Studies in the Greek New Testament (Studies in Biblical Greek) [Paperback]

Stanley E. Porter (Author)

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From the Publisher

Studies in the Greek New Testament is a collection of essays illustrating the relevance of Greek for understanding the New Testament. The essays, combining theory and practice, grow out of the author's abiding concern for the study of Greek utilizing the best insights of modern linguistics and biblical exegesis. The first part of the volume, devoted to theory, concentrates on fundamental linguistic questions. Although grammar is emphasized in these essays, including the topic of verbal aspect, lexicography is also discussed. The second part of the volume, devoted to practice, contains essays on crucial passages such as Matthew 16:19, Luke 18:35 and its parallels, Mark 15:2 and the language of Jesus, the speeches in Acts, Romans 5, Galatians 3:28 29, and 1 Timothy 2:15. In these chapters, the author defends provocative positions by utilizing close study of the Greek text.

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820428582
• ISBN-13: 978-0820428581
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,146,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #57 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Ancient Greek

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Reader for Biblical Exegetes, February 17, 2007

By 

James D. Dvorak (Edmond, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Studies in the Greek New Testament (Studies in Biblical Greek) (Paperback)

The collection of essays printed in this volume are extremely valuable for biblical exegetes because they not only exemplify excellent scholarship, but they also show some important theories being put to use in exegesis. All of the essays are Porter's, including theoretical essays on Greek language and linguistics, verbal aspect and related issues, and New Testament lexicography. The "practice" section includes essays on whether or not Jesus knew (and taught in) Greek, the speeches in Acts, katallasso in Romans 5, the argument of Romans 5, and a few others.

I bought this book for a class, and, frankly, was really only interested in one essay. However, as it turned out, I've read much more than that single essay and have become even more pleased with my purchase! Two essays deserve special mention here. First, in the "theoretical" part of the book, the essay on linguistic issues in NT lexicography is an extremely important read, esp. for novice exegetes. First, Porter shows how NT lexicography has not really changed over they years (except, perhaps, with the arrival of Louw & Nida's lexicon). He shows how lexica could be vastly improved--and made more trustworthy--by applying principles of modern linguistics to the task. The most eye-opening part of the essay was showing the many fallacies traditional lexicography created and propogated--and set their users up to propogate(!). He ends the essay with some suggestions for contemporary NT lexicographers.

The second essay worth highlighting is in the "practice" section of the book, entitled "The Argument of Romans 5." What impressed me about this essay was Porter's expertise in linguistics and rhetorical analysis, as well as his Greek and exegetical prowess, and how thoroughly and convincingly he makes his case for how Romans 5 fits into the larger argument of Romans. Further, his argument, in my opinion, clears up the textual difficulties in Rom 5.1 and 6. The gist of Porter's argument is that Rom 5 is part of the "diatribe" style Paul uses in Romans. This style accounts for the use of the subjunctive mood (cf. text variant at 5.1) and various other formal and semantic features in the text, and provide a "roadmap" for tracing the argument of Rom 5.

Every biblical scholar (or scholar-to-be) should own this book.