Beyond the Greek New Testament

by Max Botner

Many New Testament Greek students have laid the groundwork necessary to read other ancient Greek texts, and yet they shy away from it. In this book, an expert in Greek teaches those students to read beyond the New Testament, showing both how to do it and why it matters.

This helpful Greek language resource equips students to read and enjoy the vast corpus of ancient Greek literature. It covers a variety of relevant texts from the Septuagint and the Apostolic Fathers to Homer and Ignatius, making it a perfect supplemental text for courses on Greek or New Testament backgrounds. The book also considers the specific challenges students face when they seek to read complex Hellenistic and classical texts. Each reading includes a brief introduction to the text, suggested readings, and extensive footnotes that provide key points of grammar, vocabulary help, and cross-references to major Greek grammars.

Students will acquire a greater capacity to read larger portions of Greek text and the confidence that no text or author is beyond their reach.

Genres: Language

400 pages, Paperback

Published July 25, 2023

Reviews

[Kristjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book/reader is specifically targeting students of biblical and religious studies (which I am) with the presumption they learned Greek as part of their studies (which I have not … yet). As such, this was a bit more that I had originally had hoped for and there, unfortunately, elements of the book that I am not qualified to evaluate; however, it also appears that this work will be an important companion when my studies intersect with it. While I am more comfortable with transliterated Greek and there is a substantial amount of original Greek, there is still a lot a more casual reader can extract from it. An extended introduction provides a good review of Greek vocabulary, grammar and discourse along with recommended additional resources (such as The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek CGCG, which is cited in several places throughout) and where the author states his presumption that readers are familiar with Daniel Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics … which is very helpful in identifying a learning strategy if nothing else.

The book is organized into eight (8) parts that examine different types of classic Greek literature with specific translation techniques and issues the author wants to highlight to enable the learner to appropriately recognize translation nuances. Each part has a brief overview of the genre covered within that I found very helpful. Each part was further divided into examples with a more specific summary of the example along with a callout box that provided supplemental information … such as a recommended [online] translation (if available otherwise it was a citation to a printed translation) and supplemental scripture references. It is quite obvious here this is intended to be a companion resource and not a standalone guide. Finally, each subpart or section ends with a series of notes and observations about the translation that is extremely helpful in understanding why the translator made the choices evident in the cited work as well as where the author of this book may have seen or favored a different choice. These notes draw from a variety of sources and traditions contemporary with the original text and it was for these comments that I wanted to review the book … and I was not disappointed; although I would have been a little happier with a little more here. Finally, nearly half of the 400 some odd pages are citations and references at the end of the book to help further study.

Introduction
Part 1 - Reading the Septuagint
1.1 LXX Deuteronomy
1.2 LXX Isaiah
1.3 2 Maccabees
1.4 Maccabees

Part 2 - Reading the Apostolic Fathers
2.1 1 Clement
2.2 Ignatius of Antioch
2.3 Polycarp of Smyrna
2.4 The Epistle of Barnabas
2.5 The Epistle of Diognetus

Part 3 - Reading Old Testament Pseudepigrapha
3.1 The Letter of Aristeas
3.2 Joseph and Aseneth’s Conversion
3.3 Sibylline Oracles
3.4 The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides
3.5 Fragments of Hellenistic Jewish Writers

Part 4 - Reading Philo
4.1 Allegorical Commentary
4.2 Exposition of the Law
4.3 Historical and Apologetic Works

Part 5 - Reading Josephus
5.1 Jewish War
5.2 Jewish Antiquities
5.3 Life
5.4 Against Apion

Part 6 - Reading Historians and Biographers
6.1 Herodotus
6.2 Thucydides
6.3 Diodorus Siculus
6.4 Dio Cassius
6.5 Plutarch
6.6 Lucian
6.7 Philostratus

Part 7 - Reading Philosophers and Rhetoricians
7.1 Plato
7.2 Aristotle
7.3 Epictetus
7.4 Dio Chrysostom
7.5 Plutarch
7.6 Diogenes Laertius

Part 8 - Reading Poets and Playwrights
8.1 Homer
8.2 Hesiod
8.3 Sophocles
8.4 Euripides

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#BeyondtheGreekNewTestament #NetGalley

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the major pitfalls of intensive study and focus on the New Testament in Greek can be developing "tunnel vision" and only experiencing Greek by means of the New Testament.

This work does a great job of introducing someone with basic proficiency in Koine Greek to selected passages from the Septuagint, canonical and apocryphal, philosophical texts, and early Christian writings. The author provides an introduction to the whole, giving grammatical pointers for those familiar with Koine and not Attic Greek, to each individual work, and provides glosses and grammatical explanations for terms not used frequently in the New Testament. This way the student will get exposure to Greek texts outside of the New Testament in ways which facilitate reading and understanding.

A useful resource for students of Koine Greek to expand their horizons.