How recommended is Basics of Biblical Greek: Grammar by William D. Mounce?

[Trinity Apologetics]

I saw it in the bookstore recently. Is it recommended for a young apologist who desires to start learning Greek basics? Please vote and give the reasons why

 

[Trinity Apologetics]

And by the way, is William Mounce a Calvinist?

 

[Steve Curtis]

I learned koine using Machen, but I have heard good things about Mounce. His books are often discussed on PB. See:

http://www.puritanboard.com/f55/mounce-frustrating-me-21846/

http://www.puritanboard.com/f128/s-m-baughs-book-mounce-learning-greek-49730/

http://www.puritanboard.com/f29/book-learning-greek-13757/

And, by the way, hello from Manila! (I have worked with churches in Tagum City, Panabo City, and Sawato further north...)

 

[mgkortus]

I used Machen as well, and found his text, especially the 2nd edition to be very good. I have taken advantage of the flashcards compiled by Mounce as well as the summary sheet that corresponds to his text (both from Zondervan). They are both helpful as supplementary tools.

 

[psycheives]

I learned using Dr Baugh's version and it is designed to be a condensed version with "all the need-to-knows" and not the extra less important teachings. Mounce is said to be fuller with more in-depth teachings. Both are good. If you want to bust through 30 chapters of Greek in one month, go with Baugh. I don't think one could finish Mounce in 30 days. At WSCAL, we also use Baugh over a 4 month period.

If you want to take your time and have a very full-comprehensive understanding, perhaps consider Mounce. We use Baugh primarily and Mounce if one reads Baugh's and still needs more on a specific area they area with which they are struggling.

I voted: Recommended. I would vote Baugh's as "very recommended."

 

[JP Wallace]

Mounce comes well reccomended, it's probably good for self-learning, but I preferred Duff's Elements of NT Greek, and I think I'd like very much Machen. Duff and Machen have a more traditional method of presenting the material, Mounce has more 'tricks' and 'rules' that are meant to help with learning, but I'm afraid they didn't work for me.

 

[joebonni63]

i like mounce, machen and one that's very good and you can get a work book is by summers it's the essentials of new testament greek. there are so many but all have good value........

 

[nicnap]

I learned on Mounce & then Dyer..saying that, try Learn to Read New Testament Greek by David Black. I am currently going through it (gotta stay on top of languages or they slip), and like it quite a bit. It would be a great starter.

 

[Timotheos]

I would actually pick a beginning grammar that has a "next level" text/workbook as well.

So then, I might recommend the recently deceased Rod Decker's beginner and intermediate text and workbooks as a means of self-teaching.

David Alan Black also has a DVD series of lectures if you want to learn that way: Greek DVDs Now Available
He also has his own intro grammar.

 

[py3ak]

I've used Mounce, Machen, and Croy. I liked Mounce best. If you add the Morphology of Biblical Greek to the grammar, it is very helpful for understanding why the language looks the way it does. Understanding aids recognition of forms, and was more satisfying to me than brute memorization of enormous wastes of paradigms.

 

[whirlingmerc]

I liked Basic of Biblical Greek... I also liked the people who made songs to learn greek, there are a couple out there, one went to Westminster Semminary and teaches at Biola that's got a pretty good song set. It was easier for me to practice the Hebrew and Greek vocabulary listening to CD;s in the car and listening to grammar songs

Strange thing... Mounce said Hebrew was an ordeal... and a Hebrew teacher said the said about greek being hard for him... I guess you might take to one easier than the other

 

[whirlingmerc]

Bottom line I think it's well put together... it also has lots of other helps you can get... vocab cards, vocab CD's. a good 1 page summary cheat sheets, a reader
Mounce also has an article on Greek he posts regularly about some greek topic probably on his website
He comes with allot of experience and his material is well tried

 

[reaganmarsh]

We used Summers at NOBTS and Mounce at SBTS. Of the two, I preferred Mounce.

 

[Trinity Apologetics]

Thank you brothers for voting Perhaps I can buy it next pay day.