Jump to content

Ok, Accordance has officially ruined me-smile


Fr. Rusty

Recommended Posts

Ok, it's official now- Accordance has ruined me as far as inter-linears are concerned and, has pretty much convinced me english translations of the bible are frightful-at best.

There more time I spend "actually" interacting ( the best I can ) with the Original languages, the more I change, the more I see, and, the more I realize the interlinears I was so fond of, well, actually hurt my studies.

 

Thus, to all that tried to help me understand this, and that I resisted- Ok, you were,,..correct, I was wrong.

 

That said: I know some here are Greek/Hebrew Professors at Colleges/Seminaries so I ask your help/advice for finding good Greek studies I can work on from my Office/Home.

 

With a full plate of Pastoral Duties along with having to be bi-vocational in this economy, what I find the need of is some affordable online/distance learning greek classes or, something of that sort.

Getting a degree, while nice, is not a real concern, I need to be better able to interact with Greek text more naturally.

I write poorly, but read very well, I need to be able to read the greek text naturally for my continued studies.

 

Any suggestions will be looked at seriously .

Again, please be mindful that I have to budget resources ( time/money etc).

 

Thanks for the help and advice since I first found Accordance, and thanks for ruining me-smile.

 

Grace and Peace,

 

Rusty+

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, it's official now- Accordance has ruined me as far as inter-linears are concerned and, has pretty much convinced me english translations of the bible are frightful-at best.

There more time I spend "actually" interacting ( the best I can ) with the Original languages, the more I change, the more I see, and, the more I realize the interlinears I was so fond of, well, actually hurt my studies.

 

Thus, to all that tried to help me understand this, and that I resisted- Ok, you were,,..correct, I was wrong.

 

That said: I know some here are Greek/Hebrew Professors at Colleges/Seminaries so I ask your help/advice for finding good Greek studies I can work on from my Office/Home.

 

With a full plate of Pastoral Duties along with having to be bi-vocational in this economy, what I find the need of is some affordable online/distance learning greek classes or, something of that sort.

Getting a degree, while nice, is not a real concern, I need to be better able to interact with Greek text more naturally.

I write poorly, but read very well, I need to be able to read the greek text naturally for my continued studies.

 

Any suggestions will be looked at seriously .

Again, please be mindful that I have to budget resources ( time/money etc).

 

Thanks for the help and advice since I first found Accordance, and thanks for ruining me-smile.

 

Grace and Peace,

 

Rusty+

 

Rusty, you might want to look into A New Testament Greek Primer by Steven Baugh. It's short and meant to get you up and going quickly. It focuses only on the Greek that is found in the NT. You can then delve into more complete grammars in the future. The chapters are short and manageable, and very well suited to self-guided study.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rusty,

 

I'm not a professor, but I interact with Greek every day. I try to take 10 minutes a day to keep up all that I've learned from my Greek classes in seminary.

 

Bill Mounce has some great self-learning resources available online (http://www.teknia.com/). I especially recommend the video lectures. If you buy them, you can go at your own pace. His grammar and workbook are useful, too, as are his vocabulary flash cards (they're a real time-saver). Once you get some of the basics down, buy Daniel Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. That's where you'll really start to dig into the language, especially using Accordance. (Disclaimer: I often disagree with the theology of Mounce and Wallace, but they are experts in the language.)

 

Personally, if I could do it all over again, I'd spend less time learning how to parse everything (which is what Mounce tends to focus on) and more time learning the grammar and syntax of the language (which is what Wallace focuses on). I rarely parse anything tricky anymore since Accordance makes that information available in the instant details box (or via the parsing tool) so easily. I, too, don't have a lot of time, so I find Accordance really helpful in that regard.

 

The NET-NA27 diglot is a great resource, too, if you want something non-digital to work with.

 

Set aside 10-15 minutes a day and work systematically at your own pace. You'll pick it up. It really is a lot of fun once you start learning.

 

Unlike you, however, I have found that I have more appreciation for English translations now that I work with the Greek regularly.

 

I assume you have GNT-T for Accordance already, yes? You'll want to add BDAG, the standard Greek lexicon, at some point, but don't rush to get there. Wallace and Mounce are both available as modules, too. Check out iFlash if you like the idea of digital flash cards. (Otherwise, buy the Mounce vocab flash cards. It saves so much time compared to making your own, though there are advantages to the process.)

 

Hope that helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So glad to hear that your progressing in your understanding of Scripture, Rusty.

The quintessential element you need to keep in mind is this: reading Greek. How one defines reading, obviously, will affect how you go about having the capabilities to *read* Greek. The above suggestions are good and worthy to emulate. I would, however, advise that you do spend the time necessary mastering the morphology of Greek. Ascertaining the skills to analyze morphology will greatly aid in your reading Greek

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much.

Making a list of recommended resources and, of those, which are available in Accordance as well.

 

Quick question: Is there a particular font available for the greek in Accordance that makes for easier readability/recognition?

 

Yes Adam, I have the GNT-T and will be adding resources soon, thank you for taking the time to make recommendations and being supportive.

 

I started to buy quite a few things several months ago but noticed I was gravitating to the use of the Original Language items ( those I had ) perhaps even more often than I was when I used interlinear's in the past, so decided to wait a bit and just continue getting more proficient with Accordance , kind of a "lets see where the Lord is taking me kind of situation. Glad I waited.

 

 

 

I have watched and read closely the conversations here on the Accordance forums about Original Language studies and, visited many of the posters sites, have contemplated on this journey a great deal and, while generally pressed with responsibilities, cannot get away from the thought that this is part of my journey ( old as I am ).

 

So, I shall see what the Lord has for me here and how that plays out in my life and work.

 

Again, thanks to all who have made recommendations.

Now, back to work-smile.

 

Blessings,

 

Rusty+

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks so much.

Making a list of recommended resources and, of those, which are available in Accordance as well.

 

Quick question: Is there a particular font available for the greek in Accordance that makes for easier readability/recognition?

 

Yes Adam, I have the GNT-T and will be adding resources soon, thank you for taking the time to make recommendations and being supportive.

 

I started to buy quite a few things several months ago but noticed I was gravitating to the use of the Original Language items ( those I had ) perhaps even more often than I was when I used interlinear's in the past, so decided to wait a bit and just continue getting more proficient with Accordance , kind of a "lets see where the Lord is taking me kind of situation. Glad I waited.

 

 

 

I have watched and read closely the conversations here on the Accordance forums about Original Language studies and, visited many of the posters sites, have contemplated on this journey a great deal and, while generally pressed with responsibilities, cannot get away from the thought that this is part of my journey ( old as I am ).

 

So, I shall see what the Lord has for me here and how that plays out in my life and work.

 

Again, thanks to all who have made recommendations.

Now, back to work-smile.

 

Blessings,

 

Rusty+

 

Rusty,

 

I just use the Helena font included with GNT-T. I've increased the size and leading, which I've found helpful.

 

James' post reminds me

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rusty,

You are probably already cognizant of this, hence take it to be hortatory:

Greek, as with any language, is a life-long-study. I have several languages that I desire mastery over. Thus, I devote a great deal of time to them. On the other hand, I am also interested in Language (not language) as well. Hence, I do a great deal of reading in Formal Syntax, Philosophy of Language, and Linguistics. The trick is to be balanced and consistent and persistent. I highly recommend to implement your iOS device in your daily schedule

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Again, please be mindful that I have to budget resources ( time/money etc).

 

 

One option that hasn't been mentioned yet is iTunes U. Concordia Seminary has posted audio and video lectures for both Greek and Hebrew courses which you can download for free. I haven't seen the Greek lectures, but I've watched the first couple of Hebrew lectures while reading through Basics of Biblical Hebrew (not the textbook they happen to be using) and it's going pretty well so far. Having a teacher is always better than not having a teacher, and this one is free. Just search for Elementary Greek in iTunes.

 

Edit: I've looked at some of the Greek lectures and they're pretty helpful too. I've had several light bulb moments despite two years of formal Greek classes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One option that hasn't been mentioned yet is iTunes U. Concordia Seminary has posted audio and video lectures for both Greek and Hebrew courses which you can download for free. I haven't seen the Greek lectures, but I've watched the first couple of Hebrew lectures while reading through Basics of Biblical Hebrew (not the textbook they happen to be using) and it's going pretty well so far. Having a teacher is always better than not having a teacher, and this one is free. Just search for Elementary Greek in iTunes.

 

 

Thanks again guys, again, making a list, so all helps are appreciated. Will look at all, feel sure I will find what "works for me" with my time constraints this way, something I can dedicate to and keep regular.

 

I really do appreciate you all.

 

Grace and Peace,

 

Rusty+

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...