A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek (Eerdmans Language Resources

by Benjamin Kantor

What did the apostles’ Greek sound like? How should New Testament Greek be pronounced in our classrooms? Often students are taught Erasmian pronunciation, which does not even reproduce Erasmus’s own pronunciation faithfully, let alone that of the New Testament authors. But if we want to process the language of the New Testament the same way its original authors and readers did, we should use their pronunciation. In his new book, Benjamin Kantor breaks a path toward an authentic pronunciation of Koine Greek at the time of the New Testament, seeking to improve students’ reading proficiency. A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek  distills Kantor’s new monograph, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek, with an eye toward practical instruction. The first comprehensive phonological and orthographic study of Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek,  The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek  surveys thousands of inscriptions and papyri to determine historical pronunciation.  A Short Guide  gives students an overview of the basics of phonology before explaining the pronunciation of each Greek letter and phoneme individually. Perfect for classroom use, this guide explains Kantor’s cutting-edge research accessibly and includes sample texts for reading practice.

Genres: Language

148 pages, Paperback

Published July 13, 2023

Reviews

[Adam Balshan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars [Linguistics]
(W: 3.8, U: 4.75, M: 4.83)
Exact rating: 4.46
#2 of 26 on Biblical Languages

Hats off to Kantor for writing an 896-page, definitive book on the pronunciation of Koine Greek. The shipping of a 3-pound tome across the oceans wasn't as feasible so I bought this summary instead. May the Christian world be blessed by this exemplar of excellent Historical Linguistics.

[Samuel Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondrful book! I have been convinced by Kantor's argument concerning the pronunciation of Koine Greek, and am sure that the slightest doubts I have are touched on his larger volume if I ever were to read it. What Kantor has done in the community by the promotion of this book and of his natural method approach, however, is even greater than all his research. I beleive that Kantor is doing an excellent work in changing the way Koine Greek is pronounced, and I hope that this book may embolden some seminary professors to change their pronunciation. However I do not beleive that the benefits of a reconstructed pronunciation outweighs the benefits of the mass resources available in Erasmian. Thus, sadly I don't see a massive change of pronunciation in the near future.

Having said that, Benjamin I love you bro, and love all your work and hope to help add resources in reconstructed koine as I finish my studies. Amazing work!

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! This was exactly what I was hoping for. It turns out there are many very valid schemes of ancient Greek pronunciation, but in my case I just wanted to focus on the most accurate (to our knowledge) pronunciation of Greek at the time of the writings in the New Testament. I'm grateful that the author includes IPA symbols for clarity as well as plenty of explanation for each letter in the context of certain word scenarios. I also appreciated his recommended exceptions and the reasoning behind them. I got what I wanted, and now I can move on with my Greek studies!

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kantor for the win. Every Greek student who learned to pronounce the language according to our interpretation of Erasmus, should give this summary of Kantor's larger work (800+ pages) a read. He should then take the classes from the Biblical Language Center.

[Timothy Decker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zzzzzzzz
Jury is still our for the importance.

[Bfleegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful guide to understanding the modern discussion surrounding the pronunciation of koine greek, both historically as well as in the classroom. Well I don't necessarily find the argument completely compelling toward a reconstructed pronunciation in the classroom, it was helpful to see the benefits laid out and explained, as well as better understand the historical pronunciation and the bearing of that information upon textual criticism especially. I don't yet have the boldness (or funds) to read the full version 🤣