# Learning biblical languages



## zsmcd (Sep 27, 2016)

How hard is it to learn biblical languages online or otherwise on your own? i.e. through TNARS or by simply purchasing a textbook and some other materials supplemented with video lectures and the help of an educated pastor or other mentor.


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## Taylor (Sep 27, 2016)

Learning languages is all about determination and repetition. Learning a language on your own is no different than learning them in seminary. Seminary only facilitates and forces determination by administering examinations, work, and grades.


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## zsmcd (Sep 28, 2016)

I assumed that to be the case. However, I have heard numerous horror stories from seminary students who say that they made a mistake by taking those classes online rather than in person, mentioning that it is much harder to learn on your own.

Odd question: do you know of any phone apps/websites/etc. that are good for starting to learn in your free time?


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## Taylor (Sep 28, 2016)

zsmcd said:


> I assumed that to be the case. However, I have heard numerous horror stories from seminary students who say that they made a mistake by taking those classes online rather than in person, mentioning that it is much harder to learn on your own.



It can be a struggle. One disadvantage to learning on your own would be the inability to know where common problem areas are or to see blind spots. However, it is not impossible. John Brown of Haddington taught himself Greek as a young boy to the point where he could pick up a Greek New Testament and read it well. Of course, he was accused of learning Greek from the devil, but that is beside the point. 

Yes, learning on your own can be a struggle. The primary disadvantage is that you don't have someone there with you who has him- or herself been through the same struggle to learn the language, and can tailor a curriculum to your individual learning style, and can have the experience to correct and guide you well.



zsmcd said:


> Odd question: do you know of any phone apps/websites/etc. that are good for starting to learn in your free time?



I am not sure about Hebrew, but BiblicalTraining.org has a class for learning biblical Greek. If you have an Apple mobile device, I would also look into downloading the app "iTunes U." It is a free resource available on which there is a treasure trove of recorded college classes, oftentimes with downloadable texts to work through. Fuller, RTS, and Gordon Conwell all have several classes on there, and I believe you can learn both Greek and Hebrew from one of them.


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## zsmcd (Sep 28, 2016)

Taylor Sexton said:


> I am not sure about Hebrew, but BiblicalTraining.org has a class for learning biblical Greek. If you have an Apple mobile device, I would also look into downloading the app "iTunes U." It is a free resource available on which there is a treasure trove of recorded college classes, oftentimes with downloadable texts to work through. Fuller, RTS, and Gordon Conwell all have several classes on there, and I believe you can learn both Greek and Hebrew from one of them.



I'll check out that website. I have listened to a number of classes from RTS on iTunesU, not sure that I have seen anything on biblical languages but will look around. Thanks! 

Sounds like learning outside of an institutional seminary can be just as effective if you have an experienced mentor who, as you mentioned, can help you along.


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## arapahoepark (Sep 28, 2016)

Free Greek and Hebrew Lessons!
http://www.chrisengelsma.com
I believe he is the registrar at Puritan Seminary.


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## OrthodoxReformer (Sep 28, 2016)

Hello Zach,

Learning a biblical language (either koine Greek or Biblical Hebrew) can be very challenging especially if you don't have a tutor. 

During the last year I have been learning biblical Hebrew with the help of a textbook. Although I have learned many things, now I have come to the point where I need the help of a tutor because the textbooks are not helpful anymore.

On the other hand learning koine Greek, I think is a bit easier (although I can't be completely unbiased since Greek is my native language).

The biggest mistake that people do when they try to learn koine Greek is that they focus too much on the grammar. There are so many rules and exceptions, so people try to learn all these rules, they get frustrated and then they give up.. 

If you decide to start learning koine Greek focus on the vocabulary! 

https://glanier.wordpress.com/2015/01/27/quantifying-the-task-of-learning-greek/

As this article suggests vocabulary is the key here. 

So, my suggestion: get a textbook, learn the alphabet if you haven't studied it already, and start enriching your vocabulary. 

Soon enough you will be able to read small verses without the help of a dictionary. 

Hope this helps.


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## Taylor (Sep 28, 2016)

OrthodoxReformer said:


> The biggest mistake that people do when they try to learn koine Greek is that they focus too much on the grammar. There are so many rules and exceptions, so people try to learn all these rules, they get frustrated and then they give up..
> 
> If you decide to start learning koine Greek focus on the vocabulary!



This is good advice. I would not try to get too deep into advanced grammatical issues (e.g., the myriad of functions of the genitive). However, I would still focus on verbal forms/paradigms. Verbs are the lifeblood of any language. Since biblical Greek is what I would call a verb-heavy language, especially in terms of nuance, I would still advise becoming as familiar as possible with the verb tense forms (present, aorist, future, imperfect, and perfect) and the various moods (imperative, indicative, subjunctive, optative, infinitive, and participle). That may sound like a lot, but a lot of exegesis happen on the level of verb forms. Plus, many linguists are leaning toward the pedagogical method of focusing heavier on verbs first, since that is the way we all typically learn our own native languages naturally as children. I was taught biblical Greek this way a couple years ago, and it was very beneficial.


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## Dekybo (Sep 28, 2016)

I took Hebrew in seminary in class and it was wonderful. I really enjoyed it and excelled despite my tendency to struggle in language learning. I think that someone to mentor would help as long as you felt that they really knew their stuff. I've tried learning further on my own and it has been fairly easy. It's all about determination, exposing yourself to it daily, and The Lords help.


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## mhseal (Sep 28, 2016)

arapahoepark said:


> Free Greek and Hebrew Lessons!
> http://www.chrisengelsma.com
> I believe he is the registrar at Puritan Seminary.



Chris is the Director of Distance Learning at PRTS. I took Greek and Hebrew classes online with him.


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## deleteduser99 (Oct 1, 2016)

zsmcd said:


> How hard is it to learn biblical languages online or otherwise on your own? i.e. through TNARS or by simply purchasing a textbook and some other materials supplemented with video lectures and the help of an educated pastor or other mentor.



If you learn on your own and you become proficient then that puts in you in the company of John Brown of Haddington, although he did it without a grammar book. From A.T. Robertson:



> _At the age of sixteen John Brown, of Haddington, startled a bookseller by asking for a copy of the Greek Testament. He was barefooted and clad in ragged homespun clothes. He was a shepherd boy from the hills of Scotland. “What would you do with that book?” a professor scornfully asked. “I’ll try to read it,” the lad replied, and proceeded to read off a passage in the Gospel of John. He went off in triumph with the coveted prize, but the story spread that he was a wizard and had learned Greek by the black art. He was actually arraigned for witchcraft, but in 1746 the elders and deacons at Abernethy gave him a vote of acquittal, though the minister would not sign it. His letter of defence, Sir W. Robertson Nicoll says (The British Weekly, Oct. 3, 1918), “deserves to be reckoned among the memorable letters of the world.” John Brown became a divinity student and finally professor of divinity. In the chapel at Mansfield College, Oxford, Brown’s figure ranks with those of Doddridge, Fry, Chalmers, Vinet, Schleiermacher. He had taught himself Greek while herding his sheep, and he did it without a grammar. Surely young John Brown of Haddington should forever put to shame those theological students and busy pastors who neglect the Greek Testament, though teacher, grammar, lexicon are at their disposal._



If you're not as gifted as John Brown of Haddington, and if you don't want to be arraigned for witchcraft, I recommend a good grammar.

I essentially taught myself Greek by going through William Mounce's "Basics of Biblical Greek," both reading the chapters and doing all the exercises in the workbook, and I highly recommend it. Before then I studied using some older free grammars online (Mounce is much better). I feel that I have a competent grasp on the basics of Koine Greek, although I admit myself as untested when it comes to Greek exegesis, ie. Intermediate level material. I am now working through the Graded Reader and will eventually read all of Dan Wallace's "Beyond the Basics." You can make good headway in the grammatical principles if you are cautious, diligent, and concerned to make sure you get things _right_, and not quick, and if you are willing to put a system in place that's primarily concerned to maximize the quality of your learning, and not the quantity. 

It's good to take a seminary class or work with a mentor if you can since you have the added insights of an experienced instructor who deals with the language regularly, and an instructor could help you through the complex issues of Greek much faster compared to figuring them them out yourself. I'm enjoying my Greek I class because of the questions that I can ask.

_Ad fontes_, brother. May God bless you in your studies!


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## psycheives (Oct 17, 2016)

One of the best memorization apps/websites is Quizlet. Much of Mounce's Biblical Greek and Baugh's Greek vocab lists have been entered by students into online flashcards. You can practice on your phone, pad or computer.

Example: Here is all the vocab you need for Greek 1 using Baugh's book: https://quizlet.com/class/664847/
And for Greek 2: https://quizlet.com/class/849137/


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## johnny (Oct 17, 2016)

That Quizlet looks really cool Psyche 

I play around with Memrise which also has Mounce's Basic's in it among other things.

http://www.memrise.com/course/51095/basics-of-biblical-greek/

I went all the way through the Latin course (took about two weeks, a little each day) 
Almost forgotten everything now, I guess you have to keep at it to make it stick. 

http://www.memrise.com/course/133130/learn-latin-no-typing/


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## psycheives (Oct 17, 2016)

johnny said:


> That Quizlet looks really cool Psyche
> 
> I play around with Memrise which also has Mounce's Basic's in it among other things.
> 
> ...



Memrise looks like a very helpful sight. Thanks for sharing!  Bookmarking it to compare with Quizlet. Yes, you have to keep the vocab up - hard to do! I had to let my Hebrew vocab go due to no time (and because I love Hebrew and it's easy for me to get back). But the Greek I keep on my cell and during breaks in the day or at night before I go to bed, I go through the chapters again with Quizlet.

Quizlet will also read to you, so sometimes I'll have it play and read the Greek word and English translation to me. It will read many languages. 

And you can mark (star) the vocab you have problems with so that you can just practice those. This comes especially in handy when you quiz yourself on ALL the vocab in Baugh's entire 30 chapter book: https://quizlet.com/44508777/chapters-2-30-flash-cards/


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