Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews: A Summary

With book like Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews, it is difficult for me to write a true review of the book; I would be stuck writing thirteen separate reviews for each of the chapters in the book. So instead I offer an apology for why you should read this book. If time permits, I will post a thought or two in the future on certain chapters of the book

The subtitle of the book—Profiles from the History of Interpretation—informs you from the start the direction of the book. The authors trace the history of the christological interpretation of Hebrews through some of the earliest Greek commentators like Chrysostom and Cyril of Alexandria, the medieval works of Aquinas, the Reformers Calvin and Luther, and finishing in the modern period with three essays on modern interpretation of christological interpretation from a two biblical scholars and theologian. The essays highlight an aspect of a famous interpreter from the past and how they understood the christology of Hebrews in their days.

For a student of Hebrews, this book is a must read! Each of the essays offers the reader a robust history in christology and a better reading of some of the key texts in Hebrews. One final note. The essays by Attridge and Hagner are incredible! Both of these seasoned Hebrews scholars have much to offer. I found that reading these two essays first helped guide my reading of the remaining essays. In all I would recommend Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews to every serious student of Hebrews as well as the reader who wants to gain a better understanding of the history of interpretation and how is develops through time.

Quote of the Day

Today’s QOTD is brought to you by Gareth Cockerill:

First and most fundamentally, God’s word in the incarnate, obedient, now exalted Son fulfills all that God has said. Therefore, the Son stands in complete continuity with and fulfills all previous revelation. Second, the Old Covenant with its priesthood and sacrifices has always been and continues to be a type of foreshadowing of the full sufficiency of Christ as Savior. It was never meant to be an adequate means of salvation in itself. This relationship between old and new is demonstrated both by the descriptions of the old order in the Pentateuch and and by the promises and intimations of fulfillment in Christ found mostly in the psalms, prophets, and related literature. Third, those who live by faith in the word of God constitute the one people of God  throughout history. Their goal has always been and continues to be final entrance into God’s eternal “rest.” Thus the examples of both the faithful and the unfaithful along with God’s promises, warnings, and words of encouragement to his people of old retain their validity with increased urgency because of what Christ has done. To be faithful today is to join the faithful of all time.

To that I say amen and amen!

In The Mail: The Eerdmans Edition

Eedrmans was kind to send over a review copy of Frederick Bruner’s The Gospel of John: A Commentary and Gareth Cockerill’s commentary on Hebrews, F. F. Bruce’s replacement in the NICNT. I have been waiting a while for Cockerill’s contribution to Hebrews scholarship, so I cannot wait to dig into it.

Speaking of Cockerill, I have something in the works that may or may not include a giveaway, so stay tuned for that!

In The Mail: The Edwin Mellen Press Edition

Edwin Mellen Press sent over a review copy of Jon Isaak’s Situating the Letter to the Hebrews in Early Christian History. A review will appear here once I get to reading it.

Side Project Blog

I have decided to venture out of the book of Hebrews and I have landed in a few canonical books later. I have decided to poke my head around a bit in the tiny, yet powerful letter of Jude. So if you have time or are up late with insomnia one night, please do check it out. Tell your friends, parents, grandparents, congressman, or anyone else I may have missed.

Tolle Lege!

The German Bible Society has put their critical texts-NA27, UBS GNT, LXX, BHS, and the Vulgate-online in unicode font! This is a great thing for all who love these incredibly important texts. Save them to your browser or whatever it is called, and read up!

• NA27
• UBS GNT
• LXX
• BHS
• Vulgate

In the Mail

It has been like Christmas for me this last week or so. A number of publishers have been gracious and have sent along some nice review copies. Here is what I received in the mail recently:

A Quest for the Assumed LXX Vorlage of the Explicit Quotations in Hebrews

Essays on John and Hebrews

Eschatology and Exhortation in the Epistle to the Hebrews

Psalms as Torah: Reading Biblical Song Ethically

Prima Scriptura: An Introduction to New Testament Interpretation

A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1
1-41

Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology

In the Mail: Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews

The fine folks over at Continuum were kind enough to send along a review copy of Christology, Hermeneutics, and Hebrews: Profiles from the History of Interpretation, edited by Jon Laansma and Daniel Treier, both of whom are professors at Wheaton College.
Here is a description of the book:

Christology and Hermeneutics discusses the history of the interpretation of the Letter to the Hebrews. Contributors assess the study and interpretation of Hebrews across the last two millennia. Beginning with the Patristic period, the book goes on to examine the responses of Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, as well as more recent figures such as Karl Barth and contemporary global interpreters.
The premise behind the work is to move study of Hebrews away from the perennial arguments about its authorship and provenance and to instead engage with it from a theological perspective, focusing upon the text’s reception history. Consequently the issue of the Christological message in Hebrews is at the forefront and is considered both in terms of the interpreter’s context and historical setting. At the end of the book the investigations are summarised and responded to by leading scholars Harold Attridge, Donald A. Hagner and Kathryn Greene-McCreight; providing a fitting conclusion to a radical academic project.

If you are interested in the essays included in the book, here is the table of contents:

Abbreviations (ix)
List of Contributors (xi)
Preface (xv)
Hebrews: Yesterday, Today, and Future; An Illustrative Survey, Diagnosis, Prescription Jon C. Laansma (1)
Christological Ideas in the Greek Commentaries on the Epistle to the Hebrews Frances M. Young (33)
Irenaeus and Hebrews D. Jeffrey Bingham (48)
‘Clothed with Spiritual Fire’: John Chrysostom’s Homilies on the Letter to HebrewsCharles Kannengiesser (74)
Thomas Aquinas and the Epistle to the Hebrews: ‘The Excellence of Christ’ Daniel Keating (84)
Christology in Martin Luther’s Lectures on Hebrews Mickey L. Mattox (100)
The Perfect Priest: Calvin on the Christ of Hebrews R. Michael Allen (120)
Typology, the Messiah, and John Owen’s Theological Reading of Hebrews Kelly M. Kapic (135)
The Identity of the Son: Karl Barth’s Exegesis of Hebrews 1.1-4 (and Similar Passages) Bruce L. McCormack (155)
The Living Word versus the Proof Text? Hebrews in Modern Systematic Theology Daniel J. Treier and Christopher Atwood (173)
Hebrews and the History of Its Interpretation: A Biblical Scholar’s Response Harold W. Attridge (202)
Hebrews: A Book for Today; A Biblical Scholar’s Response Donald A. Hagner (213)
Hebrews: Yesterday, Today, and Future; A Theologian’s Response Kathryn Greene-McCreight (225)
Bibliography (238)
Index of references to Premodern Sources (254)
Index of Authors (261)

Review of Pheme Perkin’s First Corinthians (ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ Commentaries on the New Testament)

First Corinthians
ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ Commentaries on the New Testament
Pheme Perkins
Baker Academic, 2012

Thanks to Baker for this review copy

With the publication of Pheme Perkins commentary on First Corinthians, the excellent ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ Commentaries on the New Testament now has eight volumes in print (two more volumes are scheduled to be published later this year: 1-2 Peter and James-Jude), Each subsequent volume continues to solidify this set as a must have for every pastor and scholar.

I cannot say enough great things about this informative and essential set of New Testament commentaries. The ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ series is informative and up-to-date in New Testament scholarship, all while being compact and concise. Each of the volumes in ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ highlight important cultural practices or literary affinities shared with other contemporary Greco-Roman documents by means of visual aids and sidebar examples from primary source material, paying close attention to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies of the biblical author. By doing so, this allows the text of the New Testament to shape both the theology of moral practice of the readers. Unlike some critical commentaries, the ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ New Testament commentaries comments on the final, canonical form. What this means is that instead of long, technical discussions on the how the New Testament came to be, the ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ series comments on the final canonical text as we have it today. This frees the commentator to do what a commentator does: comment on the text.

Pheme Perkins contribution is no exception. A professor at Boston College, Perkins is the author of a wide variety of New Testament subjects. She has written a number of commentaries on the letters of Paul, the Gnostic Gospel, the Synoptic Gospels and women in the New Testament. She brings her vast knowledge of the New Testament and Greco-Roman backgrounds to the text of First Corinthians.

In the introduction (pg. 3-47), issues regarding the urban setting of Christianity in the first-century are helpfully highlighted from the start. Instead of beginning with the traditional author, date, theology of, etc., Perkins discusses the practices and habits of the people of Corinth. This allows the reader to gain insight into the everyday life of first-century Corinth—this insight becomes valuable as your progress through the text of First Corinthians (i.e. 1 Cor 8; 10). As for the date of First Corinthians, Perkins suggests a date early in the spring of 55/56 AD (pg. 18). The discussion on letter writing (pg. 19-28) and all that it entails (i.e. writing, delivering, reading, etc.) is one of my favorite sections of the introduction. Perkins masterfully explains the intricacies of letter writing in antiquity. This includes the materials used for writing as well as the means of delivery.

The final section of the introduction is on the theological themes of 1 Corinthians. Perkins discusses very important topics in a concise manner; theological themes such as salvation, Scripture, the Jesus tradition in Paul, the Spirit, and resurrection are explained clearly. Because of the limits of the series, it may have been more helpful to focus on fewer themes, giving Perkins more pages to work with. For example, only a half of a page is devoted to the discussion of resurrection, which in light of 1 Cor 15 and the discussion of resurrection is somewhat puzzling.

The commentary proper is broken up into eight chapters:

The Letter opening (1:1-9)

• Against Divisions: God’s Wisdom (1:10-2:16)
• Against Divisions: Paul and Apollos as Exempla (3:1-4:21)
• Reports about Unholy Conduct among Believers (5:1-6:20)
• Questions in a Letter from Corinth (7:1-11:1)
• Problems in the Community Assembled for Worship (11:2-14:40)
• Reports That Some Deny the Resurrection (15:1-58)
• The Letter Closing (16:1-24)

Each of the eight chapters follows a similar format for the periscope at hand. First is a section on introductory matters. These introductory matter are informed by the section being commented on. For example, there are sections on important text-critical issues, vocabulary and themes of the pericope, and others. Following a discussion on introductory matters is the commentary proper. Concluding each chapter is a section on the theological issues that are raised by the text of 1 Corinthians.

I find this format to be useful and very helpful for the reader. It allows for consistency and also helps keep the commentator on track. Often times I have seen commentators go of the beaten track to chase rabbits, never to return again. This is not the case with Perkins work. She allows for discussion on text-critical issues, lexical matters, and other important matters for commentators to highlight. In my opinion, this is what makes this series so valuable: it allows the commentator to go into detail without skipping over textual matters that are important and should be included in commentaries, regardless of the audience.

Commentary writing is no easy task. Because of editorial or publisher decisions, an author may find him or her self handcuffed by word limits and other various things, which may stifle a commentators discussion. That is not to say that all concise commentaries inevitably sacrifice depth on the altar of pragmatism. Far from it! But I must believe that for any commentator writing on a book of the Bible there is a sense that not every rock has been unturned. Nevertheless, Perkins offers a concise and jammed pack commentary on First Corinthians. There is much to be said for this excellent contribution to Pauline studies. This is the perfect commentary to have alongside your Bible as you read and study through the text of First Corinthians. Perkins’ will guide, not dominate your study of the text. I highly recommend this volume along with the rest of the ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ Commentaries on the New Testament.

Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament on Pre-Pub

My employer Logos Bible Software has on Pre-Pub the excellent ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ (Paideia) Commentary series. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this series! I first came into contact with ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ through James Thompson’s volume on Hebrews. I was immediately struck with how well this series is able to take a lot of critical and exegetical information and condense it into smaller chunks, all without compromising the message of the text. Since Thompson’s contribution, I have picked up every volume that has since been published and have not been disappointed one bit! I urge you head over to Logos and place your Pre-Pub order. This is a amazing deal for an fabulous set of commentaries.

Deuteronomy and Exhortation in Hebrews: A Study in Narrative Re-presentation (A Review)

David M. Allen, Deuteronomy and Exhortation in Hebrews: A Study in Narrative Re-presentation. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2. Reihe: 238. Mohr Siebeck, 2008

Hebrews, therefore, does not just use Deuteronomy; it becomes a new Deuteronomy.

With these words, David Allen concludes his marvelous study on the use of Deuteronomy Auctor’s letter to the Hebrews. Prof Allen’s monograph offers a detailed study of language, background, and narrative of Deuteronomy, especially the Song of Moses and its contribution to the composition and argument of the letter to the Hebrews. Allen’s book was a delight to read as it was informative.

The follow review will highlight a few points points of the book, offering praise and critique along the way. Not too often does one read a book and find his views about a given topic confirmed 0n almost every point. This is precisely what I found myself doing. Before I began reading–before I had even known about Prof Allen’s monograph–I was coming to some of the same conclusions that are argued for in Deuteronomy and Exhortation in Hebrews: A Study in Narrative Re-presentation.

In chapter one Allen summarizes the scholarship of Hebrews and Deuteronomy, particularly the use of the OT in Hebrews. Early on, Allen begins to build a case that Hebrews shares many affinities with Deuteronomy, specifically with Deut 32. There is also a lengthy section of the text of Deuteronomy as well as a section on Intertextuality and and Methodology. Allen acknowledges George Guthrie’s seminal work on the structure of Hebrews. Allen agrees with Guthrie’s analysis of two distinct thoughts in Hebrews: doctrinal and hortatory (p.12). While I agree with a lot of what Guthrie argues for in his work, I am not convinced that he–and Allen–are correct in treating them as distinct.

Chapter three focuses on the use of Deuteronomy in Hebrews. Allen analyzes the OT in Hebrews at four different levels: (direct) quotations, string allusions, echoes, and narrative affiliations. Each of these levels presents more of a challenge as Allen progresses through Hebrews. While I do think Allen makes a strong case for his argument, presenting much in favor of his view, I am nevertheless not as convinced at points. This is not because of a weakness in his argument, but rather because I am always uneasy when it comes to echoes and allusions of the OT in the NT. Even Allen admits this is a tricky practice: “Defining echoes is more complex and some element of subjectivity is inevitable in their identification” (p.17). In all, his treatment of the intertextuality is one of the best on Hebrews I have yet to read.

Because a textual link to Deuteronomy is not as strong in Hebrews, Allen’s thesis is based heavily on themes, motifs, and other OT pictures. It is here that I find his argument fascinating and very convincing. One of the strong points of Allen’s work is his insistence that just like Israel stood at the doorstep to the promised land, so too the New Covenant community (i.e. the Church) stands at the doorstep of the promised land. Allen argues that for Israel it was an exodus, but for the Church is a an eisodous: a entering in.

I wish I had more time to go more in-depth in my review of David Allen’s fabulous book. I would highly recommend this work to anyone who wants to understand Hebrews at the discourse level. Hebrews can be a difficult and confusing book, but David Allen paints a narrative masterpiece that weaves through the epistle, allowing the reader to see the big picture of Hebrews. Allen closes his work with the following:

By undertaking this intertextual engagement with Deuteronomy, the epistle’s writer transfers his audience away from their allegiance to an outdated, redundant Sinai existence, dons Mosaic garments and addresses them afresh on the plains of Moab. Within Hebrews’ new covenant situation, the exhortation to “Choose Life” remains as pressing as ever.

NB: If you want to read this work for yourself, here is a link to David Allen’s dissertation online.

In the Mail: The Explicit Gospel

The nice folks over at Crossway were kind enough to send along a review copy of Matt Chandler’s new book The Explicit Gospel. I look forward to digging into this one in the coming weeks. Look out for a review once I am finished.

No Matter How Hard I Try…

I just cannot get away from the Letter to the Hebrews! It is rich in theology, intertextuality, exhortations to endure in the faith, warnings to shake ones complacency, and most important of all: Jesus! Hebrews is the most Jesus rich of all the writing of the New Testament!

The Day Everything Changed: The Resurrection of Christ and the Beginning of the End

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body (Rom 8:19-23).

Today is the day we gather and celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God. He who went willingly to Calvary for the sin of His elect, “for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”, this one rose from the grave, because God “would not allow his Holy One to see decay [οὐ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν] (Acts 13:35; cf. 2:27). There is no greater hope for the follower of Christ than in the resurrection of his Lord.

While we often think of the resurrection as bringing a future hope—the hope of heaven, eternity with Christ, etc.—we must not forgot what the resurrection brought to our world. What do I mean by this? Well, we live in tension, the tension between the already and the not yet. On the one hand the kingdom of heaven is here now. Eternity resurrection life is ours presently as followers of Christ. When Christ came out of that tomb he brought with him enteral life and a foretaste of what this will look like at the end of time. For example, Paul states: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (2 Cor 5:17). This is not wishful thinking, this is reality! Because of the resurrection of Christ, the new life—resurrection life—has invaded our world of sin, death, and decay. What we long for, what we yearn for—”the redemption of our bodies” (Rom 8:23)—began at our regeneration. Paul makes this point when he proclaims:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:4-7).

All of this to say, the resurrection is more than heaven. It is more than the sweet by-and-by. It is the story of God redeeming his creation and making all things new! So, as we think about the resurrection of Christ, remember that you have been raised with Christ now! The same God who raised Jesus from the grave as also raised us from the grave, and one day we will see the completion of this amazing truth in all its glory and splendor. One day, the not yet become the now, and the already will long for will be here! So we cry out “μαράνα θά!”

Book Note: A Commentary on First Corinthians in the ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ Series

I want to thank Bryan over at Baker Academic for sending along a review copy of Pheme Perkin’s contribution to the ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ Commentaries on the New Testament. The ΠΑΙΔΕΙΑ is one of my favorite new series, so I look forward to reviewing Pheme’s work on 1 Corinthians.

The Translation of Ceslas Spicq’s “L’Épitre aux Hébreux”

If you know me, you know two things: First, I love the Epistle to the Hebrews. And second, you probably know more about Ceslas Spicq’s L’Épitre aux Hébreux (The Epistle to the Hebrews) than you care too. Well, to say that I am excited about what I am about to say would be an understatement. I am pleased to announce that my awesome employer, Logos Bible Software, is looking to publish the first ever English edition of Ceslas Spicq’s magisterial commentary. Yes, you read that right! Now, everyone I have ever talked to death about this work—how awesome it is, how it needs to be translated, how I am going to do whatever I can to get it translated—can rest assured that I will not talk about it…as much.

My History with Ceslas Spicq

My love for this great French scholar began back during my undergraduate days. I was beginning my love for all things Epistle to the Hebrews. It the last semester of my major, Greek, that I took exegesis of the Epistle to the Hebrews. I was loving life and enjoying my critical study of the Greek text. I checked out every major commentary the library had on Hebrews (my classmates were not too thrilled, to say the least), and I began to work through them and I kept running into one name over and over. Can you guess who this was? Indeed, it was Mr. Spicq. Now, I tried desperately to track down a copy, but there were none to be found. Anywhere! This was frustrating me because every major commentator on Hebrews interacted with Spicq, and I wanted to see what made this man so vital that he was worthy of interacting with.

I soon came to find out that not only was Spicq’s commentary impossible to find, it also was not in print (I think it may have only been published the initial time in 1952-53) or translated into English. For a budding Hebrews scholar and bibliophile, this is simply unacceptable! I made it my mission in 2006 to see to it that there would be an English edition for the world to enjoy.

If at First You Do Not Succeed…

A few years back a good friend and I decided that we could not sit around and wait to see an English edition of Spicq. So, we jumped into our cars and headed down to Pasadena, to Archive’s Bookstore. The owner of the bookstore also owns a publishing house that specializes in re-prints of classic works. We had a good converstaion with him, pleading our case as to why Spicq needed to be re-published and translated. We left there with a promise that he would do what he could to make this happen.

Well, weeks turned into months and I heard nothing from the owner of the bookstore. During that time I also tried to contact the publisher and inquire about rights, permissions, etc. I never once got a reply. Well, we finally heard back from the owner of the bookstore and he said that he tried to get in touch with the publisher, but they never returned their message. So, the dream was dead. I figured if Archives could not make this happen, it will never come to pass.

Try and Try Again…

Flash-forward now to 2012. With the help of two wonderfully kind gentlemen—Father Benedict Viviano and Rev Dr Jerome Murphy-O’Connor—this time I was able to get in touch with the French Publisher Gabalda and get permission to do an English translation of Spicq. This has been a dream of mine for a number of years. I must say, Logos has been awesome to let me go out and make this dream a reality. They supported my efforts and shared my desire to see Ceslas Spicq’s work translated and shared with the world.

Now, all that you need to do is head over to Logos and get your order your in today. By placing your Pre-Pub order, you are holding your place in line. You are not charged a dime until the book is published and shipped to you electronically. So what are you waiting for? Go to Logos now and make my dream a reality.

Before I finish, go check out my post on the Logos Blog. It will give you my “apologetic” for Ceslas Spicq’s L’Épitre aux Hébreux.

Update: This is the week of blessing for me. After years of searching the internet, trying hard to find a copy of vol 2 of L’Épitre aux Hébreux, I can say now that my journey has ended! I have finally have the complete set of of Ceslas Spicq’s L’Épitre aux Hébreux. Now I will look for his Esquisse d’une Histoire de l’Exégèse Latine au Moyen Age.

Thoughts on Porter et al.: Nouns (Second Declension) and Adjectives (First and Second Declension)

In this chapter (ch. 2), Porter introduces us to nouns and adjectives. The chapter includes definitions of grammatical concepts and charts that aid the learner in memorization as well as lays out the changes in endings so that the learner can get the big picture. This is nothing new, Mounce does an excellent job in his grammar defining and displaying the declension in Greek. Also, we are introduced to the five noun cases, grammatical gender and number, and the function of the adjective (i.e. attribution).

After working through this chapter, I feel Porter et al. did a better job explaining more fully the noun and adjective. The temptation is to give just enough information about the subject, and then jump right into examples of how it all comes together. Porter et al. go into great detail to make sure the learner fully understands the workings of the noun and adjective before giving examples. I appreciate this. I still remember learning nouns in Mounce and not at all understanding what was happening. I knew how to translate the exercises in the workbook, but I did not understand the grammar that informed my translations. Maybe you can blame this lack of understanding on my educational upbringing (I still do not remember taking any grammar classes while I was growing up), but I feel that if I had Porter’s grammar at hand while studying nouns, I may have understood sooner the grammar behind the nouns.

Thoughts on Porter et al.: Alphabet, Accent, and Punctuation

The alphabet is essential in any language, this goes without saying. Knowing how to recognize a letter and put them together to form a word, phrase, sentence is where comprehension all takes place. Porter et al. does not hold back their discussion of the alphabet, the accents, and punctuation. They are very detailed, explaining pretty much everything there is to know about these matters.

The chapter begins with an overview of the concepts that will be taught in the chapter. This is always a helpful thing to do. It gives the learner a foundation to return to if he feels like he is swimming to far in the deep end. And I must say, this chapter is a bit to far in the deep end for the beginner, so much so he may begin to get a bit overwhelmed. This is not to say that the information is not helpful or useful; I just question if it is necessary at this point. Learning a language is not an easy process, so the overload of information at the very beginning may scare off some who are weak of heart and not truly dedicated to learning the language. On the other hand, this may turn out to be a good thing. While it may scare some away from learning Greek, those who are truly dedicated to learning the language may find their perseverance rewarded in the end. I sure hope this is the case.

What I did appreciate about Porter et al. is that the information they provided was beneficial and enlightening. The extra information on the history of the alphabet, form and punctuaction was well placed and useful. For me, I find these quick asides to be not only informational, but also a quick break from the storm. It gives the learner a chance to catch their breath so-to-speak and make sure they are understanding what they have read. There are a few things that I do not recall learning in Mounce. For example, did Mounce ever mention the intervocalic sigma? I do not recall him using that term. On a side note, I do remember my good friend and professor Abner referring to this as the “suicidal sigma.”

Also, Porter et al. go into more linguistic detail in regards to consonant voicing and assimilation. But where I find Mounce to be more helpful in this regards is in his “square of stops” chart. It is charts like that that give the first year student the confidence and encouragement to carry on when things get deep and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. This may be a bit much for the beginner to grasp at first, but it is helpful in the long run. An important section is the discussion on the accents. I found Porter et al. to be much more helpful in understanding the mechanics of the accents and their rules. This was an overlooked part of Mounce; he moved rather quickly through this if my memory serves me correctly.

Overall, I feel like the beginning student may find this chapter a bit daunting. The first chapter should be less intimidating; it should ease the learner into the race, not throw him into arena to run from the raging bull! While not impossible, Porter et al. may take more than a few careful read through until the learner feels like he is tracking with the concepts that are being taught.

Back to the Basic

I have decided that I want to learn Greek. Although I took beginning Greek at the Master’s College, I want to go back to the beginning and relearn the fundamentals of the language. My mentor and friend Dr. Varner always would say that he could never teach a first year Greek class because he does not remember first year Greek, and this is a true statement. That is not to say that he is not proficient in Greek, he is! I know that for me, if you were to ask me to reproduce a given paradigm I would not be able to do so (maybe λέγω or λύω, but not much else!). I would fail a basic quiz.

Well, I have decided that I want to know the language better than this. Therefore, I have enlisted the help of Stan Porter, Jeff Reed, and Matthew O’Donnell in my quest for Greek proficiency. Originally I learned Greek from Mounce. It was a great first year grammar, and it taught me the language well. After glancing through Porter et al. my first impression was: This is no Mounce! Porter et al. is dense and packed with a boatload of information. Because I respect Porter as a scholar, I am sure that what he has deemed important for the beginning student is in this grammar.

I also intend to blog some of my thoughts on the overall usefulness and benefits of Porter. I will post my thoughts (or at least what I can remember) on Mounce and how Porter is more/not as helpful.

Greetings from Bellingham WA

Well, I have officially arrived in my new home of Bellingham. First impressions: green, clean and crisp! I enjoy having trees surrounding me and breathing in crisp, clean air. My apartment is directly behind where I will be working, so the walk is a miserable 30 second jaunt. I have been staying with my best friend and his family in Mt. Vernon the last few days while I get adjusted to Washingtonian life.

I am eager to begin work. Having worked the last 4 years non-stop, these last few weeks of not working have been boring. I do not like having a lot of free time, so I have been reading mainly a biography on F.F. Bruce. I am looking forward to getting into a new routine of work and living, but it will not be complete until I have my amazing wife with me here.

Well, I am off for now, but look I will be back more regularly in the coming days.

Post Tenebras Lux

Cliff