Reading and Pronouncing Biblical Greek: Historical Pronunciation versus Erasmian

by Philemon Zachariou

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2020

This book invites you to see not only how Hellenistic Koine ought to be pronounced but also why. Rigorously investigating the history of Greek orthography and sounds from classical times to the present, the author places linguistic findings on one side of the scale and related events on the other. The result is a balance between the evidence of the historical Greek sounds in Koine and pre-Koine times, and the political events that derailed those sounds as they were being transported through Europe's Renaissance academia and replaced them with Erasmian. This book argues for a return to the historical Greek sounds now preserved in Neohellenic (Modern Greek) as a step toward mending the Erasmian dichotomy that rendered post-Koine Greek irrelevant to New Testament Greek studies. The goal is a holistic and diachronic application of the Hellenic language and literature to illume exegetically the Greek text, as the New Testament contains numerous features that have close affinity with Neohellenic and should not be left unexplored.

Praise for Reading and Pronouncing Biblical Greek

“When your name is Philemon Zachariou, you care about the correct pronunciation of Greek words. But Dr. Zachariou cares a whole lot more about helping people learn the original language of the New Testament and bringing them into greater intimacy with the word of God. He has spent decades teaching Greek successfully, and this book helpfully brings his insights to the aid of students and teachers. As a fellow Greek teacher, I recommend this book to anyone who loves the New Testament.”

—Joseph Castleberry, Northwest University



“If the use of the artificial Erasmian system for learning classical Greek is scientifically questionable, its application to the Koine of the Hellenistic era is even less justified. . . . Thanks to Zachariou’s work, students and instructors of Greek can now have an analysis of the evolution of the Greek phonological system from classical Greek to Koine and down to the present. Linguistic comparisons show that the current pronunciation of Greek legitimizes its use not only for learning post-classical Greek, but also classical Greek.”

—Santiago Carbonell, IES Cotes Baixes, Spain



“Professors of Koine Greek have too quickly assumed either that the Erasmian pronunciation was historically accurate or that reconstructing the pronunciation of the first century is impossible. Zachariou deftly exposes the groundless nature of both suppositions. Through careful historical and linguistic work he makes a compelling case that Hellenistic Greek pronunciation is much closer to that of modern Greek than it is to the artificial construct of Erasmus. Highly recommended for every student and professor of Greek!”

—Daniel R. Streett, Houston Baptist University



“In the 1500s, the chancellor of the University of Cambridge decreed that students who used the Erasmian pronunciation be expelled. How, then, have we gone from such eschewing of Erasmian to the nearly wholesale adoption of it in today’s English-speaking colleges and seminaries? Zachariou expertly illumines this history and charts the path toward the recovery of the historical pronunciation of ancient Greek in the modern academy.”

—Mark Dubis, Union University



“For several years now, ancient Greek scholarship has been increasingly critical of the so-called Erasmian pronunciation system that has governed our reading of the language for nearly five centuries. The evidence against Erasmus is overwhelming, but academic institutions and their teachers have been slow to abandon the inaccurate and unhelpful ways handed down to them. As the tide slowly begins to turn, many will want an accessible reference work that demonstrates the weaknesses of Erasmus and the evidence that points to a truly Greek pronunciation of Greek. Dr. Zachariou has produced just such a work. Highly recommended.”

—Constantine R. Campbell, author of Advances in the Study of Greek

Product Details

• Title: Reading and Pronouncing Biblical Greek: Historical Pronunciation versus Erasmian
• Author: Philemon Zachariou
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2020
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781725254503, 1725254506
• Resource ID: LLS:9781725254503
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-23T08:56:36Z

About the Author

Philemon Zachariou is New Testament Greek instructor for BibleMesh Institute, and instructor of English at Northwest University. He is the author of The Proselytizer: The Diaries of Panos T. Zachariou, Pioneer Minister of the Gospel in Greece (1999). Philemon graduated from high school in Greece and from a Bible school in England and holds a BA and MA in linguistics and a PhD in religious education. During most of his career as an educator and public school administrator he taught, among other college subjects, Modern Greek and New Testament Greek at various schools and colleges.