Customer Reviews

Fundamental Greek Grammar

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Thankfully, as of November 2007, the 3rd edition of Voelz's Fundamental Greek Grammar is available from the publisher CPH, St. Louis, MO. It has been greatly reworked and the various typos, etc. removed. It would appear that a better Greek font has been used not to mention the use of Arial font(the most easily character recognizable font for those with visual and / or neurological deficits, but easier to read in conjunction with the Greek for any reader). You can also download classroom film from csl.edu another remarkable improvement. I am thankful that the author is still about to appreciate the fruit of his labor.

Addendum to original review from 2007 and dated June, 2009:
I noted other reviews that would seem to have been pertinent to editions prior to the 3rd. ed. and felt compelled to add to my previous review. I would encourage anyone considering the text book, and that is what it is, a text book for the Koine Greek of the New Testament (NT), to ensure that it is the 3rd. ed. and not an earlier ed. It is a preparatory text to familiarize students with the "Koine" so that they can begin seeing and appreciating the precision of the language and how Dr. Voelz would point out, "Context is king." It is up to the serious student to proceed in further study, especially clergy, so that they can interpret the NT properly. It was most unfortunate the earlier editions had typos of various sorts but should not be held against the author who provided corrections to his students.

I note that there are vendors selling the text used for rather remarkable amounts. It would serve the buyer / student to get a new copy of the 3rd. ed. directly from the publisher, CPH St. Louis than to get an old ed. without the benefit of corrections. I felt that this information is important to potential buyers of this text by a gentleman who is one of the best classroom teachers of this subject I have known and whose C.V. from Cambridge suggests more than a passing knowledge of the subject language.

You can take that for what it is worth from an old soldier who respects the author without reservation.

I am just completing my Elementary Greek course at Concordia Seminary - St. Louis taught by Dr. Voelz. I must admit that when I looked at the book before class I found it confusing, difficult, and completely unhelpful, however, now, after spending nine weeks with it and its author, I find it an amazing resource that I will use for years to come. When combined with Voelz brilliant classroom technique (I praise God daily that he has a humorous, energetic, and multi-dimensional style) that he has been perfecting for the past 26 years the confusion of a straight read disappears and the book seems to come straight from heaven. While there are some improvements to make in later editions (like teaching aspect from the beginning), I'd say this one is a 1 star on its own and a 5 with Voelz.

Voelz's "Fundamental Greek Grammar" is a textbook definitely geared towards teaching grammar in a methodical manner. It should not be mistaken for a reference grammar, although I have found that after using it in class for 10 weeks at the seminary, it was pretty easy to flip through it and find the information you need when working on a translation. The book is written in a fairly technical manner, which I think would make it very difficult for a person to teach themselves Greek. However, with a good instructor who can simplify some of the concepts, it can (along with A LOT of study) give a beginning student the basic tools he needs to begin reading and understanding the Greek language. Oh, and one important note, this is a book for Koine Greek grammar, NOT Classical Greek grammar, although there is significant overlap (as I've been told). Bottom line on the book is that it is a difficult text, but can be very useful if taught with an excellent teacher (as I was fortunate to have).

Dr. Voelz brings new freshness into the study of Biblical Greek. His book takes you through the basic grammar and vocabulary, but mines the most important grammar gems for beginning students just starting to read the Greek New Testament.

Especially helpful is the paradigms in the back of the book as well as the ample Bible verses that demonstrate the teaching obectives in each chapter.

Also, this grammar provides other nuances that make it a superior effort. For example, it does provide new insights on the use of participles in Greek, giving new texture and color to the meaning of the text and a more faithful understanding of what the Biblical authors intended.

The only difficulty with Voelz' grammar is that some of his most interesting points are put into the chapter endnotes.

Have a very firm grip on English grammar (prior foreign language studies wouldn't hurt either) before attempting to use this book. Dr. Volez doesn't define English grammar concepts and his terminology is highly technical. There is no attempt to simplify learing Koine Greek in this book. If your learning Koine Greek on your own, do NOT start with this book. Start with Mounce's grammar and then Fundamental Greek Grammar will make sense. Dr.Volez's book does have gems in it, but his textbook is difficult to follow for the average student.

I have read several of the reviews here online about this book. Some good, some bad, but all of them come from the perspective of either you have or haven't had Voelz for class. I am a pastor, and I teach Greek to those who want to learn at my church. When teaching I use Voelz. When I first started I admit that I did not like Voelz, I found it very confusing and thought it was slightly two advanced to be a beginning grammar. I preferred using some of the other books that I was slightly more comfortable with, whether it be Mounce, Adams, or Black. I started using Voelz because some of the people I was teaching had potential to to enter into the Seminary, especially Concordia St. Louis, and I know from my own experience (Graduated 2008) that the Voelz grammar and method of translation is what has been adopted there. I found that mixed with the videos online (iTunesU)That this way of teaching was very beneficial, not just to the class but also to myself as well. In the end I learned a lot about Verbal Aspect that is simply not covered in most grammar books, it is usually considered a advanced topic, but I found it to be very helpful, even for beginners, in understanding the hows and whys of translation. In conclusion I gave this book three stars, I would not "avoid it like the plague" as some have written, but I would say that if you are going to use this book to teach yourself make sure that you use the videos that go along with it, or just avoid the dilemma all together and find someone to teach you. If you already know Greek, I found this to be a book that can still teach you things, especially the third edition, the previous editions had some things that could have been done better, I have noticed great improvement in the Third edition.

I find this text extremely thorough and detailed, and it quickly had me translating NT Greek verses by chapter 4. Grammar rules are given with careful description of the exceptions, and varied examples are also provided to illustrate these rules. Although I have read some complaints about prior edition typos, I have not come across any in the 3rd Edition which inhibit the learning process. Make no mistake--this is not your remedial language lesson to learn conversational or simple translation of Greek. Many of the complaints regarding this text seem to be rooted in Voelz's use of proper English grammar to help define the Greek counterparts. In my mind, it's not too much to ask that the student have a firm grasp in the primary language (in this case, English) before learning a foreign language. The "scholarly vocabulary" and "linguistic jargon" referred to is nothing greater than what would be taught through the high school level, and anyone who has taken an English grammar/composition course at the college-level should be well-prepared. It should also be pointed out that the text was geared (I believe) towards seminary students, thus the intent is to teach and promote scholarly exegesis--if you're going to read the NT in its original language, why settle for anything less?! The Bible is too important a text to not have thorough training in translation, lest the reader interpret the text incorrectly.

Having just completed an Elementary Biblical Greek class, I found this book to be very well put together. I appreciated the way in which Dr. Voelz arranged the various topics and the study aids in the back are a great help (princial parts, paradigms, vocabulary, etc.) His wording can be hard for the beginner to understand at times, but I think this book works well within the setting of a classroom, or as an accompaniment grammar for another text.

I am in my second year of learning Greek on my own. I have all three texts of the Cambridge Reading Greek (Text, Grammar, and Study Guide) and the Oxford Athenaize and Study Guide. I have Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek and Dobson's Learn NT Greek. As far as learning Greek grammar, none of these compare in any way to the brilliance and clarity of Voelz's Fundamental Greek Grammar.

How so?

First, let me say that during my first few months of study, I did not have Voelz and would not have appreciated it if I had. I could not stay awake long enough to read a page of Mounce. (I shudder to think of having this for a text, regardless of his stature in the community). Dobson discusses grammar only peripherally. Maybe these texts are better in the classroom, I cannot say.

By the time six months had rolled by in my studies, I was struggling. Then I found Voelz. His descriptions are short and crystal clear. An example is his simple depiction and explanation of case selection for prepositions. Does it take the accusative? Does it take the genitive? Does it take the dative? This was totally confusing before I read Voelz's explanation but now I never miss a preposition's case. Mounce has a similar picture but he fails to show you the real key to getting them right. Another example is accents. This was so complex when explained by Cambridge and Oxford. Voelz takes a few SHORT rules and makes it child's play. I rarely miss an accent.

All the standard texts have paradigms at the back. They are all confusing except Voelz. Voelz has his laid out so clearly that I use them as study guides nightly - almost better than the text.

I cannot praise this book enough for its clarity and golden-nugget explanations. I never heard of Voelz until I found his book, but what a jewel. My background is physics and Greek is just a recent hobby. After Mounce, I thought Greek grammar was next door to Hades. With Voelz I approach grammar as a great puzzle to solve and spend hours rummaging through its treasures.

Dr. Voeltz has written the premier Koine Greek text available. His vast expereience helping seminarians successfully through Koine Greek before their regular classes begin is a testament to the text. I found it easy to digest and understand. The Exercises allow one to make their way through an ancient language with a minimum of difficulties. Excellent Text.