Improving Greek After Seminary

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Blood-Bought Pilgrim

Puritan Board Freshman
Hi All,

A comment in another thread got me thinking about this, so I wanted to ask more broadly for suggestions. I've completed my Greek classes in seminary (3 semesters), but still find that I am a good bit away from being able to read my GNT with anything approaching proficiency. I can sit down with my books and analyze a few verses, but I can't really "read" it.

I know I need to work consistently even to maintain what I've learned, much less get better. My biggest challenge is that I am still in seminary, alongside ministry, working full time and raising a family, so I don't have a lot of time to devote to it currently (I know being busy is the classic excuse, but it is what it is). I once heard someone suggest that each student should spend 30 minutes per day working on Greek after seminary, but with how things are right now that simply isn't possible.

With that in mind, what time-friendly suggestions do you all have for improving Greek skills after seminary? What have you personally done to maintain or improve your grasp of the languages?
 
Hi All,

A comment in another thread got me thinking about this, so I wanted to ask more broadly for suggestions. I've completed my Greek classes in seminary (3 semesters), but still find that I am a good bit away from being able to read my GNT with anything approaching proficiency. I can sit down with my books and analyze a few verses, but I can't really "read" it.

I know I need to work consistently even to maintain what I've learned, much less get better. My biggest challenge is that I am still in seminary, alongside ministry, working full time and raising a family, so I don't have a lot of time to devote to it currently (I know being busy is the classic excuse, but it is what it is). I once heard someone suggest that each student should spend 30 minutes per day working on Greek after seminary, but with how things are right now that simply isn't possible.

With that in mind, what time-friendly suggestions do you all have for improving Greek skills after seminary? What have you personally done to maintain or improve your grasp of the languages?
Are you familiar with Daily dose of Greek/Daily dose of Hebrew?

They are a manageable place to start.
 
These are the steps:
1) Make time. If you have an android it will tell you how much time you spend on various apps, social media, websites, etc in the settings. The average person spends literal hours on YouTube, Facebook, the news, etc, and they're completely worthless. Block them or deactivate them. Shower faster. Study on the toilet. During meals that aren't spent with your family. Etc.
2) Set up Anki cards. Add any word you don't know and review every day.
3) Set aside study time every day. During this time,
a) review all the Anki cards that come up that day. The app spaces them out so the more you get a card right the less you see it, so you can have 2000 flashcards and review only 50 a day. Much more effective than traditional flashcards.
b) once you finish reviewing the Anki cards, read until you have had to look up five new words, and make a flashcard for each. Also make flashcards for grammatical concepts you didn't know or had to look up.
This will take 15-30 minutes a day. Do it every day and your Greek will improve massively.
 
I did a few podcasts on gaining proficiency in Greek. These are more long format but there may be something useful to you in them. These are simply some things that have helped me become a proficient reader of Greek.

Basic summary of what has helped me most:
1. Read every day
2. Listen along while reading in extensive chunks. You don't have too understand everything for this practice, the goal is pattern recognition and getting the language "into" you.
3. Study Attic Greek extensively, this has done more for my koine Greek than anything else.
4. Speak and compose as often as possible.
5. Learn some modern Greek. The overlap between ancient and modern Greek is overwhelming. While there are differences, this will make your koine abilities soar.


 
I have found the method developed by Darryl Burling quite helpful. After Greek 1, the idea is to memorize words by book instead of by occurrence, so you 'master' the greek book by book from easier to harder.

If you sign up for a membership, you can get all of the words by book for each chapter in the NT. He shows how to set up flashcards that are done by spaced repetition similar to how Charles describes.

 
I have found the method developed by Darryl Burling quite helpful. After Greek 1, the idea is to memorize words by book instead of by occurrence, so you 'master' the greek book by book from easier to harder.

If you sign up for a membership, you can get all of the words by book for each chapter in the NT. He shows how to set up flashcards that are done by spaced repetition similar to how Charles describes.

This is basically what I have done, minus the membership. I'll just add, making flashcards oneself is easy enough because a polytonic Greek keyboard can be installed on any PC, and the books of the NT from easiest to hardest are, more or less,
John, 1-3 John, Mark, Revelation, Matthew, James, Pauline Epistles, 1-2 Peter, Luke, Acts.
 
Check out my dear friend and pastor, Dr. David Noe's online platform: The Moss Method. David also runs Latin Per Diem if you are interested in Latin.


David is a highly regarded Latinist and translator. He is also a Greek teacher online and at PRTS.
 
Check out my dear friend and pastor, Dr. David Noe's online platform: The Moss Method. David also runs Latin Per Diem if you are interested in Latin.


David is a highly regarded Latinist and translator. He is also a Greek teacher online and at PRTS.
Thanks!

I may try to tackle Latin someday, but not until my Greek is way better first
 
This thread is exactly what I need.

I'm learning Latin on the side, and I find it to be helpful to learn with a close friend. I don't have a closer friend than my wife, so that works well. :)
 
This thread is exactly what I need.

I'm learning Latin on the side, and I find it to be helpful to learn with a close friend. I don't have a closer friend than my wife, so that works well. :)
Dr. Noe's videos and "Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata Pars Unus Familia Romana" taught me all the Latin I Know!
 
Dr. Noe's videos and "Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata Pars Unus Familia Romana" taught me all the Latin I Know!
I've got that one sitting on my bookshelf! Rev. Brett Mahlen pointed me towards it. I've been slow to pick it up, though. Seminary seems to be a black hole as far as time goes!
 
I would say just two things. Look at the Daily Dose videos, one per day. Then purchase the readers Greek New Testament. Reading this version of the GNT is the single fastest way to improve your Greek, as you don't have to constantly look up words in a lexicon. They are right there at the bottom of the page. If you have a notebook, then keep "score" of all words that are not glossed at the bottom of the page that you don't know. Just do a certain number of verses per day. Both put together can be done in ten minutes.
 
I did a few podcasts on gaining proficiency in Greek. These are more long format but there may be something useful to you in them. These are simply some things that have helped me become a proficient reader of Greek.

Basic summary of what has helped me most:
1. Read every day
2. Listen along while reading in extensive chunks. You don't have too understand everything for this practice, the goal is pattern recognition and getting the language "into" you.
3. Study Attic Greek extensively, this has done more for my koine Greek than anything else.
4. Speak and compose as often as possible.
5. Learn some modern Greek. The overlap between ancient and modern Greek is overwhelming. While there are differences, this will make your koine abilities soar.


Hey Dane,
This is a waaaaay delayed response, but do you have any recommendations for a good audio version of the TR?
 
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