Overview of New Testament Greek

Specially for churches, I have written a short course: Overview of New Testament Greek. Rather than setting out to teach New Testament Greek to the point of fluency, it is a four week course with the aim of teaching how to read and pronounce Greek words, then giving an overview of how the language works, conveying the feel of the language and how it is different from modern Western languages, and introducing some of the theological issues that arise from the difficulty of translating New Testament Greek.* By setting out only to provide a general overview, the course sketches the possibilities that arise from reading the New Testament in the original language, while side-stepping some of the pitfalls that can arise when one presumes introductory Greek knowledge to be more substantial than it is. If anyone then wants to move on and set up a group to learn further, or embark upon one-to-one learning, then that is of course welcome. This short course might make a great option for a Lent or Advent activity.

The subjects covered, over four 90-minute sessions, are:

  1. Introduction to Ancient Greek and the Alphabet
  2. Pronunciation, Punctuation and Reading
  3. How New Testament Greek Works
  4. Why it Matters: Theological Illustrations

Please get in touch if you would like to arrange for me to run this short course at your church or for a group online. The fee depends on the numbers expected, and could be paid in a lump sum for everyone or individually. I am happy to provide more details regarding the content of the course in advance, such as the theological illustrations that will be used.

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*Please also note that, although I make every effort not to teach with any theological bias and will happily teach in any type of church, I will also be inclusive of LGBTQ+ people, and I reserve the right to answer any specific questions about how I personally interpret texts with honesty (though my preference is to avoid expressing my opinion and instead encourage people to think for themselves). My interpretation is LGBTQ+ inclusive and in support of women’s rights in the church and racial justice.