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 exhibits sound scholarship in a friendly, approachable manner for students.
The revised edition of this textbook teaches students the basics of the Greek language through 37 short lessons 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.
John Schwandt knows how to teach Greek, and it shows in An Introduction to Biblical Greek. I have myself taught Greek for many years and am well aware of the challenges students face. Schwandt’s Introduction is the best there is. I highly recommend it.
—Craig A. Evans, John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University
Dr. John D. Schwandt’s splendid An Introduction to Biblical Greek triggered my adrenaline to want to teach Greek grammar again. It has everything one wants in a textbook. Besides that, it is backed up by the exceptional technical resources of Logos. When the student has finished this text, they are ready to join the ranks of competent exegetes of the New Testament.
—Bruce Waltke, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Regent College, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Knox Theological Seminary
No two people learn languages in exactly the same way, so there is always a need for new language textbooks. Creatively but logically structured, it charts a sensible middle course between standard and cutting-edge forms of verbal aspect theory.
—Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary
Students who master John Schwandt’s An Introduction to Biblical Greek can expect to plunge immediately into exegesis of the New Testament, the Septuagint, and the Apostolic Fathers. Up-to-date and comprehensive on matters of pronunciation, morphology, and verbal aspect, the book boasts an outstanding advantage over many competitors in its emphasis on students’ composing Greek as well as translating it.
—Robert H. Gundry, Professor Emeritus and Scholar-in-Residence, Westmont College
John Schwandt’s Introduction to Biblical Greek provides an attractive and workable alternative to the growing list of beginning Greek grammars that make minimal demands on students at the cost of reduced comprehension of the language. I recommend this book enthusiastically!
—Buist Fanning, Senior Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
“Greek punctuation in current printed texts is very similar to English: Greek uses periods, commas, and apostrophes (for elision). The most significant differences: Greek uses a mark similar to a semicolon (;) for a question mark, and the upper dot of a colon (·) for a semicolon. Greek often uses the word ὅτι to mark both indirect and direct discourse. Quotation marks are not used.” (Page 12)
“You may notice that there is no Greek letter that corresponds to the English letter ‘h.’ However, in the high classical Greek period, prior to the New Testament, many words beginning with a vowel actually were pronounced with an initial h sound. To indicate this pronunciation pattern, the Greeks developed ‘breathing marks.’” (Page 12)
“Since ἐν and εἰς are both proclitics (a word pronounced using the stress of the subsequent word), they do not have their own accents. They are pronounced with the following word as if they were merely an additional syllable. If one proclitic follows another, the series of proclitics are be pronounced as the first syllables of the following accented word. The only time proclitics receive an accent is when they occur as the final word in a sentence or are followed by an enclitic (see Lesson 10).” (Page 41)
“The definite article—‘the’ in English—is declined with the same cases as a noun” (Page 37)
Dr. John D. Schwandt is president of Redemption Seminary. Prior to this role, he served as the Executive Director of Mobile Education for Faithlife. Before coming to Faithlife, he was one of the original professors at New Saint Andrews College where he taught Greek and New Testament for 17 years. He has over a decade of experience teaching online and developing distance educational curricula.
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Aaron Durphey
9/12/2022
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3/18/2021
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1/3/2021