Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar by William D. Mounce
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Book Reviews of Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar
Book Review: It's a great way to learn NT Greek
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great way to learn Greek. It comes with a CD which contains all the Professors lectures and more, but there must be a better way to learn "English Grammar," for it is no easier for me today than it was 40 years ago. I had problems with it then and, though I speak as well as any today, I still do not grasp the concept.
If Bill taught the "meaning of ALL the words" along with the pronunciation, and compared them with their English equivalents, I could have learned it much easier. Still and yet, I am excited over what little I have learned to date. It only took me about 3 weeks to master my Greek "abg's."
Even a hard head like myself can learn with enough repetition, and I have already worn out one of the disks, (Thank goodness I has the foresight to make a duplicate) but I am learning.
I don't know just how long it takes most people to get through this course, but I expect to have made it completely through in about a year. Though I currently plan to continue studying Greek till I master the lingo, if what Bill says is correct, I will be able to read through the entire NT in it's original language by then. Then it is on to the LXX and the OT.
I am already over a half century old. I wonder if I will live that long... If so, hopefully our Lord will bless me with being able to share what I will have learned with someone willing to listen and learn.
Book Review: Excellent Way to Learn Beginning Biblical Greek
Summary: 4 Stars
This book has proven to be an excellent way for me to learn enough Biblical Greek to at least have an understanding of why different interpretations of scripture are debated among scholars. I am a lay reader of Biblical Greek and Hebrew and this more or less beginner course was very helpful. Prof. Mounce keeps the reader encouraged with his count of NT Greek word occurrences and a tally of the number of words in the NT one can read based on vocabulary progress from chapter to chapter. Why, after only learning the vocabulary of 8 chapters and only 72 Greek words, I can read over 50% of the words in a Greek NT. (Of course, that means I must skip around to read half of the NT and I am reading words like "and" and "the" etc. a lot, but it is a fun way to keep up with progress. The exegetical insights at the beginning of each chapter are very interesting ways of gaining a sense of the reasons for varying interpetations of scripture.Book Review: Preparing for Graduate Reading Exam in Greek
Summary: 4 Stars
The CD-Rom software with this version of Mounce's book is worth it for practicing the vocabulary and getting pronunciations. I think you can get this from his website now. GreekFlash Pro has a bigger vocabulary with pronunciation. I needed to learn Greek for to pass a graduate reading exam. Personally, I would recommend not buying this book, but instead get Black's "Learn to Read NT Greek" for beginning work, and add Wallace's "The Basics of NT Syntax" for intermediate work. Also worth using is Trenchard's "Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament" which offers cognate word study and a comprehensive listing of all the high-frequency-words found in the Greek NT. Years ago, I used Paine's "Basic Greek" and while this older text has some fine passages for translating (both biblical and ancient Greek), I found this book awful to try to learn from as a first-year student. Good Luck!Book Review: Brilliant for Basic Grammar, but Few if any Reading Section
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a wonderful book for learning how nouns, verbs, participles, etc. are formed and what they look like. He goes through each very slowly and very clearly. My problem with this book is there are no readings from the greek. I realize that there is a supplemental book, which I purchased, but even there there aren't very many examples and since they are NT examples you already know what they are supposed to say before you go through all the words. I think this book is tailored more towards people who want to translate verses instead of just sitting down and reading the Greek NT. So my advise would be to buy this and buy Athenaze by Balme or download grammars such as A First Greek Course by Smith from www.textkit.com to learn to read greek fluently. (I'm talking about the 1st edition)Book Review: Unique Presentation of Material
Summary: 4 Stars
Unlike most traditional Greek grammars, Mounce organizes the material based on his teaching experience, putting in nouns first and gradually introducing everything else. This gives the student a sense of rapid progress since by the 6th chapter the student knows a vocabulary which, in one form or other comprises over 35% of the the word count in the NT. He also introduces the student to passages whose meanings, for one reason or another, turn on the careful interpretaion of the Greek, thus giving practical experience to the student and reinforcing the value learning Greek. I found the accompaning CD useful, but students in an actual Greek course would probably be wildly enthusiastic. If I were going to teach Greek, I would certainly consider it.