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Advances in the Study of Greek: New Insights for Reading the New Testament
Advances in the Study of Greek offers an introduction to issues of interest in the current world of Greek scholarship. Those within Greek scholarship will welcome this book as a tool that puts students, pastors, professors, and commentators firmly in touch with what is going on in Greek studies. Those outside Greek scholarship will warmly receive Advances in the Study of Greek as a resource to get themselves up to speed in Greek studies. Free of technical linguistic jargon, the scholarship contained within is highly accessible to outsiders. Advances in the Study of Greek provides an accessible introduction for students, pastors, professors, and commentators to understand the current issues of interest in this period of paradigm shift.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 28, 2015
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August 7, 2015
"Those within Greek scholarship often lament that students, pastors, professors, and New Testament commentators seem out of touch with what is going on in Greek studies." (from the Introduction, 20). Thus begins this important work by Constantine Campbell and after reading this book, it is no wonder we seem out of touch. It seems to me that ignorance might just be bliss. I jest, of course, because this is a very important book and I hope it receives a wide audience, future updates, and reprints. It is technical and a times heavy, but a slow reading will be helpful and since I'm of the opinion that more preachers ought to be studying directly from the Greek, I highly recommend this book to preachers even if scholars and students are also in the primary audience.
Two stories will introduce my thoughts. I was engaged in a conversation today on Facebook--the pinnacle of good, scholarly atmosphere and advanced learning--when a commenter made a rather startling statement. I had posted something about a political candidate published in a popular magazine and someone commented and said something about like, "well if by such and such you mean..." I responded, "'you'? I didn't write this." My friend wrote back, "This is why I love Koine Greek, so much easier to write what you mean." The timing most certainly was providential, but I'm not sure that my dialogue partner has spent much time actually reading about the advancements in Koine Greek scholarship if he thinks it is easier to write what you mean in Greek than, say, English. Or maybe he has and it is. The simply word 'you' managed to cause some misunderstanding--although I was playing funny with him--and we had a good laugh. Still...
Back in the day, when I was still an undergraduate, I spent my Fall and Winter semesters hunkered down in the confines of Ray Summers' Essentials of New Testament Greek. I did this for three years, a total of six semesters. We weren't always in Summers' book after my first year (we used other primers and books too) but when it came to mastering paradigms, my professor insisted we study Summers. I remember those days fondly--working through paradigms, plowing through the translation of Johannine literature (the 'easiest'), learning vocabulary, struggling to get the concept of the deponent verb, mastering participles, periphrastics, and genitive absolutes. Ah, good times indeed. But we spent most of our time mastering paradigms and translating text.
Come to find out, 20 some years later, there was far more nuance to the Greek of the New Testament than I ever thought imaginable. Who knew that behind closed office doors, or in the midst of a conference only attended by a relative few, or in the finely tuned pages of a peer reviewed journal smeared with publishing blood, there was so much debate going on about whether or not Greek verbs actually carry tense or that aorist verbs might not always indicate straight forward punctiliar moments in past time? (Summers: "The function of the aorist tense is a matter of tremendous importance. The time of action is past. The kind of action is punctiliar." 66)
Turns out, Koine Greek--what I was taught was simple 'market place' Greek--is not, after all, so simple and easy and uncomplicated.
To be sure, the study of Greek at the undergraduate level is relatively easy when compared with the depth of conversation that is, evidently, engaged at higher levels of education by linguists and as is represented in this book by Constantine R Campbell. There are debates about everything one can imagine when it comes to Greek, the parsing of nouns, mood, verbs, deponents, tense, perspective, indicatives, perfects, and, when it is all said and done, translating the actual text into something that is both faithful to the Greek and readable by the general church. It is a chore--but I suspect more a labor of love. Campbell is correct: I am hopelessly out of touch. This book is an excellent corrective.
Maybe the undergraduate level study of Greek needs to be a little more intensive (maybe it is now; it's been 20 years since I was an undergraduate) or maybe our definitions are just too simple. I'm not a Greek scholar or a linguist, so setting the tone for undergraduate level study of Koine Greek is not high on my list of things to do. I have Summers' book sitting just above my head on my desk, but after reading Advances in the Study of Greek, I'm wondering if it might be time to purchase a new primer because I'm sure that if I learned anything from this book by Campbell I have learned that a lot of developments have taken place in our understanding of Greek since Summers published in 1950. And who would have thought that?
Changing gears for a moment, I note that there are a lot of decisions that go into the translation of the New Testament into other languages. We have been blessed here in our time to see the publication of about a thousand different versions of the Bible and I have always asked myself, with each new translation: why? I think I now know why. It is not just so simple as translating one word in Greek into another word in English. There are levels of nuance, interpretation, and decisions that have to be made by the translator for every single proverbial jot and tittle. Frankly, it is staggering to consider what goes into translation and I suppose to this point every translation is, at some level, a paraphrase. It may have been unintended, but this book gave me a deep appreciation for those who do the work of translation of the New Testament into other languages (even English)--especially in cultures where there is no written language.
Key to this book is the subtitle: New Insights for Reading the New Testament (my emphasis). This book is not just about translating, it is, or at least purports to be, about reading the Bible. It does make one wonder just how much of our reading is done incorrectly. On the other hand, the author has limited his audience because there are not many people sitting in the pews on Sunday with a copy of Nestle-Aland in their hands or on their Kindle. But as DA Carson points out in the Foreward, "This book is not for beginners, but it will provide enormously useful in helping scholars, advanced students, and serious pastors to find out what is going on in the field of New Testament Greek studies--especially if they are tempted to think that advances cannot be made" (17).
The book is broken down into 10 chapters and covers the following areas of concern:
1. Short history of Greek studies; 2. Linguistic Theories; 3. Lexical Semantics and Lexicography; 4. Deponency and the Middle Voice; 5. Verbal Aspect and Aktionsart; 6. Idiolect, Genre, and Register; 7-8. Discourse Analysis I (Hallidayan) and II (Levinsohn); 9. Pronunciation; 10. Teaching and Learning.
Obviously, some aspects of Greek study have been left out due to space considerations, but what Campbell does cover in 200 some odd pages is breathtaking. Within each of these sections is detailed study of some of the things that, perhaps, some have taken for granted (aorists, perfects, for example). What is also helpful is that he includes an Expanded Table of Contents where the reader can find reference to specific scholars or topics covered in the book. I found this to be an especially helpful feature--along with the index and lengthy bibliography located at the end of the main text.
Another aspect of this book that I like is that Campbell includes plenty of examples to help the reader understand where he is going with his argument. Sometimes seeing an argument is makes it easier to understand and I found this to be a great feature of the book. To the uninitiated who wish to venture into this book, there will be challenges. You need a fairly serious working knowledge of the Greek even to understand the examples he gives to explain certain concepts.
The only problem I see with the book is that with so many theories and scholars and divergent points of view, it seems that at some point, and at some level, some conclusions are purely subjective and speculative. Campbell might agree with that assessment given that even DA Carson, who wrote the Foreward, notes he isn't always convinced by Campbell's arguments. The world of Greek semantics is a complicated and without a trustworthy guide it can become a Gordian Knot. We must tread with humility and caution and I'm convinced that Campbell is cautious and open to dialogue and exploration of his ideas and thoughts. This is no scholarly puff piece. This is just an excellently written book.
I think Campbell tries to maintain a fine balance between scholarly integrity and depth and faithful, Spirit led exegetical thoughts. At the end of the day, Greek exegesis will take the scholar or preacher so far, but I think there must be some dependence upon the Spirit to lead us into truth--I don't think Campbell would disagree, but that is clearly not the purpose of his book and this is not the place to make the argument. This is not to say that rigorous work with the Greek text is unnecessary. I stand firm that I think more preachers ought to be engaged in the study and use of the original languages as much as possible. It's also my opinion that some preachers ought to simply put the Greek New Testament away or go back to school given the way they mangle it in the pulpit or the flimsy observations they make based on what this tense means or that verb means. Campbell does a good job warning us of the dangers of careless use of the Greek.
This is an accessible book for those in advanced study of Greek and one that I think preachers ought to give serious consideration to reading. The breadth of resources Campbell discusses and engages has given me some ideas for further study--in the hopes of replacing my worn out Summers primer (whose work did not make the pages of Campbell's early history in chapter 1). It has also inspired me to start applying some serious effort into my study, comprehension, and retention of Greek. Applying the thoughts practically in the final chapter (Teaching and Learning Greek) was especially helpful and I am glad that he did not leave us hanging on wondering what to do with all this information.
This is an exciting book. I highly recommend it and warmly award it 5 stars.
5/5 Stars
Important Book & Author Things
Where to purchase Advances in the Study of Greek Amazon (Kindle, $19.99) CBD ($19.49) Zondervan (Pre-order for $34.99)
Author: Constantine R. Campbell
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 250 (paperback)
Year: 2015
Audience:Pastors, linguists, preachers, college professors, students of New Testament, students and professors of New Testament Greek, translators
Reading Level: College Level
Disclaimer: I was provided a free reader's copy courtesy of Zondervan via NetGalley.
Two stories will introduce my thoughts. I was engaged in a conversation today on Facebook--the pinnacle of good, scholarly atmosphere and advanced learning--when a commenter made a rather startling statement. I had posted something about a political candidate published in a popular magazine and someone commented and said something about like, "well if by such and such you mean..." I responded, "'you'? I didn't write this." My friend wrote back, "This is why I love Koine Greek, so much easier to write what you mean." The timing most certainly was providential, but I'm not sure that my dialogue partner has spent much time actually reading about the advancements in Koine Greek scholarship if he thinks it is easier to write what you mean in Greek than, say, English. Or maybe he has and it is. The simply word 'you' managed to cause some misunderstanding--although I was playing funny with him--and we had a good laugh. Still...
Back in the day, when I was still an undergraduate, I spent my Fall and Winter semesters hunkered down in the confines of Ray Summers' Essentials of New Testament Greek. I did this for three years, a total of six semesters. We weren't always in Summers' book after my first year (we used other primers and books too) but when it came to mastering paradigms, my professor insisted we study Summers. I remember those days fondly--working through paradigms, plowing through the translation of Johannine literature (the 'easiest'), learning vocabulary, struggling to get the concept of the deponent verb, mastering participles, periphrastics, and genitive absolutes. Ah, good times indeed. But we spent most of our time mastering paradigms and translating text.
Come to find out, 20 some years later, there was far more nuance to the Greek of the New Testament than I ever thought imaginable. Who knew that behind closed office doors, or in the midst of a conference only attended by a relative few, or in the finely tuned pages of a peer reviewed journal smeared with publishing blood, there was so much debate going on about whether or not Greek verbs actually carry tense or that aorist verbs might not always indicate straight forward punctiliar moments in past time? (Summers: "The function of the aorist tense is a matter of tremendous importance. The time of action is past. The kind of action is punctiliar." 66)
Turns out, Koine Greek--what I was taught was simple 'market place' Greek--is not, after all, so simple and easy and uncomplicated.
To be sure, the study of Greek at the undergraduate level is relatively easy when compared with the depth of conversation that is, evidently, engaged at higher levels of education by linguists and as is represented in this book by Constantine R Campbell. There are debates about everything one can imagine when it comes to Greek, the parsing of nouns, mood, verbs, deponents, tense, perspective, indicatives, perfects, and, when it is all said and done, translating the actual text into something that is both faithful to the Greek and readable by the general church. It is a chore--but I suspect more a labor of love. Campbell is correct: I am hopelessly out of touch. This book is an excellent corrective.
Maybe the undergraduate level study of Greek needs to be a little more intensive (maybe it is now; it's been 20 years since I was an undergraduate) or maybe our definitions are just too simple. I'm not a Greek scholar or a linguist, so setting the tone for undergraduate level study of Koine Greek is not high on my list of things to do. I have Summers' book sitting just above my head on my desk, but after reading Advances in the Study of Greek, I'm wondering if it might be time to purchase a new primer because I'm sure that if I learned anything from this book by Campbell I have learned that a lot of developments have taken place in our understanding of Greek since Summers published in 1950. And who would have thought that?
Changing gears for a moment, I note that there are a lot of decisions that go into the translation of the New Testament into other languages. We have been blessed here in our time to see the publication of about a thousand different versions of the Bible and I have always asked myself, with each new translation: why? I think I now know why. It is not just so simple as translating one word in Greek into another word in English. There are levels of nuance, interpretation, and decisions that have to be made by the translator for every single proverbial jot and tittle. Frankly, it is staggering to consider what goes into translation and I suppose to this point every translation is, at some level, a paraphrase. It may have been unintended, but this book gave me a deep appreciation for those who do the work of translation of the New Testament into other languages (even English)--especially in cultures where there is no written language.
Key to this book is the subtitle: New Insights for Reading the New Testament (my emphasis). This book is not just about translating, it is, or at least purports to be, about reading the Bible. It does make one wonder just how much of our reading is done incorrectly. On the other hand, the author has limited his audience because there are not many people sitting in the pews on Sunday with a copy of Nestle-Aland in their hands or on their Kindle. But as DA Carson points out in the Foreward, "This book is not for beginners, but it will provide enormously useful in helping scholars, advanced students, and serious pastors to find out what is going on in the field of New Testament Greek studies--especially if they are tempted to think that advances cannot be made" (17).
The book is broken down into 10 chapters and covers the following areas of concern:
1. Short history of Greek studies; 2. Linguistic Theories; 3. Lexical Semantics and Lexicography; 4. Deponency and the Middle Voice; 5. Verbal Aspect and Aktionsart; 6. Idiolect, Genre, and Register; 7-8. Discourse Analysis I (Hallidayan) and II (Levinsohn); 9. Pronunciation; 10. Teaching and Learning.
Obviously, some aspects of Greek study have been left out due to space considerations, but what Campbell does cover in 200 some odd pages is breathtaking. Within each of these sections is detailed study of some of the things that, perhaps, some have taken for granted (aorists, perfects, for example). What is also helpful is that he includes an Expanded Table of Contents where the reader can find reference to specific scholars or topics covered in the book. I found this to be an especially helpful feature--along with the index and lengthy bibliography located at the end of the main text.
Another aspect of this book that I like is that Campbell includes plenty of examples to help the reader understand where he is going with his argument. Sometimes seeing an argument is makes it easier to understand and I found this to be a great feature of the book. To the uninitiated who wish to venture into this book, there will be challenges. You need a fairly serious working knowledge of the Greek even to understand the examples he gives to explain certain concepts.
The only problem I see with the book is that with so many theories and scholars and divergent points of view, it seems that at some point, and at some level, some conclusions are purely subjective and speculative. Campbell might agree with that assessment given that even DA Carson, who wrote the Foreward, notes he isn't always convinced by Campbell's arguments. The world of Greek semantics is a complicated and without a trustworthy guide it can become a Gordian Knot. We must tread with humility and caution and I'm convinced that Campbell is cautious and open to dialogue and exploration of his ideas and thoughts. This is no scholarly puff piece. This is just an excellently written book.
I think Campbell tries to maintain a fine balance between scholarly integrity and depth and faithful, Spirit led exegetical thoughts. At the end of the day, Greek exegesis will take the scholar or preacher so far, but I think there must be some dependence upon the Spirit to lead us into truth--I don't think Campbell would disagree, but that is clearly not the purpose of his book and this is not the place to make the argument. This is not to say that rigorous work with the Greek text is unnecessary. I stand firm that I think more preachers ought to be engaged in the study and use of the original languages as much as possible. It's also my opinion that some preachers ought to simply put the Greek New Testament away or go back to school given the way they mangle it in the pulpit or the flimsy observations they make based on what this tense means or that verb means. Campbell does a good job warning us of the dangers of careless use of the Greek.
This is an accessible book for those in advanced study of Greek and one that I think preachers ought to give serious consideration to reading. The breadth of resources Campbell discusses and engages has given me some ideas for further study--in the hopes of replacing my worn out Summers primer (whose work did not make the pages of Campbell's early history in chapter 1). It has also inspired me to start applying some serious effort into my study, comprehension, and retention of Greek. Applying the thoughts practically in the final chapter (Teaching and Learning Greek) was especially helpful and I am glad that he did not leave us hanging on wondering what to do with all this information.
This is an exciting book. I highly recommend it and warmly award it 5 stars.
5/5 Stars
Important Book & Author Things
Where to purchase Advances in the Study of Greek Amazon (Kindle, $19.99) CBD ($19.49) Zondervan (Pre-order for $34.99)
Author: Constantine R. Campbell
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 250 (paperback)
Year: 2015
Audience:Pastors, linguists, preachers, college professors, students of New Testament, students and professors of New Testament Greek, translators
Reading Level: College Level
Disclaimer: I was provided a free reader's copy courtesy of Zondervan via NetGalley.
September 11, 2023
Want to read a book to sharpen your Biblical (Koine) Greek in light of the latest research of the studies of the Greek language and also linguistics? Or do you wonder if the scholarship of the Greek language and linguistics can help you better interpret the New Testament? This book would be for you; and the author Constantine R. Campbell did write a great book for those who are expository preachers and pastors who do the work of exegesis but are also busy with ministry to be reading academic journal articles and scholarly monograph to be caught up with the latest development. Part of that is because such pastors and Bible expositors are busy with the New Testament itself and the latest theory with language isn’t going to seem always practical. The author as a professor the New Testament did a good job of bringing up to the readers those things that do matter and have been more solid and tested. As someone who desire to be a life long student of the Bible in the original language this book was such a gold mine!
After a forward from the famous New Testament scholar D.A. Carson and a preface and introduction the main part of the book is the ten chapters. The first chapter is a short history of Greek studies from the nineteenth century to the present, and this chapter helps gives readers the big picture. Chapter two ten looks at linguistic theories and then the next chapter looks at lexicography and lexical semantics. I really thought the discussion about lexical studies and meaning to be very insightful. Chapter four looks at the discussion about the Greek middle voice for verbs and whether there is such a thing as deponency. I thought the chapter did a good job summarizing while today the idea of Greek middle voice functioning as a deponent is no longer held by scholars. Chapter five also is very good with the discussion about verbal aspect and Aktionart. Chapter six was totally new to me with the discussion about “Indiolect, Genre and Register.” Then this is followed by two chapters on discourse analysis which is something I wanted to learn about before. I also thought it was interesting to read chapter nine on discussion of Greek pronunciation and the author’s discussion about methods scholars uses to try to find the pronunciation is very fascinating. I like how the last chapter is on teaching and learning Greek and the author here is practical and I found that helpful for myself since next year I will be teaching a Greek exegesis class overseas.
I took so much notes reading this book. There was so many things I learned. I actually got this book back in 2016 but for some reason I never got around to reading this until 2023. I wished I read this earlier. It sure wet my appetite to learn more about the Greek language. This book is also helpful in pointing out further readings resources (I already ordered the author’s book on Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek as a result of reading the chapter on verbal aspect. I realize more and more lately that teaching the Word of God is a spiritual endeavor though that doesn’t mean hard work as a responsibility of the preacher no longer matter; so I want to ask readers to pray for this book would help me be a better life long expository preacher while also learning more I also depend on the Spirit.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Zondervan Academic and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
After a forward from the famous New Testament scholar D.A. Carson and a preface and introduction the main part of the book is the ten chapters. The first chapter is a short history of Greek studies from the nineteenth century to the present, and this chapter helps gives readers the big picture. Chapter two ten looks at linguistic theories and then the next chapter looks at lexicography and lexical semantics. I really thought the discussion about lexical studies and meaning to be very insightful. Chapter four looks at the discussion about the Greek middle voice for verbs and whether there is such a thing as deponency. I thought the chapter did a good job summarizing while today the idea of Greek middle voice functioning as a deponent is no longer held by scholars. Chapter five also is very good with the discussion about verbal aspect and Aktionart. Chapter six was totally new to me with the discussion about “Indiolect, Genre and Register.” Then this is followed by two chapters on discourse analysis which is something I wanted to learn about before. I also thought it was interesting to read chapter nine on discussion of Greek pronunciation and the author’s discussion about methods scholars uses to try to find the pronunciation is very fascinating. I like how the last chapter is on teaching and learning Greek and the author here is practical and I found that helpful for myself since next year I will be teaching a Greek exegesis class overseas.
I took so much notes reading this book. There was so many things I learned. I actually got this book back in 2016 but for some reason I never got around to reading this until 2023. I wished I read this earlier. It sure wet my appetite to learn more about the Greek language. This book is also helpful in pointing out further readings resources (I already ordered the author’s book on Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek as a result of reading the chapter on verbal aspect. I realize more and more lately that teaching the Word of God is a spiritual endeavor though that doesn’t mean hard work as a responsibility of the preacher no longer matter; so I want to ask readers to pray for this book would help me be a better life long expository preacher while also learning more I also depend on the Spirit.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Zondervan Academic and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
March 6, 2024
Campbell’s lament at the end of the book provides a helpful lens to view the goal of the book. That “there is no thing about Greek exegesis that does not involve Greek.” And on the whole I agree and affirm Campbell’s lament.
Students and pastors will benefit greatly from this book precisely because the ideas that are being discussed among Greek scholars are ideas that will affect preaching and teaching. Therefore this is a must read for any wishing to do serious Greek exegesis either for preaching or paper writing, and anything in between.
Students and pastors will benefit greatly from this book precisely because the ideas that are being discussed among Greek scholars are ideas that will affect preaching and teaching. Therefore this is a must read for any wishing to do serious Greek exegesis either for preaching or paper writing, and anything in between.
July 7, 2025
Should be a required text for Greek students.
December 2, 2017
Not exactly a page turning bestseller, but nonetheless a very important resource for the student of the Greek NT. Campbell discussed and highlights various issues in Greek studies including linguistics, lexicographer, aspect, Aktionsart, deponency, discourse analysis, and more. The key strength to this book is the clarity with which difficult issues are handled. What is also helpful are his background information on why certain things were discussed, are important etc.
Some of this will no doubt go over even a diligent student’s head, and I also didn’t pay as close a reading to each section, but regardless this is an indispensable resource for understanding conversations happening within Greek NT studies.
Some of this will no doubt go over even a diligent student’s head, and I also didn’t pay as close a reading to each section, but regardless this is an indispensable resource for understanding conversations happening within Greek NT studies.
April 14, 2022
There is more to Greek than learning words and parsing them.
In this book, Campbell gives you a short and quick review of history of Greek studies and introduces you to the areas you need to delve in. His review of each theme points in the direction of identifying the concepts and the people who advance Greek studies.
Highly recommended!
In this book, Campbell gives you a short and quick review of history of Greek studies and introduces you to the areas you need to delve in. His review of each theme points in the direction of identifying the concepts and the people who advance Greek studies.
Highly recommended!
November 11, 2024
This book by Constantine Campbell covers a range of issues in the study of ancient (mostly Koine) Greek, ranging from the impact of modern linguistics to new trends in pedagogy. A significant portion of it is made up of a treatment of debates over verbal aspect and the development of discourse theory, but I found the most value in its treatment of lexical semantics, deponency, and idiolect.
The frame and perspective of the book is introduced right at the beginning in its treatment of 19th and early 20th century linguistics. Campbell's basic point of view is that the comparative philology of the 19th century was largely a not very useful episode and led to significant errors, such as treating Latin and ancient Greek as more alike than they actually were. Connected with this is a firm enthronement of "synchronic" Saussurean linguistics, the analysis of language as it exists at a specific point in time, and a relegation of "diachronic," historical linguistics to the place of a servant to be called in merely at need.
This was helpful for me because I have much more sympathy with "historical" approaches to language. My feel for language has always, or at any rate has for a long time, included a sense of the weight of history borne by various words, a sense that has grown over time that the history of a language and the range of associative connotations borne by it words have more importance than normally allowed. Thus Campbell was helpful for me in making the case for the opposite perspective (the perspective of most (almost all?) modern linguistics) and showing how this impacted the study of Greek.
In some cases, I think this has been very helpful. For example, I learned Greek right after learning Latin, and it struck me as a mismatch to describe Greek verbs with middle forms that lacked active forms in terms of Latin deponent verbs that had only passive forms. Our understanding of the middle voice seemed underdeveloped and many of these so-called deponent verbs seemed to simply have middle-voice meanings. (The middle voice is used to describe an action in which the subject of the verb acts in a way that impacts the agent, or acts in a way with a clear view toward agent's interests; e.g., one sees a similar phenomenon in some English dialects when someone says "I'm going to get me a gun/drink/etc.," where one could drop the indirect object "me" but it adds a very particular flavor to the description, that one is doing this *for oneself,* because it is peculiarly bound up with one's own interest or welfare or etc.) So it was good to see that this has advanced significantly and people are analyzing the Greek middle voice and verbs with only middle-voice forms on their own terms.
But I have significant reservations about the developments we've seen in verbal aspect. The idea, in brief, is that since Porter and Fanning's dissertations (in or around 1989/1990), New Testament Greek has been assaulted by the idea that in Greek, verbs do not bear tense (past/present/future/etc.), only aspect (imperfective [in-process], perfective [complete], stative [complete with enduring result].) I found this idea quite strange. I was trained primarily in Attic and Ionic Greek -- earlier forms of Greek used in Athens and in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey -- from which the Koine Greek of the first century largely derive and this idea seemed to come completely from left field. After surveying the terrain, it seems to me that no one outside of New Testament studies has adopted this idea; indeed, most view it with horror, and I am worried that it will reinforce the isolation of New Testament Greek studies from classical studies at large.
It is also, I note, an idea that the historical approach would call into question. There are languages that lack tense. Neither classical nor modern Chinese, for example, has verb tenses. If one wishes to specify the time when an action took place as in the past or etc. one must simply state that it happened "yesterday," "earlier," etc. But since Indo-European languages do normally have tense, one then needs to ask how Greek lost its tenses, and, perhaps more confusingly, how it got them back, since modern Greek has tenses. The historical point of view would ask for a clear explanation in terms of the known patterns of historical linguistics regarding how this happened. Did Greek come into contact with a large number of languages lacking tense? Did Greek come to be spoken by people whose original language lacked tense? Or what?
I think that there is no explanation of this because there is no such story to tell. I have other reservations about this that I will pass over for the sake of limited time.
The treatment of discourse analysis was helpful. This area seemed more forbidding than it really was. In fact, it is a helpful approach to understanding the nuts and bolts of coherence and cohesiveness in written language and in Greek in particular. It may be a bit overblown in terms of how much it impacts competent reading -- many readers of Greek are not very good readers, and more experienced readers will sense much of what discourse analysis teaches intuitively -- but after reading Campbell I feel confident I could enter this realm and understand what is happening in it.
Regarding pronunciation, there is no great option. Erasmian pronunciation is more accurate for Classical Greek whereas "modern" or "Buthian" pronunciation is more accurate for Koine Greek. I opt for a reconstructed Erasmiam pronunciation, because of my roots in Attic Greek, but different person's priorities will differ.
I do note -- and worry -- that in advocating modern pronunciation, Campbell and others are again reinforcing a certain self-isolation of New Testament Greek scholars from the larger community of ancient Greek scholars. This is also reinforced by differences I found between myself and Campbell on pedagogy. I agree with Campbell on the big-picture issue: Should students be reading real texts as soon as possible, or should they learn the whole grammar system first? Campbell recommends having them read real texts as soon as possible and I think this is quite correct. However, I do not recommend having students reading *the New Testament* in the process of learning Greek. Most students will already have read the New Testament in translation, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times. This encourages a false relation to Greek; it makes everything too familiar and makes it hard to see how Greek functions on its own. It is entirely possible -- and I have done so as a Greek tutor -- to have students read 1st century Koine Greek that is not the New Testament. If one does this, one does not rob the students of the surprise of reading something new and seeing the meaning flash into existence before their eyes, one does not build in a continual over-reliance on earlier translations, and one discourages the idea that Greek is like a code that can be de-coded into a series of one-to-one relations with English. One can then actually teach students to *read* Greek not decode it into English. Then, when they turn to the New Testament, they can simply read it, and read it in Greek as Greek. Perhaps this would even discourage them from all the very bad exegetical habits we see that arise from knowing just a little Greek (the kind Campbell shows Moises Silva effectively lampooning, pp. 53-54). It couldn't hurt; I think a lot of the weird over-reading of Greek words and the like is due to not actually seeing these words in their living environment and seeing how they function in a variety of contexts and situations.
I've focused on some areas of disagreement and worry, but I do recommend this book highly for those who want to get up to date on what is currently happening in Greek studies, at least in New Testament Greek. I found it very readable and informative.
The frame and perspective of the book is introduced right at the beginning in its treatment of 19th and early 20th century linguistics. Campbell's basic point of view is that the comparative philology of the 19th century was largely a not very useful episode and led to significant errors, such as treating Latin and ancient Greek as more alike than they actually were. Connected with this is a firm enthronement of "synchronic" Saussurean linguistics, the analysis of language as it exists at a specific point in time, and a relegation of "diachronic," historical linguistics to the place of a servant to be called in merely at need.
This was helpful for me because I have much more sympathy with "historical" approaches to language. My feel for language has always, or at any rate has for a long time, included a sense of the weight of history borne by various words, a sense that has grown over time that the history of a language and the range of associative connotations borne by it words have more importance than normally allowed. Thus Campbell was helpful for me in making the case for the opposite perspective (the perspective of most (almost all?) modern linguistics) and showing how this impacted the study of Greek.
In some cases, I think this has been very helpful. For example, I learned Greek right after learning Latin, and it struck me as a mismatch to describe Greek verbs with middle forms that lacked active forms in terms of Latin deponent verbs that had only passive forms. Our understanding of the middle voice seemed underdeveloped and many of these so-called deponent verbs seemed to simply have middle-voice meanings. (The middle voice is used to describe an action in which the subject of the verb acts in a way that impacts the agent, or acts in a way with a clear view toward agent's interests; e.g., one sees a similar phenomenon in some English dialects when someone says "I'm going to get me a gun/drink/etc.," where one could drop the indirect object "me" but it adds a very particular flavor to the description, that one is doing this *for oneself,* because it is peculiarly bound up with one's own interest or welfare or etc.) So it was good to see that this has advanced significantly and people are analyzing the Greek middle voice and verbs with only middle-voice forms on their own terms.
But I have significant reservations about the developments we've seen in verbal aspect. The idea, in brief, is that since Porter and Fanning's dissertations (in or around 1989/1990), New Testament Greek has been assaulted by the idea that in Greek, verbs do not bear tense (past/present/future/etc.), only aspect (imperfective [in-process], perfective [complete], stative [complete with enduring result].) I found this idea quite strange. I was trained primarily in Attic and Ionic Greek -- earlier forms of Greek used in Athens and in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey -- from which the Koine Greek of the first century largely derive and this idea seemed to come completely from left field. After surveying the terrain, it seems to me that no one outside of New Testament studies has adopted this idea; indeed, most view it with horror, and I am worried that it will reinforce the isolation of New Testament Greek studies from classical studies at large.
It is also, I note, an idea that the historical approach would call into question. There are languages that lack tense. Neither classical nor modern Chinese, for example, has verb tenses. If one wishes to specify the time when an action took place as in the past or etc. one must simply state that it happened "yesterday," "earlier," etc. But since Indo-European languages do normally have tense, one then needs to ask how Greek lost its tenses, and, perhaps more confusingly, how it got them back, since modern Greek has tenses. The historical point of view would ask for a clear explanation in terms of the known patterns of historical linguistics regarding how this happened. Did Greek come into contact with a large number of languages lacking tense? Did Greek come to be spoken by people whose original language lacked tense? Or what?
I think that there is no explanation of this because there is no such story to tell. I have other reservations about this that I will pass over for the sake of limited time.
The treatment of discourse analysis was helpful. This area seemed more forbidding than it really was. In fact, it is a helpful approach to understanding the nuts and bolts of coherence and cohesiveness in written language and in Greek in particular. It may be a bit overblown in terms of how much it impacts competent reading -- many readers of Greek are not very good readers, and more experienced readers will sense much of what discourse analysis teaches intuitively -- but after reading Campbell I feel confident I could enter this realm and understand what is happening in it.
Regarding pronunciation, there is no great option. Erasmian pronunciation is more accurate for Classical Greek whereas "modern" or "Buthian" pronunciation is more accurate for Koine Greek. I opt for a reconstructed Erasmiam pronunciation, because of my roots in Attic Greek, but different person's priorities will differ.
I do note -- and worry -- that in advocating modern pronunciation, Campbell and others are again reinforcing a certain self-isolation of New Testament Greek scholars from the larger community of ancient Greek scholars. This is also reinforced by differences I found between myself and Campbell on pedagogy. I agree with Campbell on the big-picture issue: Should students be reading real texts as soon as possible, or should they learn the whole grammar system first? Campbell recommends having them read real texts as soon as possible and I think this is quite correct. However, I do not recommend having students reading *the New Testament* in the process of learning Greek. Most students will already have read the New Testament in translation, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times. This encourages a false relation to Greek; it makes everything too familiar and makes it hard to see how Greek functions on its own. It is entirely possible -- and I have done so as a Greek tutor -- to have students read 1st century Koine Greek that is not the New Testament. If one does this, one does not rob the students of the surprise of reading something new and seeing the meaning flash into existence before their eyes, one does not build in a continual over-reliance on earlier translations, and one discourages the idea that Greek is like a code that can be de-coded into a series of one-to-one relations with English. One can then actually teach students to *read* Greek not decode it into English. Then, when they turn to the New Testament, they can simply read it, and read it in Greek as Greek. Perhaps this would even discourage them from all the very bad exegetical habits we see that arise from knowing just a little Greek (the kind Campbell shows Moises Silva effectively lampooning, pp. 53-54). It couldn't hurt; I think a lot of the weird over-reading of Greek words and the like is due to not actually seeing these words in their living environment and seeing how they function in a variety of contexts and situations.
I've focused on some areas of disagreement and worry, but I do recommend this book highly for those who want to get up to date on what is currently happening in Greek studies, at least in New Testament Greek. I found it very readable and informative.
June 21, 2015
This book is the first non-fiction I've reviewed, and let me tell you how glad I am to have picked it up. With my background in Archaeology, ancient languages has always fascinated me. While I studied Biblical Hebrew, my husband studied Classical Greek for his four years of undergraduate study and during his two year master's program in Classical Studies. Armed with this, and with my own studies of the New Testament via word studies (and with the memorization of the Greek alphabet for my sorority) I was ready for this book.
It blew my mind. Perhaps I've been out of academia for too long, reviewing fiction novels, but this book has changed the way I look at not only studying the New Testament, but learning ancient languages and understanding my own. The background of the study of this language was immensely helpful as a way to set the stage for what was to come. While some terms weren't defined right away, he devoted full chapters to specific concepts I had an issue with.
What really struck me is how it has changed the way I study the New Testament. I'm a believer in going back to the original text using word studies. Looking at the Greek has helped me understand difficult passages, and has changed my perception of other passages still. Campbell has, without my having to sit in a classroom, given me a greater desire to learn more about this language and the culture behind it. He has given me a desire to go beyond simple word studies. I likely won't be one of his hopeful categories, the one who will come out with my own advances in the language. But I know that this book has given me the foundation I need to start.
Within his book, Campbell shows various and conflicting arguments about Koine Greek, from the legitimacy of deponency (I had to ask the husband about that term when I first stumbled upon it) to the proper pronunciation and why it's important to know. This wide overview was comprehensive and appreciated from someone outside that part of academia.
Each chapter works mostly as an overview, but Campbell gives the reader resources to use as further reading to continue learning about a specific subject. This is an added benefit to the reader. Personally, it has helped me and my husband when discussing various aspects of Campbell's arguments (for example, we discussed chapter 9, in which Campbell discusses the proper pronunciation of Koine Greek and how this can be discovered through the study of papyri dating to the proper period.)
In order to fully appreciate this book, I believe some background in Greek would be beneficial, although not necessarily a full working knowledge of the language. Or, at the very least, some knowledge of languages whether it's ancient or not. Overall, Campbell has written a clear and concise book about how the study of Koine Greek has developed, focusing on its history as well as modern advances.
It blew my mind. Perhaps I've been out of academia for too long, reviewing fiction novels, but this book has changed the way I look at not only studying the New Testament, but learning ancient languages and understanding my own. The background of the study of this language was immensely helpful as a way to set the stage for what was to come. While some terms weren't defined right away, he devoted full chapters to specific concepts I had an issue with.
What really struck me is how it has changed the way I study the New Testament. I'm a believer in going back to the original text using word studies. Looking at the Greek has helped me understand difficult passages, and has changed my perception of other passages still. Campbell has, without my having to sit in a classroom, given me a greater desire to learn more about this language and the culture behind it. He has given me a desire to go beyond simple word studies. I likely won't be one of his hopeful categories, the one who will come out with my own advances in the language. But I know that this book has given me the foundation I need to start.
Within his book, Campbell shows various and conflicting arguments about Koine Greek, from the legitimacy of deponency (I had to ask the husband about that term when I first stumbled upon it) to the proper pronunciation and why it's important to know. This wide overview was comprehensive and appreciated from someone outside that part of academia.
Each chapter works mostly as an overview, but Campbell gives the reader resources to use as further reading to continue learning about a specific subject. This is an added benefit to the reader. Personally, it has helped me and my husband when discussing various aspects of Campbell's arguments (for example, we discussed chapter 9, in which Campbell discusses the proper pronunciation of Koine Greek and how this can be discovered through the study of papyri dating to the proper period.)
In order to fully appreciate this book, I believe some background in Greek would be beneficial, although not necessarily a full working knowledge of the language. Or, at the very least, some knowledge of languages whether it's ancient or not. Overall, Campbell has written a clear and concise book about how the study of Koine Greek has developed, focusing on its history as well as modern advances.
October 22, 2016
Campbell’s Advances in the Study of Greek offers a helpful and user-friendly introduction to the many contemporary issues in the world of New Testament Greek scholarship. Overall, the book brilliantly executes what it sets out to address, for the type of audience he had in mind (namely, those uninitiated in the world of Greek linguistics). In the process, he has provided a good overview and carefully explained a select few major topics found in recent advances or debates in the study of Koine Greek. This is a book that cuts through the inaccessibility of much of Greek linguistics and is an excellent resource for any student or pastor who desires to be current in their understanding of contributions of linguistics to the study of New Testament Greek.
March 16, 2024
Second time through: opinion unchanged. Still an extremely useful read
Original review:
A unique and surprisingly accessible resource. Campbell aims to get Greek students, pastors, and even New Testament scholars up to date with the debates and advancements in Greek scholarship that have occurred over the past several decades. This is a must-read for anyone studying the Greek New Testament.
Original review:
A unique and surprisingly accessible resource. Campbell aims to get Greek students, pastors, and even New Testament scholars up to date with the debates and advancements in Greek scholarship that have occurred over the past several decades. This is a must-read for anyone studying the Greek New Testament.
May 2, 2024
Good book
February 14, 2022
Constantine Campbell’s book Advances in the Study of Greek seeks to provide “an accessible introduction for students, pastors, professors, and New Testament commentators to understand current issues of interest” (20) in the study of Greek and why they matter. He argues that important advances have been made but that those outside of Greek scholarship have difficulty stepping into the conversation. Campbell hopes his book will be the bridge. In this paper, I will summarize each of the topics covered by Campbell and evaluate their contribution to understanding the New Testament. In this I will show that each chapter was beneficial though not equally helpful or interesting.
Campbell began his book with a history of Greek studies. Over the past few centuries, countless individuals have contributed to our understanding of biblical Greek. Many of the most important contributions mentioned are expounded upon in later chapters. Georg Curtius, the father of Greek verbal aspect studies, discovered that the Greek verbal system differs from that of Latin. His study of the type of action expressed by Greek verbs lead to the term “Aktionsart” which became the focus of the later chapter on verbal aspect. Albert Thumbe used extra biblical Greek texts to understand the different forms and dialects within Koine. Through these examples alone we have a better understanding of Koine which allows us to be more accurate readers of the Greek New Testament. Our understanding of Greek words is also shaped by James Barr who demonstrated the etymological fallacy and by Louw and Nida who created a lexicon that offered definitions as opposed to glosses alone. Even if the names and contributions are forgotten, the chapter highlights that advances have been made. We know more about biblical Greek now than we did in the eighteenth century.
The next section dealt with linguistic theory. It is a mistake to dismiss linguistics as the field of study aids in our understanding of the Greek New Testament. Linguistics focuses on the “phenomenon” of language, how meaning is communicated and how the language works. The study is extremely broad as some branches focus on specific languages while others focus on the similarities found in all languages. Campbell argues that a functional linguistic approach is the best for students of Greek and other dead languages (68). My Hebrew professor, on many occasions, has said, “I’m not interested in what this means in English. I care about what it means in Hebrew.” According to the systemic functional approach, the goal is not to understand Greek (or Hebrew or any language) through the lens of English. The history of Greek studies is filled with problems that came from assumed similarities between Greek and Latin. And as Campbell pointed out at the end of his chapter, many current debates, like that of “tense,” depend on linguistic distinctions (70).
Campbell’s chapter on lexical semantics and lexicography, to me, was one of the most practical. The knowledge I received from this chapter alone will guard against many exegetical fallacies down the road. He began by explaining Ogden and Richards’ use of symbol, sense, and referent. Symbol is the word, sense is the image evoked by the symbol, and referent is “the actual thing in the real world that is denoted by the symbol” (73). Symbols may have the same referent, but if they do not overlap in sense then it is incorrect to say they are synonymous (75). These concepts are important in understanding the meaning of words. Crucial to understanding the meaning is observing the context. Common misunderstandings come from being overly dependent on historical interpretations, deriving meaning from etymology, and practicing totality transference which all the possible meanings of a word are read into a single use of the word. Total transference is not how we understand the sense of a word in English; the same is true for Greek. As we have talked about in class, we should assume the biblical author has one meaning in mind, and we must observe the context to rightly understand the sense of the word.
The chapter on deponency and the middle voice was one of my least favorite sections, and yet it seemed to carry heavy implications for the understanding and teaching of Greek. Campbell claims that most scholars working in the field agree that the category of deponency should be rejected. The consensus was reflected well in 2010’s SBL conference (98). Campbell argues that we must understand the voice of a verb through its form and that “deponency” does not exist. I likely failed to grasp the full significance of the shift, though the consensus on the topic implies that I will be hearing more about the topic in the years to come.
Campbell’s chapter on verbal aspect and aktionsart closed with a call for further study. Advances in this heavily debated area will bring clarity to exegesis and genre studies. “Aktionsart refers to how an action usually takes place - what sort of action it is. Aspect refers to viewpoint - how the action is viewed” (108). They are two different categories. As spoken of earlier, the assumption that Greek was like Latin led to a belief that tense existed throughout the verbal system. Many now question if present in any of the moods (109). Campbell admits that tense-forms may have a “default temporal function” (114), but he suggests that we regard verbs as encoding “aspect and proximity” (115). Therefore, tense is not encoded in the verbal system and aspect is. Aktionsart is determined by the context, and Campbell provides a series of questions to ask to work towards its identification.
Though minimally important at first glance, pronunciation is an important topic of study because of our respect for historical accuracy and the effect it can have on our understanding of the Greek New Testament. The big surprise of the chapter was that my pronunciation of Greek, the Erasmian pronunciation that has dominated the field, is not Koine Greek. Regardless of Erasmus' motives for creating his pronunciation, it reflected that of Classical Greek and not the Greek of the New Testament (95). Through examining misspelled words in Greek documents of the day, scholars were able to recreate the Koine pronunciation. While Wallace defended the Erasmian pronunciation for pedagogical reasons, it seems that the Koine pronunciation will (and should) slowly become the dominant pronunciation. Last year, my Greek professor would continually remind our class that God has spoken through his word. Therefore, our goal should be to understand it with as much accuracy and clarity as possible. If we have found a more accurate pronunciation of the language God used to give us the New Testament, it seems we should take seriously the pronunciation so as to understand with more accuracy. Furthermore, the pronunciation will give better insight into scribal errors. The impact of slightly shifting the pronunciation does not seem as great as advancing our understanding of lexicography. It is of more value to understand the meaning of a word than its accurate pronunciation. However, it seems the change in pronunciation will inevitably come with time, and the shift could bring more insights than anticipated.
The impactful chapter of Campbell’s book, for me, was the last chapter in which he addressed the topics of teaching and learning Greek. He began by observing many present concerns. Greek professors are concerned about a declining interest in Greek while former students with either embarrassment or boldness speak of their inability to remember the Greek they learned. This lack of interest and knowledge in Greek has led to sermons that are exegetically shallow or incorrect. While the previous assessment was not the main point of Campbell’s chapter (it was merely setting the stage for his arguments), it is one that must be carefully considered. My uncle is a pastor, and when he heard that I was studying Greek and Hebrew he remarked that with all the tools we have today there really is no need to focus on learning the languages. He isn’t the only pastor to hold this view. While you can be a faithful pastor without knowing Greek, you are limited to some extent. More importantly, pastoral ministry is ministry of the Word. Energy and effort toward understanding God’s Word should never be belittled. But that reflects part of the problem. Many do not understand the value of the languages. If the languages are to be rightly valued and used, teachers must be intentional in how they teach. They must evaluate their methods because, as Campbell says, “the margins for error are already thin” (209). The “older method” and immersion method are two options for teaching Greek. The older/traditional method involves memorization of grammar gloss translations before students move to interpreting passages. Campbell offered several suggestions for improving this method. These include early introduction to the interpretation with the help of classmates and the professor, using technology as an aid, and helping students learn how to memorize and learn. As I studied Greek during my first year, I came across some free-Greek lectures by Dr. Rob Plummer. While he lectured on the material, he offered helpful tools and methods for memorization. He would frequently point his students toward acronyms and YouTube videos of songs of Greek vocab made by previous students. In this way he exemplified the advice given by Campbell. The use of technology as an aid, however, could be a crutch that students lean on to their own detriment. Professors must be intentional and cautious with how they go about using it.
The immersion method involves students being thrown into the language as quickly and as fully as possible. This may be achieved through professors speaking Greek in the classroom, but it is most effectively done through studying the language in the country in which it is spoken. However, with Koine Greek being a dead language, several problems quickly surface. One cannot get a fully immersive experience in a dead language. And while the immersive method often produces students who can read Greek quickly, speed is not always the goal. Slow readings often produce more insights and observations of the text (219). In the chapter, it is suggested that seminaries require an 8-week seminar (perhaps through the immersion method) on the biblical language before students enter their MDiv program. Their Bible classes will then focus on the text in the original language. From my experience, it is difficult to learn Greek and Hebrew while taking other classes. Homework in my native language quickly takes priority over memorizing paradigms. This would even allow professors to dive even deeper into the Scriptures as they teach students.
Campbell identified the current issue of students losing interest in Greek and sought to provide a solution through advice on how to teach the language. However, I believe the interest can be strengthened through teachers continuing to remind and demonstrate the importance of the languages. Teachers cannot assume their students will be motivated to learn. They must be reminded again and again of the value of their study and of the potential dangers of neglecting it.
Overall, Campbell’s book accomplished what its goal. I am more aware of the current advances (and areas that need improvement) in the study of Greek, and as described throughout this paper, I am better equipped to accurately understand the Greek New Testament and to avoid common fallacies.
October 31, 2017
Constantine R. Campbell is Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Theological Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Campbell received a PhD from Macquaire University and is author of numerous books, including Basics of Verbal Aspect in Biblical Greek (Zondervan, 2008), Keep Your Greek: Strategies for Busy People (Zondervan, 2010), and Reading Biblical Greek: A Grammar for Students (with Richard J. Gibson, Zondervan, 2017). Still, one of the most important resources that Campbell has written for students of New Testament Greek is Advances in the Study of Greek: New Insights for Reading the New Testament (Zondervan, 2016).
The goal of Advances in the Study of Greek is simple: to introduce students of New Testament Greek to the latest developments in Greek scholarship. Campbell covers a range of topics in a relatively short amount of space, including a brief history of Greek Studies from the nineteenth century to the present day, linguistic theories, lexical semantics and lexicography, deponency and the middle voice, verbal aspect and Aktionsart, discourse analysis, pronunciation, and more. A second-year level understanding of Greek is assumed, but not required for comprehension. At times the conversation hits a scholarly peak, but for the most part Campbell does an excellent job keeping a wider audience in focus. Campbell is clear and concise, and the organization of the volume is appropriate for both classroom or personal use. Moreover, each chapter concludes with a “Further Reading” section that allows interested readers to explore specific topics. The resources that Campbell provides appear to be both up-to-date and relevant for academic use or personal exploration, but most would accommodate the former given the nature of the volume.
There is much to appreciate in this volume, and at least two are worth mention here. First, and foremost, the organization and readability of the book surprised me. It is clear that Campbell has aimed towards a broader audience, and he succeeded without compromising or oversimplifying the issues. Thus, not only has Campbell made these topics more accessible to the community of Greek enthusiasts, but he has also implicitly moved the conversations forward as incoming and current students are now able to further engage. Second, the comprehensiveness of this volume and the amount of information crammed in such a small package is praiseworthy. Campbell has left almost no stone unturned in his treatment of the field. That said, I think that there was one obvious omission: textual criticism. If I’m completely honest, I was at least a little disappointed as I glanced through the table of contents. I recognize that the field of textual criticism is distinct in several ways from Greek linguistics. But, an acknowledgement of how textual criticism has and continues inform our study of the Greek language could have been a useful bridge to build.
Advances in the Study of Greek: New Insights for Reading the New Testament by Constantine R. Campbell is a worthwhile and enjoyable read for anyone interested in the developments that are and have occurred in Greek scholarship. Not only does Campbell inform the past and the present, but also has made a way forward for many students—both current and future. There is no better book on the market to orient yourself towards the recent research in New Testament Greek! It comes strongly recommended!
The goal of Advances in the Study of Greek is simple: to introduce students of New Testament Greek to the latest developments in Greek scholarship. Campbell covers a range of topics in a relatively short amount of space, including a brief history of Greek Studies from the nineteenth century to the present day, linguistic theories, lexical semantics and lexicography, deponency and the middle voice, verbal aspect and Aktionsart, discourse analysis, pronunciation, and more. A second-year level understanding of Greek is assumed, but not required for comprehension. At times the conversation hits a scholarly peak, but for the most part Campbell does an excellent job keeping a wider audience in focus. Campbell is clear and concise, and the organization of the volume is appropriate for both classroom or personal use. Moreover, each chapter concludes with a “Further Reading” section that allows interested readers to explore specific topics. The resources that Campbell provides appear to be both up-to-date and relevant for academic use or personal exploration, but most would accommodate the former given the nature of the volume.
There is much to appreciate in this volume, and at least two are worth mention here. First, and foremost, the organization and readability of the book surprised me. It is clear that Campbell has aimed towards a broader audience, and he succeeded without compromising or oversimplifying the issues. Thus, not only has Campbell made these topics more accessible to the community of Greek enthusiasts, but he has also implicitly moved the conversations forward as incoming and current students are now able to further engage. Second, the comprehensiveness of this volume and the amount of information crammed in such a small package is praiseworthy. Campbell has left almost no stone unturned in his treatment of the field. That said, I think that there was one obvious omission: textual criticism. If I’m completely honest, I was at least a little disappointed as I glanced through the table of contents. I recognize that the field of textual criticism is distinct in several ways from Greek linguistics. But, an acknowledgement of how textual criticism has and continues inform our study of the Greek language could have been a useful bridge to build.
Advances in the Study of Greek: New Insights for Reading the New Testament by Constantine R. Campbell is a worthwhile and enjoyable read for anyone interested in the developments that are and have occurred in Greek scholarship. Not only does Campbell inform the past and the present, but also has made a way forward for many students—both current and future. There is no better book on the market to orient yourself towards the recent research in New Testament Greek! It comes strongly recommended!
October 12, 2024
The reason why I read Campbell's book was to develop my understanding of the verbal aspect. This book is very comprehensive, touching on issues beyond just the above. What Campbell is interested in is the production of aktionsart as a combination of the lexeme, cultural context, and semantics. He differentiates semantics as a combination of aspect and proximity, specifying words are not semantically encoded for time. I appreciate this breakdown, and clarifying the production of aktionsart in this way has deepened my appreciation for the function of tense forms in literature. However! I am not convinced by Campbell's conclusion that verbs are not encoded at the semantic level with any temporal consideration. Throughout the book, he notes that classical Greek scholars agree that verbs are encoded as such, and this is even shown among classical Greek writers of the time (interpretation by Aristotle is a great case study of this). While I understand he disagrees, I never felt like he explained his evidence for doing so, and his representation of the alternative viewpoint left me befuddled as to why I should accept the proposition. His views on perspective and proximity are significant, but I would need to see more evidence if I were to adopt his temporal absence hypothesis.
October 20, 2019
Overall, this resource was incredibly helpful for me in providing a lay of the land on issues related to New Testament Greek. While I was relatively aware of some issues (such as verbal aspect), others (such as lexical semantics and idiolect) were ones I was not well aware of. Campbell addresses these issues in a way that takes into account all the advances leading up to the 2015 publication of the work. Most issues are summarized simply enough to be grasped by those encountering the issues for the first time. The exceptions, for me, were the sections on discourse analysis. These seemed less focused and harder to apply than, say, the chapters on deponency and verbal aspect. This book is an essential read for any seminary student or pastor who wants to keep up with the substantial changes in the study of Greek.
May 14, 2017
It has been some 4o years since my formal study of Greek in college and seminary, and this book did a great job in catching me up to some of the exciting developments in Greek studies since then. Of particular interest is the increasing consensus that the concept of deponent verbs does not belong in Greek (they are true middle voice verbs), and the clearer understanding of aspect in the understanding of verb tenses. I very much appreciate (and agree with) the author's conviction on the critical importance of Greek for New Testament studies.
November 14, 2017
Great introduction to current issues in the study of Koine Greek
The chapters are short and adequate. You will understand what the issues are and the path ahead. A fair and balanced treatment is provided in every chapter. Representatives on each side of a debate or school have a voice. The recommended reading list at the end of each chapter is worth the price of the book. You will know the resources to acquire to advance in your study of Koine.
The chapters are short and adequate. You will understand what the issues are and the path ahead. A fair and balanced treatment is provided in every chapter. Representatives on each side of a debate or school have a voice. The recommended reading list at the end of each chapter is worth the price of the book. You will know the resources to acquire to advance in your study of Koine.
September 2, 2022
The book introduces several areas of the study of Koine Greek where scholarship is active. It relates the general history of Greek scholarship and linguistics and sometimes the specific history of each area. The book is designed to get you to the 'beginning of the road' in studying these topics and shows you a sample of the advances. The problem of the book is that these areas, especially discourse analysis, are full of jargon and are hard to follow.
August 20, 2017
A helpful summary of recent conversations about NT Greek. The chapter on deponency and "laying it aside" was particularly useful, and I'm now convinced: no more deponent in my NT Greek class. Campbell's best virtue in this book: concision. Recommended for all those looking to refresh their teaching and study of the GNT.
April 2, 2020
This is a really great overview (and reference) for the key areas of Ancient Greek discussion/controversy in academia (at least, up to its publication date of 2015). It does a fantastic job catching on up on areas of debate (e.g., dependency, pronunciation, discourse analysis). I'll be referring back to it from time to time; I think it will make a helpful reference.
January 8, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. Having learned Greek several decades ago now, I was quite a bit behind the times with respect to a number of advancements in Koine Greek studies. This book helped me get back up to speed quickly, and I intend to read further by checking out many of the books he lists at the end of each chapter—that is, after I reread, highlight, and take notes on this book.
September 28, 2017
The author combines key concepts in linguistic theory with insights about the Greek language. It is an interesting book for those interested in the New Testament, Bible translation or biblical Greek.
May 16, 2019
Great book! Its only setback will be time. It cannot stay current without future editions, which will never end if it is to remain relevant and achieve its goal.
December 21, 2019
I enjoyed it greatly.
December 29, 2021
Really good, really helpful. Especially loved the chapters on discourse analysis.
November 14, 2015
With so many advances in the various fields, one might ask whether there have been any advances in the study of greek that should affect the way we understand the study of greek? Constance Campbell argues there have been much advances and he wants more preachers and scholars to be aware of them.
A note before I start, I read this book with an extremely weak knowledge of greek. I can do only simple transliteration and has some knowledge of greek vocabulary. My greek grammar is almost non-existent and thus please take my review as such. I would mainly be reviewing how useful this book would be for those who are extremely new to greek.
Campbell raises 8 advances that have happened in the study of greek. But before he goes to them, Campbell skilfully gives a short history of greek study. As someone who is not acquainted with history of greek studies, I thoroughly enjoyed Campbell’s history. I have gain much from this chapter and found this chapter most helpful to the non-greek readers.
Next Campbell moves to the most crucial advancement, which is the advancement of linguistics theories and lexical semantics. This has change much in the studies of greek. Again, I come from one who is terribly new to the linguistics studies, I have found this chapter to be very invigorating as I have gain much from this chapter with regards to the linguistics studies.
the next few chapters were chapters I read very briefing, they dealt with the technical aspects of greek studies and I have decide not to comment on them. I shall leave this task to those who are much more competent in the study of greek.
In summary would I recommend someone who is new to greek to buy this book? Sure! If you’re serious about studying greek, I found this book very helpful. First, Campbell covers things you would never find in any of the textbooks that teaches you greek. Next, if you want to be a good student of greek, then you should be aware of the advances in the study of the greek language. However, if you do not intent to study greek for a substantial amount of time, then this is not a book for you.
For scholars in greek, this is definitely one of the books you should consult soon. Similarly, if you are a pastor who is often consulting commentaries that interacts directly with the greek text and greek, then you too should give this book a greek. Hopefully this book will help you keep abreast of the advancements of greek and prevent yourself from making the same mistakes others have made in the past.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
A note before I start, I read this book with an extremely weak knowledge of greek. I can do only simple transliteration and has some knowledge of greek vocabulary. My greek grammar is almost non-existent and thus please take my review as such. I would mainly be reviewing how useful this book would be for those who are extremely new to greek.
Campbell raises 8 advances that have happened in the study of greek. But before he goes to them, Campbell skilfully gives a short history of greek study. As someone who is not acquainted with history of greek studies, I thoroughly enjoyed Campbell’s history. I have gain much from this chapter and found this chapter most helpful to the non-greek readers.
Next Campbell moves to the most crucial advancement, which is the advancement of linguistics theories and lexical semantics. This has change much in the studies of greek. Again, I come from one who is terribly new to the linguistics studies, I have found this chapter to be very invigorating as I have gain much from this chapter with regards to the linguistics studies.
the next few chapters were chapters I read very briefing, they dealt with the technical aspects of greek studies and I have decide not to comment on them. I shall leave this task to those who are much more competent in the study of greek.
In summary would I recommend someone who is new to greek to buy this book? Sure! If you’re serious about studying greek, I found this book very helpful. First, Campbell covers things you would never find in any of the textbooks that teaches you greek. Next, if you want to be a good student of greek, then you should be aware of the advances in the study of the greek language. However, if you do not intent to study greek for a substantial amount of time, then this is not a book for you.
For scholars in greek, this is definitely one of the books you should consult soon. Similarly, if you are a pastor who is often consulting commentaries that interacts directly with the greek text and greek, then you too should give this book a greek. Hopefully this book will help you keep abreast of the advancements of greek and prevent yourself from making the same mistakes others have made in the past.
Rating: 4.25 / 5
Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
October 17, 2025
Campbell gets a 5 star mainly because the book addresses important issues affecting NT studies, though I am not sure how much the NT will be affected. My review of course is from a far non-technical outsider, who knows so little Koine as to be dangerous.
Campbell's authorial stance is much more tolerant of what would now be considered dated views of NT studies. He gives Robertson's Grammar high marks. This by itself was good to know, since I acquired BDF because it was newer. I had fallen into my own criticism of valorizing a book simply because it was newer. To recognize that current scholars stand on the shoulders of those who have struggled before gives perhaps a better perspective and imbues a little humility.
Of the various topics, Campbell lists aspect and discourse analysis as the most controversial. By chance I had already read Campbell's book on aspect. Again from a non-technical point of view, the first half of the book seemed plausible, the second not so much. I did not find myself agreeing with aspect but allowing that it was understandable and consistent. I got the impression that some points of aspect are generally accepted, but the rest is all over the map. And, for a Bible study teacher who is adept only at parsing commentaries, BDAG and Wallace's Grammar, aspect is not yet helpful to me, though I have backed off on claiming as much that a particular tense means "X" in the context it is used. For example, aorist is the generic past in narrative texts. Punctiliar force is not in view. Of course even this example may be flawed by mingling aspect with older understandings of the verb. [At this point I intend to put in a cite to a Silvas article questioning the value of aspect.]
Discourse analysis is another layer to consider in approaching what the NT actually says. Also, close reading (a la Harold Bloom) of the text might produce similar or even superior results.
Final shot at genre studies. C.S. Lewis questioned the ability of scholars who were not literary critics to even correctly recognize a genre. Hubris, perhaps, or exactly on target. Same for linguistics. Are NT scholars making claims about linguistics and the NT which are above their pay grade for linguistics ? Linguistic analysis is proper, but if the knowledge of linguistics is only partial, its utility is lessened. Being a little more schooled in linguistics (to the chagrin of my family at the table), the linguistics side of the equation should be up to parr in and of itself, not just a tool to poke at current flaws in NT studies and studying the Bible (Enter Ten Exegetical Mistakes by Carson, stage left.)
Campbell's authorial stance is much more tolerant of what would now be considered dated views of NT studies. He gives Robertson's Grammar high marks. This by itself was good to know, since I acquired BDF because it was newer. I had fallen into my own criticism of valorizing a book simply because it was newer. To recognize that current scholars stand on the shoulders of those who have struggled before gives perhaps a better perspective and imbues a little humility.
Of the various topics, Campbell lists aspect and discourse analysis as the most controversial. By chance I had already read Campbell's book on aspect. Again from a non-technical point of view, the first half of the book seemed plausible, the second not so much. I did not find myself agreeing with aspect but allowing that it was understandable and consistent. I got the impression that some points of aspect are generally accepted, but the rest is all over the map. And, for a Bible study teacher who is adept only at parsing commentaries, BDAG and Wallace's Grammar, aspect is not yet helpful to me, though I have backed off on claiming as much that a particular tense means "X" in the context it is used. For example, aorist is the generic past in narrative texts. Punctiliar force is not in view. Of course even this example may be flawed by mingling aspect with older understandings of the verb. [At this point I intend to put in a cite to a Silvas article questioning the value of aspect.]
Discourse analysis is another layer to consider in approaching what the NT actually says. Also, close reading (a la Harold Bloom) of the text might produce similar or even superior results.
Final shot at genre studies. C.S. Lewis questioned the ability of scholars who were not literary critics to even correctly recognize a genre. Hubris, perhaps, or exactly on target. Same for linguistics. Are NT scholars making claims about linguistics and the NT which are above their pay grade for linguistics ? Linguistic analysis is proper, but if the knowledge of linguistics is only partial, its utility is lessened. Being a little more schooled in linguistics (to the chagrin of my family at the table), the linguistics side of the equation should be up to parr in and of itself, not just a tool to poke at current flaws in NT studies and studying the Bible (Enter Ten Exegetical Mistakes by Carson, stage left.)
February 5, 2016
This book is about, well, what it says it's about. If you think about when you learned your Greek, then think about when your teachers learned their Greek, it's easy to see how you could be several decades behind the curve (for instance, I was recently trying to tell a coworker that there was no such thing as "deponent" verbs in Greek; I think he glazed over). Anyhow, it is Campbell's task to get us up to speed, or at least to direct to the right place in order to read up and, hopefully, catch up. Surely his most valuable parts (MVPs?) address deponency/middle voice, verbal aspects, and discourse analysis (DA). Let's take them in turn.
Scholarly consensus seems to be that verbs lacking an active form can still be true middles (there is something embedded in the form, I would argue; it's not just a result of the verb being deficient). Campbell makes the case well, but really you need to read the original sources. When it comes to aspect theory, he is one of the "original sources," and thus his argument is that much stronger (although I'm not totally convinced that the present tense has no time-element, I'm open-minded; I certainly agree that better understanding aorists and perfects and their aspects will help us avoid some unfortunate exegetical errors). Concerning DA, which has been all the rage for some time and will continue to be so, these chapters were less helpful. They were basically recaps of two majors schools of DA thought.
In those chapters especially, but throughout the book in reality, more examples could have been proffered. Language in a purely theoretical realm is useful for linguists, but not your typical exegete. The other chapters probably could have been beefed up, especially the one concerning pedagogy. Chapters on pronunciation and idiolect/genre/register did not contribute much. All in all, though, a good catch-up for those wanting to stay abreast of current issues in the field. I imagine we will be reading more from Campbell, as it relates to Greek, in the future.
Scholarly consensus seems to be that verbs lacking an active form can still be true middles (there is something embedded in the form, I would argue; it's not just a result of the verb being deficient). Campbell makes the case well, but really you need to read the original sources. When it comes to aspect theory, he is one of the "original sources," and thus his argument is that much stronger (although I'm not totally convinced that the present tense has no time-element, I'm open-minded; I certainly agree that better understanding aorists and perfects and their aspects will help us avoid some unfortunate exegetical errors). Concerning DA, which has been all the rage for some time and will continue to be so, these chapters were less helpful. They were basically recaps of two majors schools of DA thought.
In those chapters especially, but throughout the book in reality, more examples could have been proffered. Language in a purely theoretical realm is useful for linguists, but not your typical exegete. The other chapters probably could have been beefed up, especially the one concerning pedagogy. Chapters on pronunciation and idiolect/genre/register did not contribute much. All in all, though, a good catch-up for those wanting to stay abreast of current issues in the field. I imagine we will be reading more from Campbell, as it relates to Greek, in the future.
February 21, 2024
A useful overview of some recent developments and studies in Koine Greek that have important implications for Greek Exegesis. Chapter 2 is very useful as it surveys the different schools of though for linguistic theory and Campbell makes the important argument that we cannot ignore linguistics since we all have linguistic presuppositions when we interpret Scripture, so we should strive to refine our thinking and accuracy in order to sharpen our exegetical abilities. The two chapters on Discourse Analysis are helpful for outlining the key contemporary approaches which have useful implications for Greek Exegesis.
One criticism I have of the book is that with the history of Greek studies and challenges of traditional methods the same approach could be used in a way antithetical to historical theology and other key tools in Exegesis. Proper exegesis is not isolated to knowing the Biblical languages and Discourse Analysis. If we do exegesis based only on linguistic principles and ignore other key hermeneutical tools, then we risk making Scripture just another text put under the microscope to study and ignore its Divine authorship. I'm not saying we shouldn't or can't use linguistics, but we should do so with humility as the field develops and exegesis should always have a solid foundation in theological hermeneutics, such as historical and biblical theology. Linguistic tools should never be juxtaposed against proper theological hermeneutical tools as if linguistics is modern and therefore better and has made theological tools obsolete.
One criticism I have of the book is that with the history of Greek studies and challenges of traditional methods the same approach could be used in a way antithetical to historical theology and other key tools in Exegesis. Proper exegesis is not isolated to knowing the Biblical languages and Discourse Analysis. If we do exegesis based only on linguistic principles and ignore other key hermeneutical tools, then we risk making Scripture just another text put under the microscope to study and ignore its Divine authorship. I'm not saying we shouldn't or can't use linguistics, but we should do so with humility as the field develops and exegesis should always have a solid foundation in theological hermeneutics, such as historical and biblical theology. Linguistic tools should never be juxtaposed against proper theological hermeneutical tools as if linguistics is modern and therefore better and has made theological tools obsolete.
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