Biblical Greek

[Ohdanigirl]

oops never mind

 

Well since I already started a thread can somebody please explain the different types of Ancient Greek to me. The Greek for dummies version. What if I would like to read the writing in their original Greek or the OT, would it be two different types?

Edited July 9, 2009 by USDGAL

[brehon]

oops never mind

 

Well since I already started a thread can somebody please explain the different types of Ancient Greek to me. The Greek for dummies version. What if I would like to read the writing in their original Greek or the OT, would it be two different types?

 

Not an expert by any means--the different dialects of ancient Greek are akin (though perhaps not exactly similar to) the evolving dialects of English -- Saxon/Early English (Beowulf); Chaucerian; Shakespearian; "modern".

 

Ancient Greek has/had several dialects; the three most common (from newest to oldest) are: Koine, Attic, Homeric. There are also older dialects or dialects from other regions (like Ionic). Koine is what much of the NT was originally written in. Also several of the later OT books were written in Greek (what is commonly called the Apocrypha -- the books found in Catholic, but not in many Protestant versions of the bible). Attic is what many of the extant writings of the philosophers and playwrights of ancient Greece were written in (Plato, Euripides, Aristotle, etc). Homeric is the dialect of, well, Homer.

 

So, if you want to read the NT (and those books of the OT) in the original, you'd pick Koine to learn. Needless to say, most of the OT was written in Hebrew. Eliana would probably be able to better identify if ancient Hebrew evolved in the same way ancient Greek (and even English) did or if the language used to write what Christians call the OT stayed generally the same through the centuries.

[Ohdanigirl]

The more I look in to it the harder it seems. I was thinking we would have to choose between Koine and Attic, now Homer. Many people say the choice would/should be based on whether you want to read the NT or not. If that is the case I would likely put more weight on being able to read fragments of some lit. in it's original Greek. Now it seems that that would be Homeric...ARGH.

 

is it very difficult to start with one and then learn the other? I guess we could just focus on the alphabet while we decide, but the decision does need to be made. have been struggling with this for a few months and feel we have made no move forward. Picking Spanish books was much easier, LOL.

 

Danielle

[Jorsay]

My understanding is, if you can read attic Greek, you can read Homer and Koine is a cinch.

 

Attic Greek is very tough. Much tougher than Koine. In my opinion, much tougher than Chinese or Latin, and, of course, German, Spanish or French.

 

If you want to read the bible, I think it would be easier (and probably cheaper after all the time, textbooks, dictionaries, and tutors) to purchase some software that gives the ancient languages and various translations and even various bible transcriptions.

[brehon]

My understanding is, if you can read attic Greek, you can read Homer and Koine is a cinch.

 

Attic Greek is very tough. Much tougher than Koine. In my opinion, much tougher than Chinese or Latin, and, of course, German, Spanish or French.

 

If you want to read the bible, I think it would be easier (and probably cheaper after all the time, textbooks, dictionaries, and tutors) to purchase some software that gives the ancient languages and various translations and even various bible transcriptions.

 

[bolding mine]

 

Actually, Homeric is the toughest of the 3 common ancient Greek dialects to learn. You are right that Koine is the easiest of the three. Most people (at least in homeschooling/self-educating circles) learn Koine first because there simply aren't many materials geared toward kids in Attic or Homeric.

 

Really, what your end goals are will determine the path you take to get from here to there. And no one path is "right". If you want to read those parts of the Bible originally written in Greek, you need to study Koine/Biblical Greek. If you wish to read Plato, Aristotle, Herodatus, et al in the original, you will at some point need to study Attic. If you wish to read The Odyssey or The Iliad in the original, you'll need to find a tutor to help you learn Homeric.

 

If you choose to learn Attic first, jumping to Koine is probably fairly easy as you're moving from a harder to easier dialect. If you choose to learn Koine first (and many do, regardless of what the end goals are), there is a steeper learning curve going to Attic. And, as I understand it, going to Homeric is more of a leap rather than a gentle learning curve. If you'll search the K-8 Board for Greek curriculum, you'll probably read a lot more about your differing material choices.

[Hapax Legomena]

...most of the OT was written in Hebrew. Eliana would probably be able to better identify if ancient Hebrew evolved in the same way ancient Greek (and even English) did or if the language used to write what Christians call the OT stayed generally the same through the centuries.

 

Not having seen anything from Eliana, I'll offer a comment. The Hebrew language did not change as dramatically as the Greek language. One could say that it maintained general uniformity even though there is definite progress from an earlier to a later stage (cf. Gesenius, sec. 2).

[brehon]

Not having seen anything from Eliana, I'll offer a comment. The Hebrew language did not change as dramatically as the Greek language. One could say that it maintained general uniformity even though there is definite progress from an earlier to a later stage (cf. Gesenius, sec. 2).

 

Interesting! Is that true of both the vernacular and the written versions? IOW was there a form of ancient Hebrew which was specifically used for writing (what Christians call) the OT that remained generally the same? And did the spoken versions evolve more than this, um, what, sacred written language?

[Jorsay]

[bolding mine]

Actually, Homeric is the toughest of the 3 common ancient Greek dialects to learn. You are right that Koine is the easiest of the three. Most people (at least in homeschooling/self-educating circles) learn Koine first because there simply aren't many materials geared toward kids in Attic or Homeric.

 

I studied Attic Greek in College and Homeric Greek is not a problem at all. I would say it is more difficult to read Plato than Homer.

[brehon]

I studied Attic Greek in College and Homeric Greek is not a problem at all. I would say it is more difficult to read Plato than Homer.

 

Just goes to show that everyone's experiences are different. Most of the people I know who fluently read various ancient Greek dialects have felt that Homeric was the hardest to learn.

 

I too find Plato harder to read than Homer --- oh, wait, you mean in the original language(s). :D

[OnTheBrink]

A smidge off topic, but if you're wanting an excellent Biblical Greek text, I enthusiastically endorse Basics of Biblical Greek by William Mounce. There is a workbook that is also available, and the text has a cd (if you get the new one).

 

It's available at CBD, and you can find it at half.com. It's great for learning on your own, too.

 

[/end commercial]

[Jorsay]

Here is a page discussing learning Homeric versus Attic Greek.

 

http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/homeric.html

[Hapax Legomena]

brehon,

 

What we know about Biblical Hebrew is largely dependent upon the later manuscripts of the Jewish scribes. Beyond that material, there are only a handful of inscriptions such as the Gezer Calendar (c. 925 B.C.), the Siloam Tunnel inscription and various ostraca from 7th-6th centuries, etc. These items contain administrative writings, letters and commercial receipts that give a glimpse into the language and life of that period.

 

There may not be a great amount of information available to determine how the Hebrew spoken in everyday life at that time varied from the Hebrew used in a religious setting or found in the Bible. Even so, there are probably some scholars who have opinions concerning the issue. You raise an interesting question, but I cannot answer it for you.