The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar

by Daniel B. Wallace

An abridgment of the award-winning standard reference grammar of New Testament Greek, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, for use in intermediate Greek courses.

Genres: Biblical Studies, Reference, Theology, Linguistics, Language, New Testament, Nonfiction

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Wallace was earned his B.A.(1975) from Biola University, and his Th.M. (1979) and Ph.D. (1995) in New Testament studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also pursued postdoctoral studies in a variety of places, including in Cambridge at Tyndale House, Christ's College, Clare College, and Westminster College, and in Germany at the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, University of Tübingen, and the Bavarian State Library. Wallace, along with DTS colleague Darrell L. Bock, has been an outspoken critic of the alleged "popular culture" quest to discredit conservative evangelical views of Jesus—including the writings of Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrman.

Reviews

[Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a Greek grammar. Αναγινώσκε ουδέποτε βιβλιον τουτον πλήρες.

[Kyle Grindberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Wallace, but this book wasn't as helpful as Mounce's (the previous book in the series). I was MUCH more helped by the DVD lectures that are paired with the textbook (although, he gets on tangents a lot on those, haha).

Don't get me wrong, as a reference guide, it's super helpful, but not so much as a textbook. I think the organization and presentation need some serious overhaul for it to be a better textbook. For example, for being a textbook, he needs to devote a whole chapter right at the beginning to English Grammar, there were grammatical concepts my poor Government education didn't prepare me for, and neither did Mounce's book, that he just assumes you know.

Also, there needs to be more continuity between the chapters, if more than one grammatical category has the same syntactical rule, then maybe have a chapter covering common syntactical rules. As I made my way through it, rules would start to sound vaguely familiar, and then I realized it's because three other categories could function syntactically that way.

[Félise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was pretty helpful in learning about syntax, but it seems like it relies a lot on you reading it in conjunction with another book or two. I did appreciate it as a textbook, since going through the entirety of "Beyond the Basics" in an 11 week semester would've been rough, but there are definitely spots where more explanation would be very helpful for the intermediate student. Like listing off a few Greek words and ending with etc. without explaining what those terms have in common left me wondering, "What is this category? What do the words have in common? What was supposed to be in the et cetera?" Stuff like that pops up in a few places. So if you have a good teacher to guide you through things, this can be a good resource. I think the longer book is probably better for independent study.

[Luke Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book can be very helpful for cultivating crucial exegetical categories, but getting to them—on account of the formatting of the text and Wallace’s insistence on always speaking in the most technical terms about linguistic concepts that are already nebulous and abstract on their own—can be slow going. However, his Scripture examples, illustrations, and diagrams are very helpful to elaborate. All in all, a helpful resource for any (determined) student of Koine.

I would like to compare this condensed version with its larger, original counterpart at some point in the future. I would assume its formatting would be less cluttered.

[Nathan Stine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? It’s a grammar, so not super enthralling let’s be honest. But as a resource to go to during sermon prep, I could see this being very helpful. Especially liked the constant “key to identification” sections to let you know English phrases to insert in your mind to test if something is an objective genitive or not, or an ingressive imperative or not, etc. The fact that I just used those phrases without looking them up is in itself a vote of confidence for this book to strengthen your Greek grammar skills!

[Dustin Witmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful abridgement

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent intermediate grammar.

[Rick Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed enough to be thorough, but shorter and slimmer than Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, so it can be easily toted around and used as a handbook.

[Unchong Berkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for doing its job, but it was kind of a slog to get through.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was this a fun read? No. But it was a Very helpful reference for Greek Exegesis class after Greek 1 & 2. Would recommend reading the Mounce textbook and videos first.

[Kirby Key]

THRILLING. couldn’t put it down

… actually, it was helpful. but I have no clue how to rate/review a syntax book

[Brian Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no real standard for rating this book, so it may be a four-star book. I imagine the full version of the book, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, is more useful. Generally, the writing is clear. However, the book would benefit immensely from a glossary of grammatical terms as well as a subject index. It would be much more helpful if additional examples from the New Testament were used... but then it wouldn't be an abridged text, would it?

[Krista Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely difficult class, but very rewarding. Great book, although I had to refer to the longer version for clarification and extra examples. Glad to be done with it, but glad to have persevered through this material. I will use what I have learned for the rest of my life as I study the Greek New Testament.

[Chris Comis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was tough going at times, but learned a ton about NT Greek after I was done. You think you know it, but then pick up a book like this one, and you find you know nothing. Lot's of good exegetical discussions as well.

[Brett Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can one say about a book of Greek grammar? Was it the best read? Probably not. Was it extremely helpful in assisting one in learning the nuances of the Koine Greek language as found in the New Testament? Absolutely. This is a must have book for anyone studying Koine New Testament Greek.

[Lainie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My attempt to review Greek this summer (ugh!)

[Drew Van Gorder · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this very humble student's opinion, if you're looking for a way to better understand the proper syntax of New Testament Greek in a clear and simple way, then this book is an amazing tool.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shorter version of his bigger work on this topic. This is a good second level text on biblical Greek grammar.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great.

[Andrew Morgan Perschbacher]

Helpful. Good for reference.

[Bezi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Formally/professionally written. Technical, but understandable, not to mention it was simply fascinating as it brought the ancient language of the New Testament to life.