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A Reading Course in Homeric Greek (Teacher's Manual)

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Having just finished Book 1, and begun Book 2, I can say without a doubt that it was primarily this text that enabled me to make the progress I have. I have examined both this series, and the Athenaze, and would very much recommend this one, not becuase it is better, per se, but because it is more rewarding. Indeed, I have finished just one year of a language, and can already read one of its most famous authors! To a highschool student who has already taken 5 years of another language, and still cannot read classic Spanish literature for want of elevated course rapidity, this is astounding. I will say that this pace does require some level of devotion. There were times (around sections 25-30, and again at sections 50-60) when I was convinced that I could go no further. Yet, I have made it to Book 2, and say that anyone else can as well, just so long as they put the work into it, persevere, and occasionally can talk to a good tutor. This last point is really the key. I find this text far more useful than the Athenaze, but I must also relate that, as with any language, it is best to learn it at least partly from one relatively "fluent" in it. A tutor is a must for almost all. With that said though, I will restate the fact that this is a wonderful and rewarding text to study from, and one that will undoubtedly amaze any who would never consider themselves able to read ancient Greek. Just give it a try--as long as you stick to it, you will eventually succeed.

This is a three-volume set of large paperbacks that will teach the motivated beginner Homeric Greek.

Most of the grammar is introduced in the 120 lessons in volume 1. The lessons are short - about 5 or 6 vocabulary items are introduced, along with a grammatical point or two. There are not a lot of examples given for each grammatical point, but this is made up for with the exercises. Each lesson, in addition to the reading selection, has translation exercises, both English to Greek, and Greek to English. Volume 2 has another 100 lessons or so, mostly annotated readings. Volume 3 is the "Teacher's Manual and Key". It contains translations of all the reading selections, and the answers to all the translation exercises. There are also tests for each lesson, with the answers provided. The presence of the answer key (translations and the answers to the exercises) is what makes this series excellent for those learning on their own; students get both practice in the application of the grammar, and feedback on how well they have learned the material.

A background in Latin is obviously helpful, but not required. The cultural notes, quotes, and historical information help keep interest high. Obviously a text meant for use in Catholic / Jesuit schools, it's a refreshing throwback to the days when the classics were respected, and "dead white men" were not politically incorrect.

Homeric Greek is not an easy language. But if you're motivated, willing to keep on pluggin', do the exercises faithfully, you'll end up with an excellent knowledge of this difficult but beautiful language.

This excellent 3rd edition, including some well-chosen revisions and supplements, retains all the advantages of Schoder and Horrigan's measured approach while improving typography and readability, expanding the (extra-Homer) readings, and speaking more clearly to the preparation-deprived student of our time (earlier editions pretty much took for granted conceptual understanding of grammar and syntax). The book's pace is excellent and so is its well-phased introduction of new concepts as the student progresses. Self-correcting exercises are also included for the first time. Selections from the Odyssey begin halfway through the book, after the student has acquired sufficient knowledge and cultural background to appreciate them.
Highly recommended. I hope that Collins Edwards, the reviser, is even now working on Book 2, last republished (2nd edition) in 1986.

Before progressive educators began their systematic destruction of the classical curriculum, Homer -- in Greek -- was standard fare for American high school students. Indeed, until about 1900 elite American colleges required students to pass an examination in Classical Greek as an entrance requirement.

Far from being knocked off his Olympian pedestal, Homer is still king within the sovereign realm of the Humanities. New translations of his poems keeping cropping up, and in the better high schools today a careful reading of the Odyssey is a standard experience for many freshmen English students. However, Homer's unrivaled genius notwithstanding, only an infinitesimally small group of students (both in high school and college) read him in his own language. Even many elite prep schools formerly known for the rigor of their offerings in classics no longer employ faculty members to teach ancient Greek. This deplorable state of affairs is an indictment of our current educational system. For the sake of educational sanity, Greek must be restored as a core subject within the secondary curriculum. This textbook is the standard issue Field Manual for all of the troops who are ready to fight in this rear guard engagement.

I enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone considering teaching Homeric Greek. Ancient Greek -- whether Koine, Attic or Homeric -- is an exacting discipline that cries out for just the sort of graceful, intelligent presentation that is offered here.

I have taught high school Greek (grades 9-12) for nearly a decade and continue to use the Athenaze (Attic Greek) text for my first year students. Over the past few years, however, I have gradually accelerated students' introduction to Homer. I now introduce this book in the fourth quarter of beginning level Greek. I begin at Lesson 15 and work through the book one lesson per class period. When my students begin with this textbook, they have covered 12 or 13 of Athenaze's 16 chapters and are thus well acquainted and confident with Greek. By the end of the second quarter in year two, they are at Lesson 61, fully prepared to read original Homeric Greek with ease and enjoyment for the remainder of the year.

The book's chief virtue lies in its clear, uncluttered presentation of new grammatical information in brief, manageable lessons. Each chapter includes short Greek sentences for translation which illustrate the grammatical concepts under consideration. Included also are English sentences for translating into Greek (time constraints force me to skip these) as well as additional sentences for translation that are adapted from a great wealth of ancient authors: Homer, Hesiod, Plato, the tragedians, Theognis, Menander, Pindar, the Gospels, the Septuagint, Aristotle, the pre-Socratics, and many others. The authors -- learned Jesuits with a deep appreciation for the extraordinary range of classical Greek literature -- bring into play a wide sampling of viewpoints both Christian and classical. If you wish to season your teaching with observations on the marriage of early Christian theology to the Greek philosophical tradition, this book offers many Greek sentences to get that conversation going.

Both the Greek and English fonts are attractive, and full paradigms of word forms are set forth within the pages of each lesson, rather than referenced in an appendix. Another especially helpful feature of the book is the use of authentically Greek idioms and word order throughout the sample Greek sentences. In particular, there are more examples of ellipses, conditions, adjectives used substantively, and constructions with a more genuinely "Greek" feel than one typically encounters in the synthetic sentences of Athenaze. The subjunctive and optative moods are introduced much earlier in this book than in Athenaze, and what students read by way of exercises comes strikingly close to the actual Homeric verses they will encounter at chapter 61.

The authors drew upon many years of experience in teaching Homer and were careful to omit extraneous grammatical information. The best proof of this book's excellence are the actual results I see in my own students, most of whom can translate Homer with relative ease by the spring semester of their second year of the subject. Unlike Crosby and Shaeffer, which I recently had to jettison as a second year text because it was only torturing my students rather than helping them understand Greek, this book features Greek sentences that are sensibly crafted to advance students at a reasonable pace toward the goal of reading Homer with confidence and pleasure.

If you want to read ancient texts in Greek, the best way, now pleasantly-surprisingly feasible with this book, is to start in Homer (however many individuals you believe actually composed the works under that name). I say this for two reasons:

1. Literarily, Homer's works function in almost all ancient Greek and Roman literature in the same way that the King James Bible and Shakespeare's works function in English literature.

2. Linguistically, it's always easier to go forward in time through linguistic changes than to go backward. English speakers today have to work at first to get the right feel for Shakespeare's English, and even the later ancient Greeks (after the time of Alexander the Great) depended on their scholars to explain "difficult" parts of Homer's language for them.

This textbook is good. It rewards you with frequent, and real, accomplishment at each step. However, if you're a complete beginner in Greek who has never "declined" nouns and adjectives in any other language, you'll get much better results by taking a class based on this book or else by meeting frequently with a qualified private tutor. If you are comfortable declining nouns, and you are able to teach yourself a language efficiently, you can profitably work through this book on your own.

I like this book, along with part 2 as well. The answers are in the back for self study, and the pace is quick, but the vocab comes slow so you can keep up with the grammar without getting slowed down by a ton of vocab. It takes a little while to come to the verbs but when it does, it really does. There are plenty of exercises, and there are entire chapters dedicated to review. I really liked Athenaze. However, it's slow moving for someone who already knows the linguistic jargon that comes with learning a classical language. So, overall, I thought this book to be better.

Homeric vs. Athenaze:
1. Faster pace with less vocab intake (in the beginning). Athenaze: very
slow pace with lots of vocab throughout.
2. Primer for Homeric epics. Athenaze: a little of everything.
3. Answers are in the back. Athenaze: I'm not sure about the latest
edition but there was a 3rd book, which was an answer key.
4. The entire 1st year comes in one book (unlike Athenaze).
5. There is a 2nd book that is a reader for a part of the Odyssey.
6. The pace in general is just different; I like it.

An excellent no frills introduction to ancient Homeric Greek syntax, vocabulary, and translation. This book can, with the assistance of a tutor, quickly bring the reader to some of the first translations of a language that is so ancient, that it was spoken way before it was written (only because writing and alphabets had not been created yet!). Anyway, this book takes the "scare" out of seemingly unintelligable sqiggles and lines.The book also covers the musical verse that the poem was originally sung in. So, buy a copy and sing the Odyssey!

"A Reading Course in Homeric Greek" is a wonderfully-written text, filled with warmth and wisdom. This is a key to the genetic code of Western Civilization!