Kairos: A Beginning Greek Grammar

by Fredrick J. Long

Publisher:

Fredrick J. Long

, 2005

Overview

Having a good teacher makes all the difference when learning to read and understand the Greek New Testament. The Kairos beginning grammar and accompanying workbook (available separately or in the Kairos Collection: A Beginning Greek Grammar with Workbook and Answer Key (3 vols.) are the next best thing to having a personal Greek tutor guiding you along the path toward proficiency.

Early is his teaching career, Dr. Long realized that the existing Greek textbooks were all lacking in one area or another. So he created this first-year textbook and workbook to address some of the deficiencies he observed. These materials have been tested in the classroom and revised over the years in response to student feedback. In fact, they have been used to successfully introduce NT Greek to undergraduate and seminary students in Dr. Long's classes.

Kairos provides an easy yet structured way to get started with biblical Greek. If you have been wanting to learn Greek but haven't started formal training (or your formal training is a dim memory), these materials will guide you to a place where you can read the New Testament on your own. The grammar is a learning grammar (not a reference grammar), and the workbook exercises have been painstakingly crafted to help the novice progress quickly.

We have received many requests for a first-year learning grammar. Even if you own Nunn's Syntax and Elements, you will benefit from the Kairos grammar and workbook as it is uses a more contemporary approach and more extensive, guided exercises. If you're a Greek instructor, Kairos would make a great introductory text that integrates with the student's feature set and library of Logos Bible Software, giving students all the tools they need to succeed with the language. And your classes can actually complete its 28 chapters in two semesters!

Key Features

• An overview of English grammar is provided in Chapter 1;
• A systematic presentation of grammar…
  • beginning with the Present Indicative Verb
  • the First and Second Declensions with the definite article
  • Prepositions and Compound verbs (verbs with affixed prepositions)
  • the more frequent pronouns (Personal, Demonstrative, and Relative)
  • By the end of the first half of the Grammar, all the tenses of the Indicative Mood are presented, all the proper prepositions covered, the consonant-stem Third Declension nouns introduced.
  • In the second half, we cover the non-Indicative moods, vowel-stem Third Declension nouns, conditional sentences, Mi-Verbs, and generally, the least frequent points of grammar which have an occurrence of roughly 50 times or more.
  • The beginning grammar is thoroughly cross-referenced to Daniel Wallace’s intermediate and exegetical Greek grammar, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.

From the Preface

As you may already know, I have entitled this textbook after the New Testament idiom εξαγοραζεσθαι τον καιρον literally, “buy up the opportunity.” It is found in Col 4:5 and Eph 5:16 meaning “make the most of every opportunity.” I think you can understand how this idiom is appropriate for learning New Testament Greek in the context of preparing for Christian ministry.

Let me briefly explain about ΚΑΙΡΟΣ: A Beginning Greek Grammar. I once told a fellow seminary friend, Rev. Pat Holley, that I would never write a Greek textbook because of the vast numbers of them and if I did, that he should shoot me. However, when I became a Greek Teaching Fellow at Asbury Theological Seminary (1993-95), I soon began to realize that no textbook was completely “adequate.” Each had their strengths, but also their corresponding weaknesses. Some explained English grammar, some assumed it. Some taught diagramming methods, some ignored them. Some explained too much, some explained too little. Some had adequate exercises, most very scanty. Some presented the material in a systematic and logical fashion, some appeared scattered. Some were deductive, some inductive.

Then, in 1994, I took an intensive Latin class in fulfillment of a Master’s degree in Classics from the University of Kentucky. The textbook used was Moreland and Fleischer’s 1990 edition, Latin: An Intensive Course. In this textbook I found a model for a Koine (Biblical) Greek grammar that would span two semesters (28 chapters). It is possible to work through one chapter a week and still have time for review and testing during the semester or quarter.

...It is my hope that you will come to love the NT in Greek through using this Grammar and Workbook. Furthermore, I pray that you will become fruitful interpreters of God’s Word and ultimately more effective pastors and teachers.

Fredrick J. Long, 2004

Top Highlights

“Basically, conjunctions link words, phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs and convey various semantic relationships.” (Page 5)

“transitive verbs. Verbs that do not transfer action from the subject to another noun are called intransitive verbs” (Page 3)

“Transitive verbs, as stated above, involve the subject performing some activity with another noun” (Page 3)

“Sometimes connections coordinate two more or less equivalent components” (Page 5)

“Essentially, only four sets of endings will need to be learned for the Indicative Mood. Below is given the first two sets: the Present active endings and Present middle/passive endings.” (Page 26)

Endorsements

This book is practical and understandable for students and laymen with no previous background in Greek. However, it is also thorough and detailed enough to give one a good grasp of the foundations of the language. Long has done both pastors and laymen a favor with this wonderful introduction to the Biblical language.

—Pastor Bill Barnwell, Faith Missionary Church, Flint, Michigan

Most textbooks share common elements and even structure, while the greatest differences between them (in my mind) are the workbook exercises. Dr. Long has obviously put quite a deal of effort into designing a workbook that accommodates ambitious as well as steady learners. On a personal note, I tend to load myself with many classes at once—which makes ambitious, consistent learning in one subject less feasible. However, the Kairos workbook supplies enough exercises such that if you get foggy on a given topic (e.g. noun clauses), you can return to that section, reread the material, and have half a dozen to perhaps twenty problems that have not yet been worked...Overall, I would recommend Kairos to anyone who wants to learn Greek, both for personal research and exegesis, and also for classroom study.

—Joel Barrett, former student of Dr. Long

The Kairos program worked very well for me. With Kairos I was able to teach myself most of the Greek. This system for learning a language was better than any other I have used (which would include German and Spanish in high school). With the help of a lexicon I can interpret most NT passages, and this ability is a great help in exegesis. The grammar is not too hard, but thoroughly teaches the skills one needs.

—Matt Alwine, undergraduate student preparing for ministry

Product Details

• Title: Kairos: A Beginning Greek Grammar
• Author: Fredrick J. Long
• Publisher: Fredrick J. Long
• Print Publication Date: 2005
• Logos Release Date: 2008
• Era: era:Contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Greek language, Biblical › Grammar
• Resource ID: LLS:KAIROSGRAM
• Resource Type: Grammar
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:09:58Z

About Fredrick J. Long

Fredrick J. Long (PhD Marquette University) is Professor of New Testament and Director of Greek Instruction at Asbury Theological Seminary. He researches Biblical and Greco-Roman literature and backgrounds, hermeneutics, Greek discourse analysis, and Bible translation. Prof. Long has published books with Cambridge University Press (Ancient Rhetoric and Paul’s Apology, 2004), Logos Bible Software (Kairos Greek Grammar and its Accompanying Workbook, 2005, 2008), Baylor University Press (2 Corinthians, 2015), Seedbed (Ephesians, 2017), and GlossaHouse (most notably, Koine Greek Grammar [2015] and In Step with God’s Word [2017]). He regularly presents at national and regional meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature and has contributed essays in volumes published by Brill, IVP, Logos, Oxford, and notably SBL in The First Urban Churches series (volumes on Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi). Prof. Long is coowner of www.GlossaHouse.com, cofounding editor of The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies, and cocontributor for the podcast PROVEText: Exploring Scripture.