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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Greek to me!, May 18, 2003
It will be Greek to you, too, before long after using this book. Bill Countryman's short book, 'Read it in Greek' is an introduction to the language of the New Testament, admirably designed to help you to read sections of the New Testament in the original language.This book starts from scratch--it assumes no prior knowledge of Greek. Prior language study would be helpful, or at the very least a basic knowledge of grammar; yet Countryman explains the less common parts of speech with English examples. The text is designed to be used as a one-semester introduction. According to the preface, 'it does not claim to work miracles--for example, to convey a year's worth of Greek in a single term or to offer the kind of facility with language that can come only with years of reading.' As most who want to have a greater facility with the original language of the New Testament not so much to be able to read the New Testament in Greek, but rather to expand their ability to read and comprehend in English, this is a perfect volume. The lessons concentrate on reading (Countryman uses Johannine writings, including the exquisite prologue to John's Gospel) from the very start. You won't have tables and rules and charts to memorise--Countryman believes in language study by habituation, the more natural way of language acquisition. Now, you will have to memorise a few things, but that is kept to a minimum. This book aims a 'quick and dirty' translations rather than elaborate accounts (which are usually flavoured by the proclivities of the translators as much as the facility with language). Included throughout the book are tips for those who wish to deepen their own biblical scholarship. For instance, in Lesson XXII Countryman has an aside entitled Basic Books for an Exegetical Library in which he lists several useful texts (good basic texts, study aids, grammars, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and Greek-specific volumes). 'Read it in Greek' is a valuable aid to those who want to expand understanding of the New Testament. Countryman says, 'One of the delights of exegesis, in fact, is that one can return over and over again in one's lifetime to the same text and discover aspects of it that went unnoticed before.' This book will open up hidden depths, and be another tool in the never-ending study.
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