Koine Greek Reader with Koine (from the Greek κοινός) refers to the style of ancient Greek in the late Hellenistic period. Koine is most often associated with the kind of Greek language found in the New Testament, but it also can characterize a wider body of literature including the Septuagint (LXX) and Early Church writings, among others.

A little over three years ago, we released Reading Koine Greek: An Introduction and Integrated Workbook by Rod Decker (see also our “Closer Look” at this title). This had been a posthumous release after Decker’s untimely passing a year or so earlier. Rod Decker was not only a beloved Greek professor and New Testament scholar, he was also a passionate Accordance user. His grammar, Reading Koine Greek, a resource enhanced with audio in Accordance, remains a favorite tool among Accordance users for learning and reviewing New Testament Greek.

Now, as a companion to Reading Koine Greek, we are thrilled to release Koine Greek Reader: Selections from the New Testament, Septuagint, and Early Christian Writers for the Accordance Bible Software Library. The latter category of selections includes content from the Apostolic Fathers and early creeds of the church (Nicene, Nicene-Constantinopolitan, Chalcedonian, and Apostles).

Click/tap any of the images below for a larger view of the Koine Greek Reader.

Koine Greek Reader - Psalms

Reading Koine Greek assumes at least one year of New Testament Greek study. Although not designed necessarily for advanced students, I would agree with Decker’s statement in the introduction that those with much mastery of Koine Greek “might find it useful for casual reading.” This resource can be used for personal study or in the classroom over two semesters. With 23 separate readings in all, the New Testament portion could be use by itself in one semester with the remaining readings studied in a second semester.

To give you a feel for what each section covers, here is an outline of chapter 7, which features a study of 1 Peter 5:1-14.

Grammar Review: Infinitives
In addition to a grammar lesson, each review also includes a “Recommended Reading” section of content from popular Greek grammars. When a grammar referred to here is available in Accordance, it is hyperlinked for quick access.

KGR - Grammar Review

Forms Review: Infinitive Endings
Forms are always arranged in a chart for quick review or even printing/exporting for later study.

KGR - Forms Review

Vocabulary Notes

Vocabulary to Learn (25-49x)
Previous words found in this passage
Additional New Vocabulary to Learn
Vocabulary for Reference (24x or fewer)
If you’re familiar with a “Reader’s Greek New Testament,” the list of words here function much the same as the list of words immediately below the text in these kinds of resources.

KGR - Vocab

1 Peter 5
This section includes the Greek text itself, preceded by a brief introduction. The text is presented verse by verse. Underneath each verse the reader will find explanations similar in nature to those found in some of our Greek exegetical resources.

KGR - 1 Peter 5

Supplemental Reading: 2 Peter 1:1-11 with HCSB
An additional reading appears here with the Greek text in one column and the HCSB (several different translations are used throughout the reader) in the other column.

KGR - Supplemental Reading

Notes
That is, the footnotes for the section.

With the amount of content as described above, I can easily see how this book could be used for a year’s study in the classroom. There are also eight appendices of further helps for learning and maintaining one’s mastery of Koine Greek.

For sake of greater context, some Accordance users may want to place a selection in the Koine Greek Reader in parallel with a complete original language text, even though the Greek text for each selection is included in the Reader itself. To facilitate this kind of use, the Koine Greek Reader will appear in your Accordance Library under two entries: “Decker’s Koine Reader (NT & LXX)” and “Decker’s Koine Reader (Apostolic).” The content of the two modules is completely identical. For parallel use, open your Greek text first, and then add the appropriate Koine Greek Reader in a parallel pane.

KGR - LXX Gen iPad

 

 

Koine Greek Reader
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