The Gospel of John in Greek and Latin: A Comparative Intermediate Reader: Greek and Latin Text with Running Vocabulary and Commentary

by Virginia Grinch, Edgar Evan Hayes, Stephen A. Nimis

The aim of this book is to make the Gospel of John accessible simultaneously to intermediate students of Ancient Greek and Latin. There are lots of resources available for the study of John’s gospel, particularly in Greek, but this edition juxtaposes the Greek text to one of its most famous the rendering into Latin by St. Jerome known as the vulgate. The running vocabulary and grammatical commentary are meant to provide everything necessary to read each page, so that readers can progress through the text, improving their knowledge of Greek and/or Latin while reading one of the key texts of early Christianity. For those who know both Greek and Latin, it will be possible to use one language as a resource to read the other. Meanwhile, the vulgate is a key index of how the Greek text was understood by early Christians in the Latin west.The Gospel of John is a great text for intermediate readers of both Greek and Latin. It is one of our best examples of koine Greek, the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean for centuries after the time of Alexander the Great. The sentence structure is very simple and there is a great deal of repetition in vocabulary and syntax. The Latin translation follows the Greek closely, translating word for word as much as possible, so that it is a fascinating exercise in translation.

378 pages, Paperback

Published August 13, 2017

Reviews

[Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many errors in the notes. (It is a rough draft of sorts.)
The commentary and English headings have a Romanist bias. (Of course.)
The notes are often almost too helpful. (Which is good for beginners!)
Overall, an enjoyable resource.

[Daniel C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really useful book! Got this to build up my Greek for a reading course on Plato's "Republic". Just as useful as the Greek-Latin Nestle-Aland but with notes and running vocabulary. Pretty good for revision since the actual language of the "Book of John" is frequently repetitive. What's more you can even download a free pdf of the book from the publisher's website.

[Nick Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well put together.