Customer Reviews

The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader's Edition (Greek and English Edition)

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The new "UBS Greek New Testament, A Reader's Edition" is a welcome tool for the intermediate student of Koine Greek who wishes to read (ergo the title "A Reader's Edition") through the NT at a quicker pace and, thereby, to reinforce and to increase his vocabulary and understanding. This volume is larger in size than UBS4 or NA27 because of the arrangement of the footnotes at the bottom of each page; they are provided in list form so that the reader can more easily move from the text to the footnotes and back again. An added advantage of the larger book is that the font is larger and easier to read. The font is that of NA27, rather than the italic font of UBS4, which also makes the text easier on the eyes.

The footnotes on each page contain a running Greek-English dictionary of all vocabulary words that occur 30 times or less, the parsing of difficult verbs/participles, and definitions of certain idiomatic word combinations. These three items are what make it easier to read through the NT more rapidly, since the reader does not continually have to consult various lexicons for rare words and difficult verb forms. If you have made use of Sakae Kubo's "Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament" or an analytical lexicon in the past, then you should be able to set aside those two volumes and work exclusively with this Reader's Edition. In addition, the back of the book also has a dictionary that lists all words which occur more than 30 times in the NT; these entries are identical to the ones found in the UBS4 dictionary. Of course, the objective should be to use the Reader's Edition as a tool to practice the Greek that has already been learned and, hopefully, to add to that knowledge (which is also the objective of the Kubo book and analytical lexicons); it should not be used as a crutch to avoid learning the principle parts of verbs or less frequently used vocabulary words.

Unfortunately, there are two drawbacks to the dictionary footnotes. The first is that usually only one definition is given for a word. Barclay Newman, the compiler of the dictionary, states in his preface that the given definition is the one which is appropriate for the context; however, there are certainly instances in which it is questionable if the most accurate definition for a particular context has been given, which is another reason why this volume should not be used as a crutch to avoid learning vocabulary. The second drawback is that if a word occurs more than once in a paragraph, then a definition is only provided for the first occurrence. Since most paragraphs are not overly long, though, I would think that most readers could remember a word they just read a few sentences earlier.

Since this is a Reader's Edition, there is of course no critical apparatus that contains textual variants, so this volume will not be of use for text-critical study. Also, it should be mentioned that one item in the description of this volume is a bit misleading: the description states that the Reader's Edition contains "grammatical analysis of all difficult verb forms", but I believe it would have been more accurate to state that it contains `parsing of difficult verb forms'. Do not expect to find the sort of extensive information that you would find in Maximillian Zerwick's "A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament."

All in all, this UBS Reader's Edition is a handy tool that can help a student to increase his proficiency in the Greek language through repeated readings of the GNT. It will be a joy, and a sign of progress, when the student notices that he is referring to the footnotes less and less.

This hardcover Greek NT reader is ideal for the first and second year student (and beyond?) of NT Greek. It has the Greek NT text at the top of every page, and words occurring 30x or fewer in the NT are footnoted at the bottom of the page, including definition (in that context), parsing of verbs and participles, and a rare addition of an explanation about an idiomatic expression.

It surpasses the Zondervan Reader in terms of its clearer, larger text font, and the more easy to consult footnotes, which are instantly visible. Moreover, this UBS version, unlike the Zondervan, is the reliable "GNT," and it even has a lexicon at the back of the book for all NT words that occur 30x or more (just in case you've forgotten).

This edition is therefore superior to the Zondervan edition for all the foregoing reasons, but there are two drawbacks relative to Zondervan's: this UBS edition costs twice as much and is twice as big. Nevertheless, owning both, I now use only the UBS version. I keep this by my bed for my nightly readings in the New Testment, relying on my Nestle Aland 27th, Graece et Latine, for when I am sitting down to study. If you have the money, go with this UBS. If you're on a budget, don't feel too bad about opting for the Zondervan--it's a good deal.

One criticism I have for both this UBS edition and the Zondervan's edition, is that the footnotes do not indicate the number of times a given word appears in the NT, they just list all under 30x. So, looking to the bottom of the page for a definition will help you at that moment, but these Readers leave you in ignorance about whether the word whose definition you just consulted occurs one time in the NT, or 30 times in the NT, which information would be helpful in deciding whether to commit the word to memory.

Apart from this minor criticism (for no Reader seems to want to include this information), I offer my thanks to UBS for coming out with this reader. It's perfect for those times--like when you're about to turn in, or when you're on a road trip, or in a plane--when you're just itching to read some Greek but aren't up for using a lexicon for one reason or another. I use mine every night.

I am a big believer in these Reader's Editions of the Greek New Testament, for both beginners and advanced readers. The first edition to print the defintions of uncommon words on the bottom of the page was, I think, Persheimer's Refresh Your New Testament Greek. This book never really caught on, went out of print and became very expensive to acquire used. Purists rejected Persheimer feeling that it is somehow "cheating" to look at the bottom of a books's pages as opposed to refering to a separate dictionary, not realizing that the time saved could be immensely helpful to learning Greek. More advanced students underestimated the need to improve their vocabulary, and how a Reader's Edition could really help in this.
Then, in 2003 Zondervan broke ground with its own Reader's Edition that was a fraction of the cost of Persheimer's and was wonderfully lightweight and portable. Zondervan's A Reader's Greek New Testament helped many of us to improve our Greek like nothing before or since. It made reading on the go possible and pleasurable and we loved it. It did have one major drawback--a bizare italicized font.
Zondervan's text also differed just a little bit from NA 27 (or maybe it was 26 at the time) and you would have thought they had killed someone, for all the fuss it caused. What an irony that the NA text had come to be regarded as a new "Received Text" from which no one could deviate! Zondervan printed all the differences in footnotes, just a few hundred of them, and any fair minded person will concede that Zondervan's variants are just as likely to be original. Purists also were hysterical that Zondervan's did not include a texutal apparatus, as if they could not conceive of someone having more than one Greek NT for different purposes. But Zondervan's text was very successful, despite the font, and so they did a second edition whose font is probably worse, too thin and small though no longer sloped.
So now UBS has issued its own and it is a good text. It's font is very nice, big and clear and very straight. It's binding is nice and it has fine dictionary in the back and a ribbon. It is based on UBS 27. On its own terms I would highly recommend this book, but it is impossible to discuss this book without comparing it to Zondervan's two editions. Rick Mansfield has done just such a detailed comparison on his blog The Lamp, complete with pictures; I cannot improve on his discussion here. I would simply say that in my mind the UBS edition is not worth the cost--over twice as much and is much less portable. If you can afford both, get both, if not, get Zondervan's first edition unless you NEED the dictionary in the back. I got used to Zondervan's font and I think you will too.
Finally, another HUGE advantage to Zondervan's is that theirs lists ALL the meanings for a given word, on average about three meanings, sometimes as many as five or six. UBS just gives a one word gloss on what the edititor THINKS the word means in that passage, and often does not give the literal meaning, which I think could confuse beginners. But again, The UBS Greek New Testament A Reader's Edition is a fine and helpful text. I love it not less but Zondervan's more. Use your rebate check and buy them both!

Though I am very satisfied this product and have nothing new to add to the previous reviewers, I found some errors in it. For example, in Matthew 1:18, there is no footnote to the word "prin," which occurs only 13 times in the NT. Another example is "sunanekeivto" in Mattew 9:10, which occurs only 7 times. One can confirm this by looking at any lexicon or Reader's Greek NT publsihed by Zondervan. While I have not read through The UBS Greek New Testament: A Reader's Edition, it would be possible to find one more or so errors. So, I would like the publisher to put errata that they have already found in it on the website. Further, the references to Old Testament quotations are not presented anywhere in the footnote or the margin. If you feel it inconvenient, Reader's Greek NT by Zondervan is the right product for you. Anyway, as both products are excellent, that's the matter of your preference.

Rarely, would I review any text with the obvious bias I now have toward the new UBS GNT Reader's text. With that said, for a Reader's GNT which is meant to do just that---namely, function as a reader's text, this volume does so. The text is comfortably sized, the font is clear, visually appealing, and most of all the footnotes are clearly organized. The Zondervan Reader's text, the forerunner to this text and its competitor patently fails on the previous four scores. As an avid student of the text, who desires to utilize the skills I have acquired for actually enjoying the text in private reading as well as using the text comfortably in public settings this volume provides exactly what I was looking for. Whereas I was not confident enough to use the Zondervan GNT Reader's edition to teach classes at my local church due to the reasons enumerated above, I use this version freely and really enjoy doing it. The UBS Reader's text also has helpful section titles and notes parallel gospel passages.

If you are someone who has invested in the Zondervan version and was sorely disappointed, this is a reader's text that actually lives up to its design.

However, there are several normative features to a GNT text that you do lose in the Reader's form: 1) text-critical notes, 2) references to Old Testament citations, and 3) Eusebian Canons. The latter two, as one reviewer has already pointed out would have been nice (and possible) while the first in light of spatial constraints is simply a feature which a reader's edition has to do without.

Rob
Author of:Recover All: A Guide for Families in Understanding Addiction

I researched this before purchase, having been underwhelmed with the competing product. This one is spot-on. I have been reading it on the fly in Church and in Sunday School, and almost am never left wondering what the passage is saying. When I prepare ahead I find that it takes me only minutes to grasp the passage in the Greek, instead of a tedious half or whole hour.

Its added size is not a problem, nor is the font. And I like the way they don't repeat the same definition for each cognate on the page - very efficient. And the UBS Dictionary has not failed me yet on a word I should already know but have forgotten. Of all the stuff purchased this year, this book has been the best!

Randy

As a former foreign language teacher, and now Greek student, I love everything about this item. The volume is attractive and has a gold ribbon bookmark. The font is large enough and neat enough to be easy to read. Words used less than 30 times are defined at the bottom of the page (their most likely definition is provided). If it is some verb form that is being defined, the definition at the bottom not only provides the "I" form of the verb but also parses it, which is a great aid in translation. Words that are not verbs come with some sort of clue to aid you in your translation, such as gender or the part of speech. Words used more than 30 times can be found in the dictionary in the back, which is quite thorough and provides quite a bit of grammatical help on each word, as well as examples of where in the NT it is found. Additionally, there are a few maps in the back of the book (labeled in English). I have found this presentation of the GNT to be extremely helpful and would highly recommend it.

After first year Greek this tool will make the NT much more accessible in the original language. This Greek Reader is exceptional, it actually makes it possible to read the GNT with a degree of understanding and proficiency, and will help to become a much better reader. I have had this book nearly just shy of 2 years and it has surpassed all my expectations. The font is large and easy to read. Despite what some may say, the quality of the book is good, the binding has held up just fine with regular use. In order to preserve it and make it last longer I keep it in a canvas cover.

I plan to buy another copy if it goes on sale again over at CBD. I have nothing negative to say about this Readers GNT. For devotional reading of the GNT there is no better place to turn other than the UBS Greek Reader. I have the UBS4 with textual apparatus, however that edition serves a different purpose of more in-depth and translational study, not for devotional reading. Thank you for this edition.

This is the best "readers edition" of the Greek New Testament available it is superior to the Zondervan version in many ways already listed in the other reviews. If you want to become fluent in both the language and the text this is the volume that will allow you to experience large amounts of the text with the least interruption.
The only thing I want to see is this version in a leather bound edition for easier travel.

This book is absolutely perfect for someone with an intermediate knowledge of Koine Greek. After finishing Basics of Biblical Greek by Mounce I wanted to jump into the NT and read a lot. So, I set a goal to read Mark in a month or so. I was able to finish it in under a week, mostly because this book cuts down on almost all dictionary work. Sure, you do lose a little by not seeing all of the nuances or possibilities a word might have if you were to look it up in BAGD. But, let's face it, at an intermediate level you are far better off getting a feel for Greek and seeing words in context than you are in seeing 2 dozen nuances a word might have.

This is the real strength of the book, you get through a lot of text very quickly. You pick up vocabulary through osmosis (which is the best way) and you get a feel for how Koine Greek works. I wanted to read a lot of Greek before jumping into a more advanced Grammar (so that it would make more sense) and this book is perfect for helping to do this.

One caveat, I do have one advantage others may not have, I have a pretty good understanding of Modern Greek. This makes is easier for me to read and pronounce words. I'm also used to the flexible word order, which Modern Greek shares with Koine Greek. But, I imagine that it will still save anyone loads of time in working through long sections of Greek.