A Primer of Biblical Greek with CD [Paperback]

N. Clayton Croy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2007

This carefully designed primer offers an effective, proven, single-volume introduction to biblical Greek. The new accompanying CD contains a teachers guid, answers to exercises, and more exercises, making Croys superb primer even better.

Editorial Reviews

Review

""This new textbook provides a traditional presentation of beginning Greek grammar ideally suited for college and seminary courses…. The abundance and variety of exercises provide flexibility for use with different class formats and teaching styles and prevent students’ familiarity with the NT from becoming a hindrance… A strong contender for instructors unhappy with outdated and idiosyncratic grammars.""
—Religious Studies Review

""This may be the best introductory text published in recent years. In terms of progression through the material, quality of explanatory examples of verbal constructions, and usefulness of the homework exercises, this book is unsurpassed.""
—Review of Biblical Literature

""For the serious student of the New Testament, learning some amount of biblical Greek is a necessity. This new textbook is a very helpful tool for that task. Designed for beginning students in biblical Greek at the college or seminary level, it offers in a clear and effective manner a step-by-step procedure for learning the language. Vocabulary lists and exercises are drawn from the New Testament and the Septuagint so that from the outset the student has the satisfaction of reading from the biblical texts themselves.""
—The Bible Today

""Divided into thirty-two lessons (with vocabulary and exercises), this introductory textbook seeks to lead college and seminary students from the Greek alphabet to a working knowledge of the language of the Septuagint and the NT. Paradigms and vocabulary lists are included. The book is adaptable for use in full-year, semester-long, and summer intensive courses, chiefly by selective assignment of exercises.""
—New Testament Abstracts" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, Greek --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 277 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802860001
• ISBN-13: 978-0802860002
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #520,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable Greek Textbook, March 28, 2000

By 

David deSilva (Ashland. OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Primer of Biblical Greek (Paperback)

The person who wants to read the New Testament in its original language is faced with dozens of possible textbooks on the market. Some will inundate him or her with needless technical information; others will barely give enough information to scratch the surface of the language. Clayton Croy, an assistant professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, has provided a textbook that at last hits the right balance.

The Primer presents the full spectrum of Greek grammar, with clear yet concise discussions of each grammatical concept, in just over thirty lessons. Each concept is illustrated with examples in Greek and English, and the student will have plenty of opportunity to practice Greek through the exercises that Croy has either written himself or selected from the New Testament and the Septuagint (the Old Testament translated into Greek, as it was read by most Jews outside of Palestine in the Greco-Roman world). The inclusion of exercises from both the New Testament and Septuagint makes this book all the more attractive, as the student is able from early on to begin working with the scriptures themselves. The use of the Septuagint in this text makes it stand out as unique among all available textbooks, encouraging students to pursue not only the study of the New Testament in Greek but to delve more fully into the Jewish Bible as it was known to the majority of Jews at the turn of the era (and as it came to be used in the early church).

I highly recommend this book as a textbook for all who teach Biblical Greek in bible colleges and seminaries.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than most., May 5, 2000

By 

Dean Stroud - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Primer of Biblical Greek (Paperback)

I studied biblical Greek years ago in seminary. For a year now, I have been working on my own to renew my ability with the language. I worked my way through "Basics of Biblical Greek" before buying A Primer of Biblical Greek. I love both books. Of the two, I like the approach here of having the three types of exercises: author generated sentences, readings from the LXX and NT. My only suggestion would be to include practice in reading extended passages. As it is, each sentence is a new beginning rather than a continuous flow of language. A short narrative or passage at the end of each chapter or extended readings as a companion (graded) reader would offer the language in context rather than as isolated examples. As someone working alone without a teacher, I did find this book user friendly!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best text yet on learning Biblical Greek, July 14, 2005

By 

Chris Meirose "Big Chris" (Waseca, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Primer of Biblical Greek (Paperback)

I have used a couple of different texts in seminary to learn (or try to learn) Greek. This is the best, most user friendly text I have found. It exceeds Mounce in that it doesn't get so focused on the minutia. It's in modern language (unlike Machen). The exercises are appropriate yet remain challenging throughout. There are a few places Croy does things I might have chosen differently (different order, or different examples for exercises) but those are incredibly small nit-picks. If you are teaching yourself this is the place to start. As you progress, there are others that will futher your education, but start here.