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Introduction to Biblical Greek: A Grammar with Exercises
A complete introductory grammar that builds on a classic approach to learning Greek.
In An Introduction to Biblical Greek , John D. Schwandt integrates the rigor of a classic Greek grammar with the fruit of contemporary language learning. The result is a one-stop introduction to New Testament Greek that is both scholarly sound and academically friendly.
This textbook teaches students the basics of the Greek language through 37 lessons that are supported by translation and writing exercises from the New Testament. These practical lessons and exercises will help readers grasp Greek grammar and vocabulary as they start to translate the text of the New Testament itself. Appendixes on additional grammatical topics offer students the opportunity to dive deeper into their study of the Greek language.
In An Introduction to Biblical Greek , John D. Schwandt integrates the rigor of a classic Greek grammar with the fruit of contemporary language learning. The result is a one-stop introduction to New Testament Greek that is both scholarly sound and academically friendly.
This textbook teaches students the basics of the Greek language through 37 lessons that are supported by translation and writing exercises from the New Testament. These practical lessons and exercises will help readers grasp Greek grammar and vocabulary as they start to translate the text of the New Testament itself. Appendixes on additional grammatical topics offer students the opportunity to dive deeper into their study of the Greek language.
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498 pages, Hardcover
Published May 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 28, 2020
I took my first year of Greek about 15 years ago using Mounce's grammar. For a while I used Greek but could not read it, but I have been translating Greek regularly for years now and read Greek most days using a reader's GNT.
However, I have wanted for some time to go through another greek grammar to take a fresh look at the basics and try to master elements of the language that remain difficult for me. That is one of the reasons I'm so grateful for this book.
I have not worked through the entire book yet, but here is what I like about it so far:
-The text is uncluttered by frills and extras. The pages are clean, the typesetting and layout are clear, and the chapter is straightforward and limited to what you need to know.
-Translating english into greek is part of the exercises. I did not like this when I had to do it in hebrew class, but I see the value of it now and am glad to see it encouraged in this book.
-An english to greek lexicon is included! This is no doubt because of the greek composition exercises, but it's so helpful to be able to find what the greek word is for something even if you aren't writing greek.
-In the back there is an answer key which helps those using the text without taking a class where a professor provides direct feedback on your work.
There are a couple things I'm not excited about:
-The vocab lists are in the back, not with the exercises at the end of each chapter.
-Noun cases are listed as nominative, acusative, genetive, and dative (this is only a problem for those who've already memorized them and their endings in a different order but want to use this book)
On the whole I'm very excited about this book and its more classical approach. I look forward to working through more of it and possibly using it to teach.
Note: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher but was not required to provide a positive review.
However, I have wanted for some time to go through another greek grammar to take a fresh look at the basics and try to master elements of the language that remain difficult for me. That is one of the reasons I'm so grateful for this book.
I have not worked through the entire book yet, but here is what I like about it so far:
-The text is uncluttered by frills and extras. The pages are clean, the typesetting and layout are clear, and the chapter is straightforward and limited to what you need to know.
-Translating english into greek is part of the exercises. I did not like this when I had to do it in hebrew class, but I see the value of it now and am glad to see it encouraged in this book.
-An english to greek lexicon is included! This is no doubt because of the greek composition exercises, but it's so helpful to be able to find what the greek word is for something even if you aren't writing greek.
-In the back there is an answer key which helps those using the text without taking a class where a professor provides direct feedback on your work.
There are a couple things I'm not excited about:
-The vocab lists are in the back, not with the exercises at the end of each chapter.
-Noun cases are listed as nominative, acusative, genetive, and dative (this is only a problem for those who've already memorized them and their endings in a different order but want to use this book)
On the whole I'm very excited about this book and its more classical approach. I look forward to working through more of it and possibly using it to teach.
Note: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher but was not required to provide a positive review.
July 7, 2020
Author(s): John D. Schwandt
Pages: 497
Endorsements: Craig Evans, Douglas Moo, Robert Gundry, Buist Fanning, Craig Blomberg, Bruce Waltke
Publisher: Lexham Press
Publication Date: 2020
Price: $34.95
I’m a fledgling doctoral student in New Testament so textbooks covering Biblical Greek are of special interest to me. Fortunately for the interested novice, we are blessed with a plethora of resources and a fine new entry is Introduction to Biblical Greek: A Grammar with Exercises by John D. Schwandt (Lexham Press, 2020).
The author is president of Redemption Seminary and has more than a decade and a half experience in teaching Biblical Greek and it shows. Schwandt’s textbook runs over three hundred pages not including appendices. It covers every topic a first year Greek students needs to begin digging deeply into the Scriptures.
The outstanding features of An Introduction to Biblical Greek is the grouping of the vocabulary words, helpful exercises and crisply written explanations. Schwandt also bucks the trend of skimping on a number of invaluable components to truly learning to study the New Testament such as the important of accent marks.
The author’s approach also wisely avoids the “rote memorization only” by explaining “the rationale, theories and principles behind the spellings and grammatical structures found in Biblical Greek.” For example, the text includes composition exercises, which is unfortunately rare in the discipline. Yet, it does force the student not just to memorize Greek but to think in Greek, which I believe is invaluable to learning any language ancient or contemporary.
Schwandt’s methodology should be music to the ears of those who dread doing nothing but carrying around and flipping through flash cards. Moreover, the text accompanies a course via Logos Mobile Education so the interested student may learn Biblical Greek at home.
I have perused more than a half dozen textbooks and I heartily recommend this one for the classroom or home study.
Pages: 497
Endorsements: Craig Evans, Douglas Moo, Robert Gundry, Buist Fanning, Craig Blomberg, Bruce Waltke
Publisher: Lexham Press
Publication Date: 2020
Price: $34.95
I’m a fledgling doctoral student in New Testament so textbooks covering Biblical Greek are of special interest to me. Fortunately for the interested novice, we are blessed with a plethora of resources and a fine new entry is Introduction to Biblical Greek: A Grammar with Exercises by John D. Schwandt (Lexham Press, 2020).
The author is president of Redemption Seminary and has more than a decade and a half experience in teaching Biblical Greek and it shows. Schwandt’s textbook runs over three hundred pages not including appendices. It covers every topic a first year Greek students needs to begin digging deeply into the Scriptures.
The outstanding features of An Introduction to Biblical Greek is the grouping of the vocabulary words, helpful exercises and crisply written explanations. Schwandt also bucks the trend of skimping on a number of invaluable components to truly learning to study the New Testament such as the important of accent marks.
The author’s approach also wisely avoids the “rote memorization only” by explaining “the rationale, theories and principles behind the spellings and grammatical structures found in Biblical Greek.” For example, the text includes composition exercises, which is unfortunately rare in the discipline. Yet, it does force the student not just to memorize Greek but to think in Greek, which I believe is invaluable to learning any language ancient or contemporary.
Schwandt’s methodology should be music to the ears of those who dread doing nothing but carrying around and flipping through flash cards. Moreover, the text accompanies a course via Logos Mobile Education so the interested student may learn Biblical Greek at home.
I have perused more than a half dozen textbooks and I heartily recommend this one for the classroom or home study.
August 19, 2020
Really? ANOTHER introductory Greek grammar? Admittedly, this was my initial thought when I saw the announcement of this new work by John D. Schwandt. However, the enthusiastic endorsements from such reputable scholars as Bruce Waltke, Douglas Moo, Buist Fanning, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Gundry, peaked my interest.
What then, is this grammar's new contribution? Why was it necessary that this new work be written? The contribution that Schwandt's introduction makes is actually nothing new, but rather, is a return to a more classical approach. Throughout the grammar, Schwandt places a heavy emphasis on *composing* biblical Greek, something that is almost entirely absent in other modern grammars. But according to the author, learning to write in Greek is essential for mastering the language of the New Testament. His preface begins, "An Introduction to Biblical Greek is grounded in the basic conviction that learning to read AND WRITE in the language of the New Testament is the best way to understand the meaning and intent of the New Testament" (xi, emphasis added). As a result, another important focus is on accentuation, discussions of which are either neglected in most modern grammars, or relegated to an appendix. Overall, I found this emphasis quite helpful, and I do agree that composition can certainly aid in gaining proficiency in any language.
This work is similar to most grammars, as it proceeds through the basics of Koine grammar in a series of chapters which first define and illustrate the new grammatical concepts, include charts and tables, and then provide examples for practice. Also included are seven appendices: vocabulary lists, an answer key to the exercises, accentuation, prepositions, morphology tables, an English to Greek dictionary, and then a Greek to English dictionary. These are all helpful, though the placement of the vocabulary lists is unhelpful. It would be much more helpful if they were included with each chapter where they were assigned. As usual, Lexham Press has done a wonderful job in the publishing department. The book has a nice design and is aesthetically pleasing, and the size is nice for a textbook. The shading and use of colors throughout is helpful, and the headings and generous space in the margins are likewise appreciated.
When it comes to the content of each grammatical lesson, Schwandt's work is not revolutionary. It gets the job done, and covers all of the essentials. One perk for the beginning student is the brevity of each lesson: each new concept is usually covered in a few pages. However, one could argue that this work is guilty of being too concise. Excluding the appendices, this work is only about 300 pages, more than a third of which are the exercises at the end of the chapter. Some grammatical discussions seem important enough to warrant more discussion than Schwandt gives them. Most students wanting to go deeper in their study of Koine Greek will need to supplement these introductions with another beginning grammar. Proponents of newer understandings of verbal aspect and deponency will also be disappointed by Schwandt's more traditional treatment of the subjects (in the few brief instances that he touches on them).
At the end of each lesson, a selection of exercises is included, always containing both translation AND composition. Again, this is where the uniqueness of Schwandt's work shines. After working through this book, students should be well on their way to writing Koine Greek, which was one of the author's goals. However, perhaps due to this emphasis, the author falls short of his other goal: that the student learn to *read* Greek. After working through this grammar, I have serious doubts that a student could pick up a Greek NT and be prepared to actually read and understand very much of it. This is because there is so little exposure to the text of the NT throughout Schwandt's work, which is a major downside to the "integrated workbook" approach. Frustratingly, most of the translation exercises are not drawn from Scripture, nor are the compositions. Personally, I think that one of the best ways to learn Greek is to simply read; while progressing through the basics of grammar, throw the student into the text and let them learn as they go. Don't just give them bits of a sentence here and a verse there, but allow them to work through an extended narrative or continuous text. While composition is definitely a useful tool in mastering the Greek of the NT, it seems better to hold off on it until the more intermediate level, and instead focus on reading initially.
So, is John Schwandt's "Introduction to Biblical Greek" the IDEAL beginning grammar? Ultimately, this depends on the choice of the teacher or institution. With this work, Schwandt has made a unique contribution to the already crowded selection of beginning Greek grammars available. His work is certainly good, but whether its distinct contribution is enough to outweigh its deficiencies and/or the benefits of other grammars is yet to be seen. Personally, I would answer negatively to this last question. This new grammar did not blow me away or leave me thinking, "This is THE grammar I wish I was taught from, and THE grammar that I will teach from in the future." However, that doesn't mean it isn't a great option for someone else. Schwandt's work could definitely function well in the classroom, especially if some grammatical areas are supplemented and additional exposure to reading the Greek NT is given. I could also see this being a fine choice for anyone who would like to learn biblical Greek on their own, especially if they are highly motivated.
*Note: I received this book for free, courtesy of Lexham Press, but was not required to give a positive review.*
What then, is this grammar's new contribution? Why was it necessary that this new work be written? The contribution that Schwandt's introduction makes is actually nothing new, but rather, is a return to a more classical approach. Throughout the grammar, Schwandt places a heavy emphasis on *composing* biblical Greek, something that is almost entirely absent in other modern grammars. But according to the author, learning to write in Greek is essential for mastering the language of the New Testament. His preface begins, "An Introduction to Biblical Greek is grounded in the basic conviction that learning to read AND WRITE in the language of the New Testament is the best way to understand the meaning and intent of the New Testament" (xi, emphasis added). As a result, another important focus is on accentuation, discussions of which are either neglected in most modern grammars, or relegated to an appendix. Overall, I found this emphasis quite helpful, and I do agree that composition can certainly aid in gaining proficiency in any language.
This work is similar to most grammars, as it proceeds through the basics of Koine grammar in a series of chapters which first define and illustrate the new grammatical concepts, include charts and tables, and then provide examples for practice. Also included are seven appendices: vocabulary lists, an answer key to the exercises, accentuation, prepositions, morphology tables, an English to Greek dictionary, and then a Greek to English dictionary. These are all helpful, though the placement of the vocabulary lists is unhelpful. It would be much more helpful if they were included with each chapter where they were assigned. As usual, Lexham Press has done a wonderful job in the publishing department. The book has a nice design and is aesthetically pleasing, and the size is nice for a textbook. The shading and use of colors throughout is helpful, and the headings and generous space in the margins are likewise appreciated.
When it comes to the content of each grammatical lesson, Schwandt's work is not revolutionary. It gets the job done, and covers all of the essentials. One perk for the beginning student is the brevity of each lesson: each new concept is usually covered in a few pages. However, one could argue that this work is guilty of being too concise. Excluding the appendices, this work is only about 300 pages, more than a third of which are the exercises at the end of the chapter. Some grammatical discussions seem important enough to warrant more discussion than Schwandt gives them. Most students wanting to go deeper in their study of Koine Greek will need to supplement these introductions with another beginning grammar. Proponents of newer understandings of verbal aspect and deponency will also be disappointed by Schwandt's more traditional treatment of the subjects (in the few brief instances that he touches on them).
At the end of each lesson, a selection of exercises is included, always containing both translation AND composition. Again, this is where the uniqueness of Schwandt's work shines. After working through this book, students should be well on their way to writing Koine Greek, which was one of the author's goals. However, perhaps due to this emphasis, the author falls short of his other goal: that the student learn to *read* Greek. After working through this grammar, I have serious doubts that a student could pick up a Greek NT and be prepared to actually read and understand very much of it. This is because there is so little exposure to the text of the NT throughout Schwandt's work, which is a major downside to the "integrated workbook" approach. Frustratingly, most of the translation exercises are not drawn from Scripture, nor are the compositions. Personally, I think that one of the best ways to learn Greek is to simply read; while progressing through the basics of grammar, throw the student into the text and let them learn as they go. Don't just give them bits of a sentence here and a verse there, but allow them to work through an extended narrative or continuous text. While composition is definitely a useful tool in mastering the Greek of the NT, it seems better to hold off on it until the more intermediate level, and instead focus on reading initially.
So, is John Schwandt's "Introduction to Biblical Greek" the IDEAL beginning grammar? Ultimately, this depends on the choice of the teacher or institution. With this work, Schwandt has made a unique contribution to the already crowded selection of beginning Greek grammars available. His work is certainly good, but whether its distinct contribution is enough to outweigh its deficiencies and/or the benefits of other grammars is yet to be seen. Personally, I would answer negatively to this last question. This new grammar did not blow me away or leave me thinking, "This is THE grammar I wish I was taught from, and THE grammar that I will teach from in the future." However, that doesn't mean it isn't a great option for someone else. Schwandt's work could definitely function well in the classroom, especially if some grammatical areas are supplemented and additional exposure to reading the Greek NT is given. I could also see this being a fine choice for anyone who would like to learn biblical Greek on their own, especially if they are highly motivated.
*Note: I received this book for free, courtesy of Lexham Press, but was not required to give a positive review.*
August 5, 2024
It reads more like an outline for Dr. Schwandt's class than a textbook that can be read on its own. I really liked the approach to the exercises but it needed to be fleshed out a little more within the chapters. I'm sure that if used with Professor Schwandt's classes available on Logos that it is invaluable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews