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NT 4030 - Beginning Greek I

Lecturer: William D. Mounce

Course Description

NT 4030-4031 are an introduction to phonology, morphology, and grammar of New Testament Greek, with readings in the Johannine literature or the Thessalonian correspondence and vocabulary development. Designed for students with little or no background in beginning Greek. Not for graduate credit. May not be audited unless already taken for credit at Trinity. Four hours.

Course Rationale

Understanding and applying Scripture requires many tools. However, one tool stands above the rest: the biblical languages. Alongside OT Hebrew, biblical Greek is particularly vital for anyone who desires to dig deep into the biblical text and apply it to the life of the Church. Ministers, students and laity alike have found that competency in biblical Greek not only increases their comprehension of the Bible but also enables them to consult scholarly works that refer to the Greek text. When you add the Greek language to your exegetical tool belt, you will be equipped to make "a clearer, more exact, and more persuasive presentation of God's saving message" (BBG, 3).

Course Overview

This course introduces the basic grammar, syntax and vocabulary of biblical Greek, preparing the learner to translate, interpret and apply Scripture. Treating the language primarily as a tool for ministry rather than an intellectual exercise, Dr. William D. Mounce skillfully minimizes memory work by emphasizing how the language works. Throughout the process he also encourages the learner by consistently illustrating the interpretive benefits of Greek study. Dr. Mounce combines the best of both inductive and deductive methodologies in order to make learning Greek as intuitive yet as organized as possible and ultimately encourages the learner to continue studying and using Greek for a lifetime of insight.

Course Objectives

Given active participation, upon completion of the Beginning Greek sequence (NT 401 and NT 402) you will be able to:

Understand the basic grammar and syntax of biblical Greek.
Know 320 Greek vocabulary words--almost 80% of the total word count of the NT.
Translate many verses of the New Testament and Septuagint.
Use biblical Greek as a tool for ministry to better communicate God's Word.
Utilize commentaries and biblical resources that require knowledge of the Greek language.
Appreciate the value of the Greek language for Bible study, interpretation, and application to the daily life of faith.
Apply Greek language studies to future life and ministry.

William D. Mounce, Ph.D.

William D. Mounce is the preaching pastor at Shiloh Hills Fellowship in Spokane, Washington, and former professor of New Testament and director of the Greek Language Program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He also served as professor of New Testament at Azusa Pacific University in southern California. Mounce specializes in the Greek language and has written a number of excellent Greek language textbooks and tools, including Basics of Biblical Greek, A Graded Reader of Biblical Greek, Greek For the Rest of Us, The Morphology of Biblical Greek, and others. He also authored The Pastoral Epistles (Word Biblical Commentary) and is the New Testament chair of the English Standard Version of the Bible from Crossway Books. His education credentials: