Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar
by William D. Mounce
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Book Summary Information
Author: William D. MounceEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deluxe Edition
Published: 2003-08-11
ISBN: 0310250870
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Zondervan
Book Reviews of Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar
Book Review: Basics of Bibilical Greek (Grammar) by Mounce is Terrific!
Summary: 5 Stars
Basics of Biblical Greek (BBG) by William Mounce has been touted as the most popular introductory Greek grammar currently out there, and I can only say that it is very easy to understand why.
In a word, this grammar is revolutionary in its technique for making the student able to understand the Koine (Common) Greek of the ancient world. No, by revolutionary I don't mean gimmicky, and I don't mean to suggest that it is one of those watered-down, "don't want to make the student feel dumb," touchy-feely kind of methodologies for language instruction. It's a very serious system designed, not to "make learning Greek easy," but to push to student into the morphology and the "Rules" that govern Greek grammar, rather than relying solely on rote.
This method, this strategy of focusing on the mechanics of how the Greek verbs and nouns and participles each are put together, and how the roots so govern verbs that there really isn't much "irregular" about the Greek language at all, greatly facilitates rapid learning as much as it does deep and permanent learning. Mounce shows you how the words were constructed by the Greeks, and once you know that, the rote learning just fills in the gaps. You'll be able to recognize and parse a word whose definition you might never have even memorized, and from the context you might even be able to translate the word successfully--in a pinch--without a lexicon handy. That is why I call it revolutionary.
It isn't easy, but anyone who tells you that learning Greek can be easy is misleading you. Studying Greek is hard. Harder than Latin. In fact, anyone first delving into Greek grammar, especially if you're an adult who is teaching himself, in a word, sucks. It's slog, there's no denying it. It's going to require dedication, devotion, discipline, time, and tenacity. Period. But is anything worthwhile ever easy? If you're resolved to learn this wonderful, beautiful, expressive, deep language, Mounce's BBG is your key to minimizing the inevitable slog and maximizing the fruit gained from your efforts.
Through his new method, you will also retain your knowledge of Greek long after the "pure rote" crowd has lost much of their Greek through atrophy. And that is because the "rules" Mounce will teach you will stick in your memory longer, and picking up a Greek NT some time after, God forbid, you've left it alone for a long time, you will probably find you remember so much more having focused on the rules rather than the almost infinite number of paradigms Greek has in its quiver.
I offer my unqualified praise and my unending thanks to Professor Mounce for making me able to read much of the New Testament in Greek. It's now up to others to instruct me in intermediate Greek, and find I am weighing into intermediate Koine (and now introductory Attic as well) well-prepared indeed by this revolution in Greek instruction.
The CD-ROM included inside the back cover is also wonderful. It is a chapter by chapter series of lectures (the audio was recorded right in his class, in most instances), with visuals included, and it really supplements the book study well. Also on the CD-ROM are small programs that you can install on your computer that will help you learn how to parse nouns and verbs and participles, and also to memorize NT vocabulary. These also were invaluable aids to driving Greek deep into my grey matter.
Let the reader note, however, that although with the Grammar and the CD-ROM you get a great arsenal for the coming fight, you should also pick up Mounce's vocabulary cards, his "Get an A" plastic thingy (I called it the cheat sheet...it's basically a couple pages of plastic with much of the grammar summarized for quick reference), and the Workbook and the Graded Reader as well. All are reasonably priced. If you do, and you stick with it, and review review review, you will, even if you work full time, be largely literate in NT Greek in one year.
Review is important for autodidacts especially, because you'll inevitably memorize less vigorously as you go than your classroom-counterparts who face real tests and quizzes, so repetitition is even more important for us self-taught types...I'm currently on my third run through this introductory grammar, just by way of review, even as I now study intermediate Koine and venture into Attic.
On a side note, guard your psyche against discouragement as you proceed. Allowing yourself to become discouraged will sink your ship like nothing else, so when you (inevitably!) start to become discouraged by the ever present thoughts: I LEARNED THIS, WHY DO I KEEP FORGETTING IT, or WHY CAN'T I READ THIS YET!?, just chill out and remind yourself that it isn't by chance that people happened upon the expression "It's all Greek to me!" Greek is hard. It's not for the lily-livered. But you know what? It's not THAT hard. It wants to scare you off. Don't let it. Patience and tenacity will pay off, and with Mounce's instruction you are going to tame that beast, and you too will be able to read the Greek Bible!
Finally, I also recommend you pick up the Zondervan Reader's Greek New Testament (also on Amazon). It is only $20, and it will really help you transition from grammar and carefully-chosen texts to the chaotic world of just picking up and reading your Greek New Testament. See my review, and the reviews of many others, on the page for this item. Zerwick's Grammatical Analysis is another "training wheel" you might want to look into once you're getting salty from Mounce's BBG. Did I mention the vocab cards? They're a must! And get Metzger's Lexical Aids, too.
There, now one hundred bucks or so and one year later you'll be reading the New Testament in Greek! A year and a few bucks well spent!
Pardon my undeniable verboseness.
Summary of Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar
New, updated editions of the best-selling and most widely accepted textbook and workbook for learning biblical Greek William D. Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar and its companion tool Basics of Biblical Greek Workbook are by far the best-selling and most widely accepted textbooks for learning New Testament Greek. These excellent tools for studying New Testament Greek are now even better. As a result of feedback from professors, the author has made adjustments to his material. For example, a chapter on clauses has been added at the end of the book. The CD-ROM is now easier to use and has even more information on it than the earlier edition. The workbook has been significantly rewritten. Nearly 50 percent of the verses are new. They are shorter and more focused on the grammar of the chapter. Features include: - Best-selling Greek language textbook - Changes from the first edition made in response to ten years of use - Grammar's CD-ROM is easier to navigate and now includes short audio summary lectures (7-9 minutes) - An appendix in the Grammar allows professors to introduce verbs earlier in the course - Two tracks in the workbook: track one allows you to go through the book in the normal order. Track two has totally different exercises that allow you to teach verbs earlier. - Workbook has 3-hole, perforated pagesReference Books
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