Greek Helps

[JSDileo]

Hey everyone,

Whether you may or may not know, I am a sixteen year-old high school sophomore who is oftentimes very busy with school-related activities. In the midst of all this, I have been trying to learn Koine Greek for the past year or so and have made very little progress. I have a book that I read from fairly often, but it seems that it takes so long for me to get anywhere. I am currently learning the different conjugations (is that the right word to use?) of Greek adjectives. My vocabulary is Ok...but when I go to a Greek edition of the Bible, I can only make out bits and pieces of it. And very tiny bits, at that. I can get "apostle", "God", "house", "servant", and a few others; I guess I know about a hundred words or so, but that is only a hundred out of several thousand in the NT.

Does anybody have any suggestions for something that would improve my Greek? Any books on Greek that anybody here found especially helpful or insightful?

My mother is currently planning to buy me the Rosetta Stone program for modern Greek. Will learning modern Greek suffice for being able to read the Koine Greek New Testament?

If someone can answer any of these questions, it will be greatly appreciated.

~JSDileo

[historic salve]

I think the best thing you might you do is purchase a textbook on Koine Greek and study it on your own time. Buy those packages of a hundred little note cards, which are very cheap, and write down the Greek word on one side with an English drawing of the definition on the other. Then study these for five minutes a day, adding more vocabulary as you go. If you do this consistently, at least vocabulary will not be a problem. I guarantee you'll have a solid base of vocabulary by the end of your studies.

[JSDileo]

Thank you very much historic salve; I appreciate the tip! Plus, doing that would allow me to study more during school, after we finish our work in class and such.

Thanks.

[Jaltus]

You can get the cards premade if you look online. I recommend Mounce's grammar and workbook.

[Abykale]

Trying to learn vocabulary without seeing it used in context is doing it the hard way, and trying to make yourself do that without the discipline enforced by an organized class structure is just asking for trouble. IMHO. Flashcards will help some, but things stick in your memory more easily if you see them used.

It looks to me like you have no business trying to read the NT yet. Get a textbook with lots of practice passages that start off at a very easy level. My class uses Athenaze which I think would be decent for self-teaching. It's Attic Greek, not Koine, but at beginner level it really doesn't matter. It also gives a short NT passage in each chapter with ample glosses for all the unfamiliar words. Oh, and there are some exercises online.

I've heard of other books as well, just can't remember any of them.