A Primer of Biblical Greek

by N. Clayton Croy

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 1999

Overview

Though there are currently a number of texts for teaching biblical Greek, most of them are plagued by various deficiencies. Written with these flaws in mind, this new primer by N. Clayton Croy offers an effective, single-volume introduction to biblical Greek that has proven successful in classrooms around the country.

This volume takes a primarily deductive approach to teaching biblical Greek, and assumes that students have no prior knowledge of the language. Divided into 32 separate lessons, each containing a generous number of exercises, the text leads students from the Greek alphabet to a working understanding of the language of the Septuagint and the New Testament.

Special features of A Primer of Biblical Greek:

• An abundance of exercises: Each lesson includes practice sentences taken from the Septuagint and the New Testament as well as Greek sentences composed by the author. Exercises in English-to-Greek translation are also included.
• Concise but accurate grammatical explanations: Great care has been taken to insure that grammatical explanations are clear, correct, and succinct. In particular, the Greek participle receives a fuller-than-usual treatment.
• A natural order of presentation: Material is presented according to the natural structure of Greek and the traditional terminology of grammarians. Declensions and principal parts, for example, are presented in numerical order.
• Inclusive language: The book uses inclusive language for human beings throughout.
• Helpful appendixes for quick reference: Included at the back of the book are the Greek paradigms, Greek-to-English vocabulary, English-to-Greek vocabulary, and a bibliography for further study.

In the Logos edition, A Primer of Biblical Greek is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Lessons 2–32 include four sets of exercises
• “Practice and Review” contains Greek sentences composed for intensive practice
• Sentences drawn from the Septuagint

Contents

Top Highlights

“Greek nouns have three characteristics: case, number, and gender” (Page 12)

“The tense of a verb denotes the time and the kind of action” (Page 7)

“A declension is a group of nouns (or pronouns or adjectives) that have similar inflectional forms to show their function in a sentence.” (Page 12)

“A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number.” (Page 37)

“The voice of a verb indicates how the subject is related to the action” (Page 7)

Praise for the Print Edition

This new textbook provides a traditional presentation of beginning Greek grammar ideally suited for college and seminary courses . . . The abundance and variety of exercises provide flexibility for use with different class formats and teaching styles and prevent students’ familiarity with the NT from becoming a hindrance . . . A strong contender for instructors unhappy with outdated and idiosyncratic grammars.

—Religious Studies Review

This may be the best introductory text published in recent years. In terms of progression through the material, quality of explanatory examples of verbal constructions, and usefulness of the homework exercises, this book is unsurpassed.

—Review of Biblical Literature

For the serious student of the New Testament, learning some amount of biblical Greek is a necessity. This new textbook is a very helpful tool for that task. Designed for beginning students in biblical Greek at the college or seminary level, it offers in a clear and effective manner a step-by-step procedure for learning the language. Vocabulary lists and exercises are drawn from the New Testament, and the Septuagint, so that from the outset the student has the satisfaction of reading from the biblical texts themselves.

—The Bible Today

Divided into 32 lessons (with vocabulary and exercises), this introductory textbook seeks to lead college and seminary students from the Greek alphabet to a working knowledge of the language of the Septuagint and the NT. Paradigms and vocabulary lists are included. The book is adaptable for use in full-year, semester-long, and summer intensive courses, chiefly by selective assignment of exercises.

—New Testament Abstracts

Product Details

• Title: A Primer of Biblical Greek
• Author: N. Clayton Croy
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 282

About N. Clayton Croy

Professor of New Testament, Bexley Hall.