Another Peek at Greek: Taking a Look Inside “Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK”

This post is particularly for those of you who have searched the internet for things pertaining to New Testament Greek grammar which—while they are not necessarily among the postings I’ve blogged here—are included within the entire corpus of Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK—A Systematic-Relational Beginning Greek Grammar for the New Testament Greek Student.

To enable you to have “full disclosure” of what actually is embodied in my book, I have posted images (JPEGs) revealing the entire “Table of Contents,” which also includes  the “Preface” with a background on how the book had its beginning, as well as comments to students and instructors of Greek, and finally a “Testimonials” section for your review. To enlarge the images below to maximum viewing size, please click twice on the image you desire to view—one click for a separate screen, the second for enlargement. For other “looks inside the book” and ordering information and options, go directly to:  Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.

Greek & Hebrew Reader’s Bible ONLINE

For those who learn visually and love to have an organized, systematic way of studying and memorizing, this analytical Greek & Hebrew Reader’s Bible ONLINE (click image above to enlarge) is what you would have created if developer John Dyer hadn’t already done so. Similar to Zack Hubert’s online interactive, analytical bible tool (see previous post, below), but with many more creative and useful “bells and whistles,” John Dyer’s online New Testament Greek tool is also very user-friendly.

Searchable by Book/Chapter/Verse, the accented Greek text has a “roll-over” function embedded that provides a full analytical and lexical summary of each word.  The user may allow assign colors to the words in the Greek text, according to part of speech categories. You can even change the size and style of Greek font being used. (Of course, all the above also applies to the Hebrew text functions as well). There’s even more which you will easily find and be able to use in your Greek (and Hebrew) studies, like setting parameters to preclude information that a student is already supposed to know. So, use it wisely and responsibly, and enjoy!

See also: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

Analytical Greek New Testament ONLINE

This is a fine, interactive, analytical ONLINE Greek New Testament tool with parallel English translation(s). Produced by Zack Hubert (formerly zhubert.com), it also is available as an embed (click link to copy embed code) as well as via sidebar link postings anytime from this “It’s All Greek to YOU!” site.

Click on the JPEG image (above) to see an enlarged view.  This tool is very easy to use, allowing the user to enter specific criteria (book/chapter/verse) as well as provision for specifying a parallel viewing from an English translation of your choice from a small yet worthy list (NASB, KJV, ESV).  Even with some original functions disabled, this is still a great tool for all sorts of Greek study endeavors.

Just don’t use it to complete your Greek homework assignments, okay? There’ll be plenty of years and ample opportunities for you to “take up your crutch and walk” later.

See also: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

A “Live, Interactive” Online New Testament Greek Course? Take the POLL!

Based on the “sampling” of New Testament instruction visible to you through this blog site and determined by your own personal Greek academic goals and needs, I am willing also to offer my services as a Greek instructor—via online “live, interactive”  and/or written “chat” sessions, email communications, or any other suitable means. To that end, and in conjunction with Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK and other readily available printed or online resources, I am preparing to establish an electronic distance-learning platform for a repeating online “class” and determine a reasonable fee for such a service.

I would, however, like to poll the potential recipients of such a course to determine viable interest for such an endeavor. It could be that you’re planning on pursing a seminary tract that requires Greek, or possibly you’re involved in classical Christian education or are a home schooler or where New Testament Greek is not readily available for you.

The POLL

** IMPORTANT NOTE: If you’re seriously interested in participating in some sort of formal online class, please also provide me some contact information via the “Comments” area below, which will automatically generate a private, personal email to me as moderator of this site.  I will also keep your personal information private, not posted. That way, if an sufficient interest in an online class occurs, I will have a viable means of contacting those whose have expressed an interest.  I look forward to matching my services with your needs.

Polled “Interest” Update (as of July 30, 2009)

655%

— Robert Wermuth “It’s All Greek to YOU!” —

See also: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

“TV Makes People Nauseas” —OR— “How to ‘Parse’ a Greek Verb”

One of the most important considerations in studying the foundational elements of Greek must be given to the verb, that part of speech which affirms either action or state of being. The component elements of a verb are collectively referred to as its “parsing.” These components are:

1. Tense

2. Voice

3. Mode (or Mood)

4. Person

5. Number

. . . or, as my beginning Greek professor used to wisely proclaim (to our era of declining quality television programming viewers) via the acronym of the first letters of each of the above words: “TV Makes People Nauseas!”

The “parsing” (from the Latin word meaning  “a part or “parts”) of Greek’s “model” regular verb λύω — “I am loosing” is: Present, Active, Indicative, 1st Person, Singular. Now, let’s take a closer look at what these “parsing” components represent—

1. Tense conveys “kind” of action and generally, in the Indicative Mode only, the “time” of the action. So, for the above verb, Present tense would mean both present time and continuous “action” (that is, activity “in progress” in real, present time). Of course, from your additional study elsewhere, you’ll know that the Greek tenses are the Present, Imperfect (continuous “action” in past time), Future, Aorist (a normal 1st Aor., and an “irregular” 2nd Aor., describing “point” or undefined action [in past time in the Indicative mode]), the Perfect (perfected action with continuing results), and the Pluperfect (equivalent to the English “Past Perfect” = I had loosed).

2. Voice (“active,” “middle,” or “passive”) tells how the action of the verb is related to the subject.

3.  Mode (or Mood) tells what the verb is affirming, its relation to “reality.”

Indicative — declaratives, simple assertions, interrogations.
Subjunctive — mildly contingent, hesitating affirmation; mode of probability.
Imperative — commands or entreaties; mode of “volition.”
Optative — strongly contingent; mode of “possibility,” weaker than the Subjunctive.

4. Person denotes who is acting as the subject.  In Greek the personal pronouns (i.e., I, you, he, she, it, we, you, and they) are included in the endings of the verb form.

5. Number is the “singularity” or “plurality” of the person or persons represented by the verb form, included in the verb’s personal endings.

By the way, since every Greek verb contains these five “parsing” elements that identify its structure, it only makes sense to realize that: “If you can ‘parse’ it, you can translate it!” Alternately stated, a verb’s “parsing”—once discerned by the student—is the verb’s way of “telling you” how to translate it. At that point, it’s only a matter of knowing the vocabulary.

There’s more: For a one-page PDF on Greek verbs—the way the tenses are formed and translated—click here (also downloadable from the sidebar). Additionally, you may want to download the Greek Indicative Verbs “PowerPoint” presentation here (or from the sidebar).

Interested in a “live, interactive” online beginning New Testament Greek class?  Take the poll here!

Go to: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

The “Satellite View” of All Greek Noun Declensions (PowerPoint Presentation)

The following Greek Nouns Declensions chart, available here as a downloadable PowerPoint presentation, details all of the types and genders of nouns that the New Testament Greek student will encounter. I know of no other paradigm in existence that condenses all of these case endings into a single, concise chart of all Greek noun declensions. I call it the “satellite view” of all Greek noun endings. Apart from this, a significant value of this particular chart is found in the horizontal relationships existing between nouns that can be clearly seen in this layout. Assisting in the memorization of these endings are the use of arrows showing either identical or similar continuity, and yellow highlights denoting pattern shifts.

Interested in a “live, interactive” online beginning New Testament Greek class?  Take the poll here!

Go to: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

All the New Testament Greek Vocabulary in W.H. Davis’ Beginner’s Grammar of the Greek New Testament

The following PDF contains all the New Testament Greek Vocabulary in W.H. Davis’ Beginner’s Grammar of the Greek New Testament. Listed in textbook appearance order, this textbook-inclusive itemization of New Testament Greek vocabulary is accompanied by a numerical conflation of Sake Kubo’s A Reader’s Greek-English Lexicon words used more than 50 times and Bruce Metzger’s Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek words used from 10 times all the way up to 46-49 times. Click here to open the PDF.

[Note: This PDF only includes the 489 New Testament words presented within the Davis grammar.]

 

Interested in a “live, interactive” online beginning New Testament Greek class?  Take the poll here!

Go to:  Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

The Greek Alphabet (PowerPoint)

 

Even at the very beginning of your Greek experience, things don’t have to be ominously difficult. Take the Greek alphabet (PDF or PowerPoint download) for instance, the lower case letters in particular. From the outset it is readily observable just how many of the lower case Greek letters resemble corresponding letters from the English alphabet. Notice English similarities to the alpha, beta, delta, epsilon, iota, kappa, omicron, sigma, tau, and upsilon. Even the zeta can be easily recognized as corresponding to the English “z.” And, pi we have become comfortable with as a mathematical symbol. These 12 Greek letters are half of the alphabet! As for the more “difficult” Greek letters, there are ways to correctly recognize and remember many of them quite early on in one’s studies. For example, look at the Greek lambda, corresponding to the cursive English “ l. ” Simply remove the upper loop from the English letter and you have the Greek lambda (i.e., l = λ). Similarly, with the gamma, removing the loop from the head of the English cursive “g ” leaves its Greek equivalent ( γ with a loop in its tail ). The Greek mu, nu and rho can also been seen as corresponding to the English “m,” “n” and “r” if one only adds a little information in the “mind’s eye.” Even the Greek omega (ω) looks, humorously, like a infant’s bottom when one shockingly discovers he needs a diaper change. The exclamation, “Ohhhhh” can be heard all across the room! And that is exactly what the omega represents in English: a long “o.” All together this encompasses 18 of the 24 Greek alphabet’s letters. The remaining six can be learned with limited difficulty through frequent encounters with them within the spelling of various Greek words. More online Greek alphabet tutorial links can be found here.

 

Interested in a “live, interactive” online beginning New Testament Greek class?  Take the poll here!

Go to: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

“Signal Flags” for Greek Verbal Forms (Chart)

The following chart is a systematic “visual tour” of many of the possible characteristics seen within various Greek verbal forms one encounters in their various tenses, voices, and modes. Click here for a full-size viewable, downloadable PDF, also available from the sidebar of this blog.

Interested in a “live, interactive” online beginning New Testament Greek class?  Take the poll here!

Go to: Wermuth’s GREEKBOOK.com

“Deponent?” … “Defective?” … “Middle/Passive?” — “Calling a ‘horse’ a ‘horse.’”

There’s a famous older expression from another generation, even another millenium now, regarding “…calling a ‘horse’ a ‘horse’,” which basically means identifying something for what it really is.  In the realm of personal character traits, this might mean simply being honest with yourself and/or others.  In the realm of language and grammatical terminology, it may have some meaning application as well.

For example, within the corpus of Greek grammatical terms, “deponent” is a term appropriately ascribed to a category of Greek verbs appearing with middle or passive endings, yet necessarily translated in the active voice. Examples:

• ἔρχομαι — Present/Deponent/Indicative/1st person, singular = I am coming, going

• ἤρχομην — Imperfect/Deponent/Indicative/1st person, singular = I was coming, going

Notice the “parsing” (identification of tense, voice, mode [mood], person, and number) of the above two examples of the deponent verb, ἔρχομαι. While many (if not most)  Greek “parsing” resources will list the parsing of deponent verbs as middle/passive, I have always felt it to be extremely beneficial to “call a ‘horse’ a ‘horse’” when parsing deponent verbs.  There are at least two obvious reasons:

1. It reminds the Greek student that he’s looking at a specific category of Greek verbs (Deponent), and

2. It reminds the Greek student not to translate these verbs as middle or passive, since they are neither.

By “calling a ‘horse’ a ‘horse’” and identifying deponent verbs for what they really are, the Greek student will readily recognize and accurately translate these verb with an active voice translation. Remember, too, that some Greek verbs (like ἔρχομαι) may be deponent in one or more tenses or modes without being deponent in all. [Example:  ἤλθον = Aorist/Active/Indicative/1st person, singular/3rd person, plural.] Other “deponent” verbs frequently encountered include: βούλομαι (I am wishing), and πορεύομαι (I am proceeding).

“So,” you may ask, “when are these deponent verbs appropriately called defective?“ (Good question.)