Fundamentals of New Testament Greek

by Stanley E. Porter, Jeffrey T. Reed, Matthew Brook O'Donnell

We know that this book works and will take students to a level not often achieved through other beginning textbooks. So say Stanley Porter and his coauthors in the preface to their Fundamentals of New Testament Greek -- an ambitious, comprehensive introduction to the grammar and vocabulary of the Greek New Testament. This first-year Greek textbook discusses all the forms and basic syntax of Koine Greek, complete with extensive paradigms, examples, and explanations. Porter, Reed, and O'Donnell's Fundamentals of New Testament Greek features pedagogically sound and linguistically informed techniques of language instruction. The volume introduces the individual words and grammatical details of Greek, sensitive to their frequency of use in the New Testament, reinforcing for students the elements that they will most often encounter. Grammatical forms, including the less common ones, are analyzed and explained in detail, often with illustrative examples from the Greek New Testament. The authors include complete paradigms and give numerous examples; the vocabulary list includes nearly one thousand words, which are introduced throughout the book's thirty chapters. Students who complete this text will be able to move directly into Greek exegesis courses and more advanced Greek-language courses. Fundamentals of New Testament Greek will prove invaluable for gaining a thorough foundational understanding of New Testament Greek, including full exposure to the formation, accenting, and semantics of its complex verbal system.

Genres: Christianity

488 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Stanley E. Porter (PhD, University of Sheffield) is president, dean, and professor of New Testament, and Roy A. Hope Chair in Christian Wolrdview at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. He has authored or edited dozens of books, including How We Got the New Testament and Fundamentals of New Testament Greek.

Reviews

[Jonathan Asbun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great content, not for self studies

Porter presents an excellent intro to NT Greek and he goes even beyond that! The explanations are fairly clear and the examples detailed. The main highlights are the vast paradigm sections on each chapter and the companion workbook.
However, this is not a self-guided book, it is to be used in a class guided by a professor

[Bledar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the normal Grammar book you are used to. His method is unorthodox to what I am used in studying a language, but I am satisfied with the end result. It should go hand in hand with the Workbook that has excellent exercises.

[Nathan Nadeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best intro to NT Greek IMO

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent reference but only a "good" textbook. Again, the workbook (which is separate) needs an answer key!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great grammar for Koiné greek, but probably too much for first year students to learn. I have not read or used the workbook so I can't say how Porter gets the students to put his ideas into practice.

Not completely convinced of Porter's ideas of aspect. Sometimes I think it is just word games, for example he calls the imperfect tense-form verb the more remote form of the present tense-form verb. Certainly the past is more remote, but he can't say that since he does not believe verbs communicate time, only aspect. Those who hold to this idea about the greek verb can't really explain why only in the indicative the aorist and imperfect has the ε augment, and why the future seems to fall outside their model. But on the otherhand their model works when the standard model of time of greek verbs fail when things like aorists and perfects appear when expecting past or present verbs.

[Daniel Brueske · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a more "academic" treatment than Mounce's "Basics of Biblical Greek". So far I have preferred Mounce's style.