Greek for the Rest of Us [Hardcover]

William D. Mounce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

You don't have to be a Greek student to understand biblical Greek. If you'd love to learn Greek so you can study your Bible better, but you can't spare two years for college or seminary courses, then Greek for the Rest of Us is for you. Developed by renowned Greek teacher William Mounce, this revolutionary crash-course on 'baby Greek' will acquaint you with the essentials of the language and deepen your understanding of God's Word. You'll gain a sound knowledge of basic Greek, and you'll learn how to use tools that will add muscle to your Bible studies. In six sections, Greek for the Rest of Us will help you: - Recite the Greek alphabet - Read and pronounce Greek words - Learn the Greek noun and verbal system - Conduct Greek word studies - Decipher why translations are different - Read better commentaries Greek for the Rest of Us broadens your knowledge still further with an appendix on biblical Hebrew. It also includes a CD-ROM for your computer featuring the author's class lectures in audio, combined with text and overheads.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You don’t have to be a Greek student to understand biblical Greek.

If you’d love to learn Greek so you can study your Bible better, but you can’t spare two years for college or seminary courses, then Greek for the Rest of Us is for you. Developed by renowned Greek teacher William Mounce, this revolutionary crash-course on "baby Greek" will acquaint you with the essentials of the language and deepen your understanding of God’s Word. You’ll gain a sound knowledge of basic Greek, and you’ll learn how to use tools that will add muscle to your Bible studies.

In six sections, Greek for the Rest of Us will help you: · Recite the Greek alphabet · Read and pronounce Greek words · Learn the Greek noun and verbal system · Conduct Greek word studies · Decipher why translations are different · Read better commentaries

Greek for the Rest of Us broadens your knowledge still further with an appendix on biblical Hebrew. It also includes a CD-ROM for your computer featuring the author’s class lectures in audio, combined with text and overheads.

About the Author

William D Mounce (Ph.D., Aberdeen University) lives as a writer in Washougal, Washington. He is the President of BiblicalTraining.org, a non-profit organization offering world-class educational resources for discipleship in the local church. See www.BillMounce.com for more information. Formerly he was a preaching pastor, and prior to that a professor of New Testament and director of the Greek Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of the bestselling Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek, and many other resources. He was the New Testament chair of the English Standard Version translation of the Bible, and is serving on the NIV translation committee.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310234859
• ISBN-13: 978-0310234852
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill lives as a writer in Washougal, Washington. He is the President of BiblicalTraining.org, a non-profit organization offering world-class educational resources for discipleship in the local church. He also runs Teknia.com, a site committed to helping people learn biblical Greek. And I author a series of blogs on this site.

Formerly he was a preaching pastor at a church in Spokane, WA, and prior to that a professor of New Testament and director of the Greek Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He also taught at Azusa Pacific University for ten years.Bill is the author of the bestselling Greek textbook, Basics of Biblical Greek, and many other resources. He was the New Testament chair of the English Standard Version translation of the Bible, and is now serving on the NIV translation committee. Robin and Bill have been married since 1983 and have three children.

Education

Ph.D. 1981, in New Testament. Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, Scotland.
M.A. 1977, in Biblical Studies. Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.
B.A. 1975, in Biblical Studies, minor in Greek. Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota; Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, 1971-74.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Resource for Pastors and Devoted Laypeople, February 16, 2004

By 

John Botkin (Bay City, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greek for the Rest of Us (Hardcover)

In college and seminary, there was always a battle between those that learned the Biblical languages (Hebrew & Greek), seeing them as essential for in-depth Bible study, and those who - for various reasons - chose not to learn the languages and simply work from English translations claiming that was all one needed. This book serves as an excellent meeting point for both groups.

Let's face it, pastors - if you didn't go to school, or didn't learn the languages in school, or learned them and have forgotten them, it is almost impossible to learn them now that you are in full-time ministry. However, most of us would agree that knowing a little bit of the languages could only serve to improve our teaching and preaching! Well, this is the book for you.

Dr. Mounce has put together an incredible resource in this little book, Greek for the Rest of Us. The subtitle says it all: "Mastering Bible Study Without Mastering Biblical Languages." Reading this book will not make you an expert in Greek - it's not designed for that. Instead, Mounce has put together a resource that allows you to learn enough Greek to enhance your Bible study, taking beyond where you are at now. More than that though, he also provides several chapters showing the practical application of knowing a little Greek. These consist of ...

- "What are Translations?" A great chapter explaining the various thoughts and methods that go into a Bible translation. Here, all basic questions are answered, and you begin to learn why different translations use different words or phrases. The book equips you to help discern which is "best."

- "Phrasing - An Introduction to our Bible Study Method" / "Fine-tuning Phrasing." These two chapters are worth the price of the book. In them, Mounce teaches you to breakdown passages of Scripture into basic phrases, knowing how they relate to one another. The result is a clear understanding of the author's train of thought - i.e. knowing the Bible better! If one can read, understand, and master the method in these two chapters, he or she will greatly improve his to her ability to teach God's Word.

- "How to Use the Paper and Electronic Tools." Ever wonder what to do with all those concordances, dictionaries, and word study books? Mounce explains them along with a basic intro to the many software programs out there, helping you separate the wheat from the chaff, and learning how to utilize the many available resources out there.

- "What Are Word Studies?" One of the best explanations of the procedure and profit (and limitations!) of words studies and how they can add to your sermon/lesson preparation.

- "How to Read a Commentary." Mounce explains the differences in various kinds of commentaries and which will be best suited for you as a pastor (vs. you who are scholars!). He explains what commentaries can and cannot do, as well as when to listen and when to ignore what they say.

The grammar portion of the book is put together in short, manageable bites, which make it easy for self-study. Liberally sprinkled throughout are little insights and applications by the author. There are also many interesting modern photos from places Paul visited and signs with modern Greek on them. Included with the book is a very helpful cd-rom that has a 10-15 min. summary lectures for each chapter as well as printable charts and overheads.

I am a pastor who believes that at least some knowledge of the biblical languages is important for those called to shepherd God's flock, imparting his truth to his people. In order to understand the Bible at a depth that is required to pastor a church, some understanding of the Hebrew and Greek is essential. However, I am also a realist and know that few will take up the challenge of self-study (or seminary!) and learn "full Greek." For those that won't/can't, this book is essential reading. It will make you a better steward of the time you spend in your study and the pulpit, allowing you to serve and glorify God better!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't learn to read greek..., June 28, 2004

By 

P. Hamm "p-squared" (Western Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greek for the Rest of Us (Hardcover)

...but you will learn enough to get to the bottom of things. His discussions of word studies are wonderful, his overview of different Bible translations is very good. The real prize here is the discussion of what he calls "phrasing" and how it relates to Bible Study as a whole, in English and in Greek.

You'll learn what you need to use the really good Bible Study tools, in just a few weeks of "easy" work. (It's a six week course, you can do it in 3 or 4 if you give it a lot of time) I HIGHLY recommend reading and re-reading some chapters over again and maybe even viewing the CD-ROM lectures twice or so to really get the gist of what he's saying, especially about verbs. Slow down and take your time on this. It's worth it.

I'm moving on to his "Basics of Bilblical Greek" next, because I do want to be able to read the Greek NT, but this book doesn't teach you that. It is, however, a fantastic overview of the words behind the Word. It's informative, entertaining, enlightening, and, if you can believe it, even devotional.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biblical Greek exegesis for the non-scholar, September 8, 2003

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greek for the Rest of Us (Hardcover)

Is it possible to engage in an in-depth word study of a New Testament passage without mastering the Greek language? Author William Mounce would answer that question in the affirmative and in his book "Greek for the Rest of Us" he proves his point. Many people know that with an Interlinear translation and a good concordance, Biblical Greek dictionary or similar tools they can see all the possible meanings of a particular word. However, just knowing the meaning of a particular one is only part of the puzzle of good Biblical exegesis. You also have to understand Greek syntax. It can make a big difference in the meaning of a passage to know whether something is an active or passive verb, a dependent clause or an independent clause, and whether words like "man" is inclusive of mankind or just "men". There are a lot of things to know when trying to understand a passage and the definitions of the words is only a small part of it.

The introductory material includes a section titled "What are translations?" that should be read by every serious student of the Bible. In it he points out the problems of translation, differences between literal and equivalent translations, problems of ambiguity, moving from implicit to explicit in order to fill out a passage, misunderstandings, sensitivity issues, and euphemisms. If you don't read Biblical Greek as a primary language and rely heavily on a translation of the Bible for your theology (as almost all of us do) then you have an obligation to at least understand these problems of translation.

The rest of the book deals primarily with understanding syntax and the significance and implications of whether a word is nominative, accusative, imperative, or dative form, active or passive, or whatever other form it might take. After reading through the book I would have to agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Mounce, you don't have to be able to speak and read Greek if you have an understanding of the language and the right tools. This is a very highly recommended book for anyone without the time to learn the Greek language but interested in deep scriptural study.