future.
- most key: do a good job in learning Greek in the first place! (So my aim in term 4 at college is to really solidify what I've learnt in Greek/Hebrew so far!)

(Only 3 stars as it's basically 10 blog posts in a book, so perhaps just read those)

[Will Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello, Old Friend!

Oh, it’s been too long my old friend. I loved learning the languages in seminary but we’ve grown apart overtime. As I prepare to preach through the Gospel of John I figured now is as good a time as ever to get back into the mix.

Keep Your Greek is a book I wish I had 10 years ago. As much as I appreciated the professors helping me learn Greek and Hebrew they didn’t teach how to maintain those languages nor to develop the habits necessary for maintaining them. But better late than never.

The most important thing as Keep Your Greek reminds is to be in the Greek regularly. Take steps to have it as a part of your life. Build it in to your routine.

And I deeply appreciated the JB Lightfoot quote. "After all is said and done, the only way to know the Greek Testament properly is by prayer.

[Matthew Deans · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOLD. SO helpful in giving the practical steps to keep your Greek (and the same steps could be used for Hebrew). Exactly what the title suggests is exactly what the author delivers on. Highly recommend to any pastor or student, no matter how sharp or dull your languages are. As someone who has largely struggled here, I'm encouraged that I now have a well-lit path forward.

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the publisher's I follow, Zondervan Academic continues to stand out based on the number of useful original languages resources they continue to release year after year. The latest addition to their lineup of language resources is Constantine Campbell's Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People (Zondervan, 2010).

As a blogger and social media enthusiast I appreciated the background story behind the book. In a sense, it all began when Dr. Campbell decided to take the tips he had been sharing in the classroom about how to keep your Greek going after college / seminary and turned them into a series of posts called "Keep Your Greek" on his now retired read better, preach better blog. The nine posts in that series actually served as the outline for this book. I especially liked that Dr. Campbell chose to share some of the comments dialog from his original blog posts at the end of each chapter. It was useful to see the types of questions posed by the original readers of the content and Dr. Campbell's responses. Maybe it is because I spend far too much time using social media, but the blog responses section at the close of each chapter drew me in and made me feel a part of the conversation.

Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People is quite short at only ninety pages. The content is divided amongst ten chapters and the book closes with an appendix and a list of recommended resources. Each chapter introduces a new concept about how to enhance your ongoing study of Greek. You can get a good idea of each chapter's content from its heading and subheading. If you are a very serious and stodgy language student, try not to take offense as some of them are a bit tongue in cheek. They are as follows:

* Chapter 1: Read Every Day: Reading reminds, refreshes, and reinforces.
* Chapter 2: Burn Your Interlinear: The interlinear is a tool of the devil, designed to make preachers stupid.
* Chapter 3: Use Software Tools Wisely: Bible software can be a blessing or a curse-it's up to you.
* Chapter 4: Make Vocabulary Your Friend: You remember the names of your friends, right?
* Chapter 5: Practice Your Parsing: Practice makes perfect. Or aorist. Or present. Or ... What is that verb?
* Chapter 6: Read Fast: It's the vibe of the thing.
* Chapter 7: Read Slow: Slow and steady wins the race.
* Chapter 8: Use Your Senses: Greek is a language, not just words on a page.
* Chapter 9: Get Your Greek Back: If you did it once, you can do it again. And it will be easier this time.
* Chapter 10: Putting It All Together: Make it a part of life.

When it's all said and done, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There was a light-hearted tone that ran throughout the entire book, making what is sometimes a very mundane topic, enjoyable to read. Each chapter offers extremely practical advice, much of which I intend to put in place as I continue my quest to keep up my own Greek skills. And if you are more of a Hebrew or Aramaic guy, don't despair, these strategies will enhance for your ongoing language study as well. I would highly recommend this book for any Bible college / seminary student, pastor, or layperson who is interested in or who has ever studied Greek. Even if your interest in keeping up with your Greek studies is limited, you will find something of use here. Readers who enjoy this book should also consider picking up a copy of Dr. Campbell's Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek (Zondervan, 2008).

Author Information:
Constantine R. Campbell (PhD, Macquarie University) is a senior lecturer in Greek and new Testament at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He is the author of numerous books, including Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek. Dr. Campbell is a public speaker, musician, and author, and lives in Sydney with his wife and three children.

Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Zondervan for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

[Eric Abisror · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very helpful and simple one day read. Provides helpful tips to get back into the Greek. Worth the read if you have taken Greek before and our a pastor.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sweet, and to the point, Keep Your Greek does what it claims to do: help people who have studied Greek maintain or recover proficiency in the language. Based on a series of blog posts, each short chapter is enlightening, encouraging, and engaging. They've even retained some of the blog comments as they are useful.

This book has loads of practical suggestions to recover Greek proficiency and keep it fresh. Basically, the advice is to spend time and energy with Greek. Hardly revolutionary, but it is encouraging. Which, not incidentally, is the best thing about this book - it is really encouraging!

The reason I give it 4 not 5 stars is because it basically is a series of blog posts. It's hard to justify buying a book made of blog posts. Fortunately, I borrowed this book so I didn't have that problem, but the point remains that it is difficult to justify the existence of this book which presumably still is available online as a series of blog posts.

While not the most profound book, this is a neat little book which is highly encouraging and whose advice feels doable.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book designed to help pastors 'keep their Greek' post seminary. Not a bad little book, but essentially the advice is keep reading Greek, learn vocab, practice and don't rely on interlinears or too much Bible software. Sound advice, but pretty straight forward. This book came to life as a series of blogposts. Unfortunately there is a couple of editing mistakes in the text, which I always think is too bad in a book discussing grammar and syntax.

[Collin Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredibly helpful book for anyone who has studied Greek at a college or seminary level and wants to keep the language fresh. I finished my Greek classes at SBU almost a year and a half ago, and this Constantine Campbell was very helpful in giving me tips for how to maintain my Greek from that time. I highly recommend this to students who are finishing their Greek classes and want to know how to maintain.

[Kingue Georges · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed to read this book, even through only now. You read it before it's too late.

Reading Keep Your Greek has been insightful. What else will someone like me want to do than keeping their Greek, after all the years invested in learning it, the resources purchased, or after losing it once? The snippets are practical and several helpful comments from the blog posts. I recommend this to you. You know you need it before you even begin learning or relearning Greek.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, practical book about what it takes to keep your (koine) greek after seminary/formal classes. Very few surprises, but still helpful, especially the many connections Campbell makes between music and language acquisition.

[Ben Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview on how to keep your Greek skills adequate after leaving school. A bit specific in scope for the average reader, but a great reminder with actionable steps for the ex Greek student or theologian/pastor!

[Doug Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth Reading & Concise

An easy read. Great tips. Motivating book. Concise and very readable and helpful to continue NT Greek. I would recommend this book.

[Andrew Canavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful strategies that are also realistic for busy people to stay fresh or actually relearn New Testament Greek. And these would all work equally well for Hebrew.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many helpful tips and encouragements in this little book. I intend to utilize the ones that apply to my situation and I can do.

[Dr. Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful. Little motivational blog posts.

[Vincent Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, practical and encouraging.

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a quick read, but it’s packed full of helpful practices and tools to help keep one’s Greek from building up rust.

[Micah Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straightforward and useful tips to apply daily/regularly to help maintain and build one's Greek ability.

[Bob Hayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of us studied Greek back in our college days. some of us were proficient Greek students, once upon a time. Sadly, over time, the Greek vocabulary cards have lain untouched, paradigms become unfamiliar, and new Bible software tools provide the only real interaction with Greek that we continue to have.

Losing our Greek is troubling because we know that we learned Greek for a reason. Understanding the language of the New Testament allows us to "teach God's Word with depth of understanding, observing its subtleties and nuances, many of which cannot be conveyed in translation" (pg. 83). Ultimately, Greek study is all about knowing God's Word better so we can teach and preach it better.

Seeing so many Greek students slowly lose their Greek due to the business of pastoral ministry, Constantine R. Campbell started blogging about how to "Keep Your Greek". The tips and strategies he shared on his blog were widely appreciated and Campbell was encouraged to turn his helpful suggestions into a book. The result is "Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People" a handy little book published by Zondervan.

Dr. Campbell, a senior lecturer in Greek and New Testament at Moore Theological College in Syndey, arranges his strategies in order of importance. Number one on his list is the importance of 10 minutes spent reading Greek every day.

"Reading every day increases your confidence. Vocabulary, grammar, and syntax all feel more familiar with everyday exposure. Your subconscious mind is triggered regularly to reinforce your learning and knowledge." (pg. 15)

There is no substitute for reading Greek, he insists. Next he encourages us to burn our interlinears. He later allows a prudent use of Bible software, and even the use of a Reader's Greek New Testament (like this one). But having the English translation of each Greek word immediately visible below prevents the actual learning of Greek. Too much dependence on software too, can cripple us -- making us dependent on the tools and never proficient in the world of NT Greek.

Campbell offers encouragement when it comes to learning vocabulary and mastering those verb paradigms. Various tools, both online and in book form, are described as well. The most useful tool for Campbell is Burer and Miller's A New Reader's Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, which lists the unfamiliar Greek words and definitions in order, chapter by chapter throughout the New Testament. He advocates referencing this tool when reading the Greek for yourself.

Some will still wonder if relearning Greek is really worth it. They may have preached for years without much use of biblical languages. I thought Dr. Campbell's words on this point were quite helpful:

"I've never met a Bible teacher who wished they had not learned Greek. It's only the guys who have let it slip and no longer use it for their sermon preparation who try to tell me that Greek doesn't enhance their teaching.... Of course it won't enhance your teaching if you don't use it!"

"...My own experience is that Greek always enhances my teaching of the Bible in some way. It may not always make a dramatic difference to my understanding of the text, though it sometimes does. But it always gives me a deeper appreciation of the text and insight into its nuances. This is the testimony of all those who have talked to me about their experiences of teaching the New Testament with a knowledge of Greek. It makes a difference." (pg. 10)

By the end of the book, after reading through all the tips and helps that Campbell offers, you find yourself agreeing with Campbell that yes, I can keep my Greek. "It's easier to remember the Greek you've forgotten than it was to learn it in the first place," he reminds us (pg. 73). An appendix applies the book to the first time learner, encouraging them to take care how they learn the language the first time. "Get it right the first time", that section is entitled.

Having began as a series of blog posts, this book is casual and accessible rather than formal and technical. After each chapter, Campbell even includes some of the blog reactions (comments) from his original readers. This feature of the book makes it both more interesting and more helpful. The insights, questions and feedback of the bloggers will mirror what's going through your mind as the reader. And many of the tips the bloggers share are worthwhile in their own right.

This little book, and it is little -- only 90 pages long -- will prove to be an encouragement to many, like me, who have let their Greek slide. I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Zondervan for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

[Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book is a must-read for anyone who is studying, has studied, or wants to study Biblical Greek. Actually, it has useful tips for studying any language, especially "academic" languages and the Biblical languages. Con Campbell, a professor at Moore Theological College, has distilled a wealth of learning and practical insight for those of us who struggle with Greek. I've taught Koine (Biblical) Greek for about 7 years now, to juniors and seniors at a Christian school. I wish I had this book when I started teaching!!! I've had to learn things the hard way (I'm still learning them), and Campbell's book would have helped me to teach much more effectively.

Campbell's book began as a series of blog posts, and he includes some of the comments to his original blog posts in this book. It preserves the interactive feel of a blog, and the blog-readers have their own important contributions and tips which are quite helpful.

Each chapter begins with a short observation on the practical and theological value of learning Biblical Greek from a recognized scholar. I especially liked Dr. Daniel Wallace's admission that he nearly failed his first year of Greek! I guess there's hope for the rest of us.

[Sean Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up for Kindle (yes, I understand the irony of that phrase applied to an ebook). I'm glad I read it, though it offered common sense encouragement, sort of like, don't spend more money than you make. In order to "keep Greek," read it. Be consistent. Read it. There are other encouragements too, but basically, read it.

The chapters were originally posted on the author's blog. That's fine. But he also included the reader comments at the end of each chapter. I can do without the comments. I'll make my own if I want to, which I'm doing here. But no one should put my comments in the book.

The annotated list of resources at the end of the book looks good and I plan to investigate the recommendations, especially for some iOS vocabulary apps.

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People

Trebuie să recunosc că e singura carte de genul acesta pe care am citit-o. E o carte metodologică care te încurajează să-ți pui la punct greaca biblică.
Toate cărțile metodologice sunt plictisitoare, seci, abstracte. Constantine R. Campbell are o metodă captivantă, presărată pe alocuri cu umor(Burn Your Interlinear: The interlinear is a tool of the devil) și sfaturi practice clare.
Face multe analogii(prea multe cu saxofonul lui, smile emoticon ), lucrează cu imagini și împrejurări din viață. E o carte destul de ușor de citit, asimilat, un manual care eu cred că poți să-l folosești pentru învățarea oricărei limbi.

[Greg Baughman · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. Solid book. No big shocks, revelations, or "tricks." Guess what, if you want to keep your Greek, you have to work at it! Most of these tips I've gleaned from asking my profs similar questions, but if you are learning on your own, you'll find useful information here. The analogy of playing the saxophone that runs through the book is helpful. If you care about keeping your Greek (or Hebrew or whatever, this is equally applicable to most language learning), it's worth an hour or so to read this, though you probably won't go back to it.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, one day read. Campbell's suggestions are basic common sense on maintaining proficiency in Greek, and this also applies to Latin or any other language. It was nice to see them listed all together, and the book re-motivated me to dive back into Greek and Wheelock's Latin, which I think was it's primary value. He also adds some valuable online resources, which are for Koine, but others in Attic as well as Latin can be found.

[G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short, fun read with practical advice. It was originally a collection of blog posts, and it certainly reads that way. The narration is fun and humorous, which you wouldn't maybe expect with a Greek book. The advice itself was good but in some cases hardly necessary. I would have hoped for something more than "read Greek" and "practice Greek". But it didn't take itself too seriously, and at the very least it fueled my interest in practicing my languages.

[Paul Willweber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this multiple times. it is that good. Campbell just has a great blend of practical, encouraging, motivating, and humorous guidance for getting back into the Greek. Now, it occurs to me that this book would work well for anyone who has learned a language and has let it go and wants to get back into it. Some of the rationale will not fit (teaching the Word of God) but the practical advice will work with any language. This book is short. Read it!

[Bill Forgeard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tips and tricks for keeping up Bible College Greek after you've finished studying it. Various helpful suggestions, but the best aspect was simply the encouragement to keep putting in the effort, a few minutes a day.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being out of seminary for over a year, I can say my languages have started to slip. While the content of this book is nothing earth shattering, it does provide what I needed: some encouragement to get back to learning and reviewing my Greek with some helpful strategies.

[Peter Mead · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little book for anyone who has studied Greek (or Hebrew) in the past and wants to maintain and grow in the added pressure of real life. This is a great example of blog material turned into a helpful book.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is full of great suggestions for those wishing to keep up their Greek after seminary. While I've never studied Greek formally, I found the ideas in this book helpful for self-study of Greek. The most helpful one was reading a little bit every day.