Customer Reviews

A Reader's Greek New Testament: 2nd Edition

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I gave the first edition a five star review and after using it for several years I am just as sold on it and LOVE the fact that Zondervan issued a second edition. They have improved the font and added a ribbon. This book is great because (1) it is more portable than any Greek NT available. Although the font size is as big as most, the book, because of the thin paper and a more efficient page lay out, is thin and light weight. It lies flat when open and you can almost read it like a magazaine, it's flexible and feels soft in your hands but ironically, the binding has held up BETTER than the awful bindings you get with UBS or NA products. (2) You can do armchair Greek. You can read the text without having to have another book open or even flip in the back. Memorizing words that occur more than 30 times is doable and all NT Greek learners should do it. Once you have those words down, you can read this. (But if you forget a common word the revised edition now includes a small dictionary with these words in the back.) (3) This book builds your vocab better than anything. At first you will be looking down at the page pretty often, but the more you read the better your vocab gets, and after a while you just look down to CONFIRM the meaning and form, but I think frequent glances at the words drill the meanings as well as flashcards. (4) the definitions are taken from Trenchard's book, which for my money is an excellent way to do it; just list all the possible meanings.

And don't worry about the text used here. Again, I have used this book a lot along with my NA diglot and I have never had any problems going back and forth. The few times it differs from NA-27 are in footnotes. People make a big deal about this not having a critical apparatus, but this allows the book to get all the defintions in and still be portable.

Now UBS has joined the band wagon and their own Reader's Edition is out. But this one is cheaper, more portable and includes several options for translations whereas the UBS just gives a single word gloss. The UBS does have parsing info, but vocab is the main thing you need. Everyone who reads the Greek NT should have this book, and everyone should read the Greek NT!

The following review is also posted at Biblical Studies blog http://textcommunitymission.wordpress.com/.

I would like to thank Nick Norelli of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth (http://rdtwot.wordpress.com/), for sending me this extra copy of RGNT.

As an intermediate Greek reader who is attempting to do all he can not to loose the last few of Greek study during an academic hiatus, I believe A Reader's Greek New Testament (RGNT) is an extremely helpful resource. The basic purpose of this volume is to allow Greek readers the freedom of reading their NT without the need to finger through a cumbersome lexicon for every tenth word. In my undergraduate training, I was fortunate enough to have a Greek professor who required his students to learn all the Greek vocabulary that occurs 25 times or more in the NT. This lines up quite nicely with RGNT. RGNT lists glosses, in a footnote, for any word occurring 30 times or less in the NT. This allows an intermediate reader, like myself, to continue to practice and increase Greek reading proficiency without the frustration of not knowing less common vocabulary. The price for this volume ($35 list, $25 New and about $20 used on Amazon), is quite reasonable for the use a student of the NT will get from it. RGNT states that its definitions (more properly glosses) are taken from Trenchard's Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament along with references to BDAG, L&N and LSJ (10). The glosses are given in the following ways: for nouns - Lexical Form, Genitive Ending, Article, Definition (read gloss), for adjectives - Lexical Form, Alternate Nominative Endings, Definition (read gloss), All other forms - Lexical Form, Definition (read gloss) (11). There are also special markers for indeclinable words such as proper nouns, genitives with alternate endings and words with multiple gender forms. Finally, prepositions, adverbs and adjectives are listed by their syntactical function when listing their glosses. The lexicon listing all words used 30 times or more is very handy when one is unable to recall a common word.

The text, while not able to use the standard NA27 for obvious copy reasons, is an eclectic critical text that disagrees with Nestle 285 times (10). While this may seem to be small a problem, all fears are subdued when one sees that these 285 differences are noted in a second footnote section on their corresponding page. RGNT is certainly not meant for textual critical work and if a student has a serious question concerning the reason for a difference, the footnoted differences allows him or her to reference their standard UBS4 or NA27 volumes.

The exterior ascetics of RGNT are also quite impressive. The burgundy Italian Duo-Tone leather is soft to the touch and the slimness of the volume allows for easy travel.

All of these excellent characteristics aside, RGNT is no longer the only Reader's New Testament on the market. Recently UBS published The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader's Edition (GNTRE). Since this is not a review of GNTRE, I will not detail all of its characteristics, only those that highlight the short comings of RGNT and lend to explaining my views on how Zondervan might improve RGNT. My biggest complaint about RGNT, as well as many others, is the font. The type is not one I have seen in a GNT before and only bears some resemblance to fonts I have seen in other publications. The main problem is the thinness of the letters and the font's small size. GNTRE uses the beautiful standard NA and is quite easy to read. I do not know the exact copy laws for such an idea, but my suggestion would be for Zondervan to use Mounce's Teknia Greek font for further editions. Teknia Greek, along with being my favorite Greek font, is also quite easy to read, regularly used by students as it is free to download, very familiar to students as Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek is by far the most widely used introductory grammar, and Zondervan already has uses it to publish Mounce's grammar and morphology book as well ad Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics and its abridged version. A size larger font would also be welcome. Such changes would greatly propel the status of RGNT.

The second major benefit GNTRE has over the RGNT is the form and content of the footnotes. (For a listing of inconstancies in the footnotes of both versions see Nick Norelli's review). As stated above RGNT lists glosses for all words occurring less then 30 times. GNTRE follows suit, but also includes parsing. I have found this to be quite helpful in determining irregular forms of words I am not familiar with. Also, GNTRE footnotes and parses verbs occurring more than 30 if the textual form is irregular. This can helpful or hurtful depending on one's level of discipline for continuing to study morphology. The format of GNTRE footnotes is also superior to RGNT. RGNT lists the glosses in a running paragraph form which can sometimes make finding the corresponding note quickly difficult. GNTRE lists glosses in a two column format which is much easier for eye movement on the page (For visual comparisons see the Nick Norelli's aforementioned review). While incorporating these changes (a new easier to read, bigger font and listing glosses and parsing in column form) may increase the thickness of a future edition of RGNT, the difference would not be substantial and any small addition of weight or thickness would be welcome for an increase in reading ability.

For my personal use, I do not carry a GNT with me in book form, as I use Accordance on computer in class or when out of the house. I do make an exception for Sunday Worship as bringing my Mac to church would not be the best option. Therefore, the size advantage of RGNT over GNTRE does not effect me much. I will continue to use GNTRE as my main reading text at home for my daily readings from the GNT. I will take RGNT to my office at church to use when I have available time to read there. However, if Zondervan was to improve some of the previously mentioned short comings of RGNT in a future 3rd edition, I could certainly be persuaded to switch. However, students should not dismiss the RGNT as it is nearly $50 less to purchase than GNTRE. I was lucky enough to receive GNTRE as a gift from a friend, otherwise I would not have been able to afford its hefty price tag ($80 list, $44 on Amazon).

Before I have been struggling in learning Biblical Greek, because of all the vocabulary to be learnt, and the fact that I needed to open a Greek Lexicon almost every sentence was enough to scare me away from reading the Greek New Testament.
This Reader's Greek NT has everything that makes you want to open your Greek New Testament.

First, it is beautiful, with the cover looking like real leather. It really makes you feel like you are reading one of the beautiful leather-bound english version. Zondervan's experience in publishing English Bibles really helped.

Second, the presence of the lexicon under the Greek text is the real strength of this Bible, for when you read the Greek text, you will no longer need to open a Lexicon every sentence anymore. There is no waste of time, so you can really focus on what most important: translating the Greek text and analyzing its Syntax. As a seminary student, I can use the words list under to learn all the vocabulary of the text I am reading by heart. It saves so much time, and you realize that it is in fact feasible to learn all the vocabulary of the Greek NT. How? For me I set the goal to study (translating + analyzing the syntax) a new chapter every week and to learn all its vocabulary which is located under the Greek text).

Third, I hated the presence of the critical apparatus in the UBS and NA versions. For although Textual Criticism has its importance, this importance is really overstated. What a student of the Greek NT really wants is to get the ability to read the NT in Greek, and not do Textual Criticism.
Of course you need to have both (Reader + NA27 or UBS4) but you need to have a develop a good ability to read the Greek text (by using this Reader's Greek NT) before Textual Criticism can become useful to you.

And concerning your fears that the text might be too different from the NA27 text, do not fear. For the differences are not so many, and when there are some, this text gives a footnote giving the NA27 version.
The other negative things I could say is that the font of the Greek text should be a little more bold to be more readable. And also I would have like to have some basic parsing in the words. Well, but this is just a minor thing.

Now I love so much this Bible that I bring it along to church and to all services that I can attend, along with my English Bible. They are now inseparable. You will love your Greek Bible, and probably (like me) even more than your most precious English Bible.

Contrary to most of the reviews posted here, I suggest getting the first edition if you can. The "reader's edition" concept is really good, to be sure, but what makes the 2nd edition a two-star one is that it contains plenty printing errors that the 1st edition did not have. A month ago I wrote to the publisher through e-mail but I did not get any response. I don't even know whether they heard from me or not. So I decided to post my comments here. I have only read through several epistles and segments of the four gospels in the 2nd edition, so the following list is surely not exhaustive.

Except the first error, all the other errors are only found in the 2nd edition (Yes, I own both editions).

p.569, Lexicon. The definition of the word 'apoluo" is simply wrong. It does not mean "I wash off" and it should be "I release". This error is also found in the 1st edition of the book.

p.44, Matt 12:31. The footnote number of the second appearance of the word "blasphemia" should be 60 instead of 61.

p.44, Matt 12:33. The footnote numbers 62 and 63, both appear twice, is confused for the words "dendron" and "sapron".

There are many errors in the textual apparatus at the bottom of the pages, mainly in the Greek/English font formating. This include p. 377 (the abbreviation "UBS" is formatted into Greek alphabets and I don't know which verse it refers to), p. 418 (the last few Greek words are formatted into English alphabets), p.424 (the abbreviation "UBS" is mixed into the biblical text at the end of Phil 2:4 and again it is formatted into Greek alphabets), p. 426 (Greek words into English), p.441, p.445, p.506, and p.565 (the same "UBS" problem).

p.522, 1 John 3:19. The first word "E)n" should be " 'En" (with a smooth breath mark before the word).


I welcome other readers to post up their lists, if any, and hope that the publisher will have a third edition rectifying all the errors.

It was my birthday recently and I was given Goodrich and Lukaszewski's 2nd edition of their Greek New Testament reader.

I already own the 1st edition, but don't use it as often as my UBS readers GNT because the font is not so easy to read, mainly because it is in italics, but also because the paper is very thin, causing a lot of bleed through.

So I was excited to get the 2nd edition, because it is advertised as being easier to read:
"New Greek font - easier to read"
But when I opened the box I was completely shocked!

I thought that I had received a faulty version. It looked like the printer was running out of ink when they made my copy. It looked like draft mode.
The font was incredibly thin and light.

But when I looked at the introduction (in English) and the Lexicon at the back, the print was in a much thicker and darker font - so I'm assuming that the printer was working okay, and that my copy is not faulty, but is how it is intended to be.

This makes me very disappointed, and unhappy.

I just can't understand how anyone ever let this product out.

I've tried reading it, and I have to strain my eyes to read the text, yet I had 20/20 vision at my last eye test.

I have compared it with the following texts:

Zondervan Reader's GNT 1st ed.
UBS reader's GNT
NET / Nestle Aland 27th Diglott
Pocket sized Nestle Aland 22nd ed.

All of these were far superior to the Zondervan reader's 2nd edition.
I
n my opinion, it is a terrible font.

I also noticed that the contrast between the Old Testament quotes (which are in bold), and the standard text, is so small, that it is hard to see when the Old Testament is being quoted. In the 1st edition however, this was very clear.

It should also be noted that this does not come with a ribbon marker - contrary to another review on this site.

The volume of New Testament Greek resources available for the beginning to mid-level student have expanded greatly during the past few years. Among them was the 1st edition of A Reader's Greek New Testament, published by Zondervan in April 2004. The updated 2nd edition of A Reader's Greek New Testament was more recently published by Zondervan in November 2007. If you have any familiarity with the 1st edition, you may have had the same initial thought I did about this updated edition....what a pretty box. This is a change from the 1st edition, which was shrink-wrapped in plastic with a cardboard sleeve. The 2nd edition is packaged in a very attractive, presentation quality box. The new packaging has an elegant look and feel that will make it stand out when presented as a gift. Upon tuning the box over, you'll notice a list of important updates to this edition. They are as follows:

* New Greek font - easier to read
* Footnoted definitions of all Greek words occurring 30 times or less
* Mini-lexicon of all words occurring more than 30 times
* Greek text underlying Today's New International Version
* Footnotes offering comparisons with UBS4
* 4 pages of full-color maps
* Marker ribbon

Now that we've fully examined the box, it's time to take a look at what's inside. A Reader's Greek New Testament, 2nd edition measures 10 inches by 7 inches, making it slightly larger than some of the more compact editions of the Greek New Testament many of us have in our libraries. The binding is Italian Duo-Tone, which gives it the look and feel of burgundy colored leather. There is gold embossed lettering on the front cover and spine. The pages are gilded with gold as well. All things considered, there's a fine looking Greek New Testament in that fine looking box.

When you finally crack open A Reader's Greek New Testament, 2nd Edition, you'll find its contents laid out in the following order:

* Introduction (P. 7-18)
* Books of the Greek New Testament in canonical order (P. 20-568)
* Lexicon (P.569-574)
* Maps

As a rule of thumb, I spend a bit of time reviewing the introductory material before I use a Greek or Hebrew resource of this type. The introduction is where you'll find valuable information to help you maximize your results from the material at hand. Here are some of the important things you'll learn in the introduction:

* RGNT2 can help the student to learn vocabulary inductively
* The patterns and abbreviations used in the word definitions
* The textual apparatus employed in this edition

Readers should most definitely consult the section of the introduction under the heading, The Text. (P. 9-10) In several paragraphs, it is explained how and why the Greek text in A Reader's Greek New Testament, 2nd Edition is an eclectic text that differs from the standard Greek text found in NA27 or UBS4. Following the introduction, the reader will encounter the actual Greek New Testament. The books are laid out in canonical order. About ½ to 3/4 of each page is the actual New Testament Greek text. The other one ¼ to ½ consists mostly of the footnoted definitions of words occurring 30 times or less. When there are possible variant readings in the Greek text, the variation from the UBS text is noted and/or the variant cited in the NIV is given. After the close of Revelation, you'll find a mini-lexicon of words occurring more than 30 times in the Greek New Testament. Just before the back cover, you'll find maps of the following:

* Holy Land in the Time of Jesus
* Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus
* Apostles' Early Travels
* Paul's Missionary Journeys

As somebody who enjoys and appreciates the study of New Testament Greek, I am very excited about this updated edition of A Reader's Greek New Testament. It will be a good fit for those who are new to the study of New Testament Greek and those whose Greek has gotten a little rusty. Students and scholars pursuing more advanced studies will still have need of an edition containing a more extensive critical apparatus (UBS4 or NA27). If you are somebody who has struggled to learn new languages with memorization and flashcards, the possibility of inductive learning should especially be appealing. In a publishing space that has often had very expensive resources, this new edition of A Reader's Greek New Testament comes at a bargain of a price. Many thanks to Zondervan for making this entry point into to the study of New Testament Greek more accessible and more affordable!

Richard J. Goodrich (PhD in ancient history, University of St. Andrews) is research fellow in the department of classics and ancient history, University of Bristol, England.

Albert Lukaszewski (PhD, New Testament, University of Saint Andrews) is general editor of the Lexham Syntactic Greek New Testament project and author of the forthcoming Grammar of Qumran Aramaic. He lives with his family on the east coast of Scotland

This is a great edition - the font is more readable and the small dictionary in the back is very nice as well.

This is a must for all you seminary students who are chock full of 1-2 years of Greek and filled with paradigms upon paradigms, but are not entirely sure where to go. Go here! This will give you the learning proficiency necessary to take your knowledge to the next level.

This is a great product for a student like me. I've completed my first year of greek and I have about 400 words memorized but the other 1600 are still a smidge elusive. Wither other texts that I have used the real problem comes when I'm trying to figure out the stem of a word I don't know in my Bauer Lexicon. And by the time I'm done flipping and scanning my lexicon I've already forgotten the sentence that I translated even though I found the one word I wanted out of the lexicon (if I was lucky enough to figure out what the stem is). The worst is when the text is trying to convey specifics and is full of low frequency words when that happens I have no possible hope of completing the translation.

The zondervon greek new testament by richard goodrich is probably the best new testament for beginner and intermediate readers out there. It has all the low frequency words listed at the bottom of every page and gives you the stem with the definition for the stem at the bottom. All the high frequency words are listed in the back glossary should one forget something. It refrains from parsing words, unlike my interlinear which invariably does the work for me, so that I can remember my column endings. I can finally focus on TRANSLATING for once!

I think the one down side is that this sucker doesn't have certain intermediate frequency words listed at the bottom or in the back. Usually it pans out into flipping through machen and my lexicon for a bout an hour usually not turning up.

5 stars great product.

If you're a beginning or intermediate Greek student, still struggling with participles and "mi" verbs, this is probably the best resource to get your hands on. I have the first edition, but fellow classmates have picked up the more recent second edition and I would thoroughly recommend it.

In terms of improvements over the first edition, they've adjusted some of the wackiness of the fonts. They've also included a simple dictionary in the back for handy reference.

My suggestion would be to pick up a copy of the separate UBS dictionary - this allows you to keep a useable dictionary open and read along. It results in less page flipping.

Also, if you're studying Hebrew, check out the Reader's Hebrew Bible that was just released.

If you are a seminary student, pastor, scholar, or lay person, this book is a great resource. It parses every word that occurs 30 times of less and includes a mini-dictionary in the back. The dictionary is smaller than the one in the GNT by the United Bible Society. It also only lists the lexical form without any inflected forms. The font is also better in the second edition. I recommend this book for your library. I also recommend the Hebrew Reader coming out in May or June of this year.