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Part I
Foundational Greek
This is your first of three passes through the Greek language. This is the easiest of the three sections of the book, although it may be more challenging if you have never learned a foreign language. In Foundational Greek we will be meeting the basic concepts that make up the Greek language, so be ready potentially for some new ideas but not a lot of memorization. We will be learning the following:
• Greek alphabet and transliteration
• How to pronounce Greek
• What inflection is (and Strong’s numbers)
• Basics of the Greek noun and verbal system
• How to do Greek word studies
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Chapter 1
The Greek Language
The Greek language has a long and rich history stretching all the way from the thirteenth century BC to the present. The earliest form of the language is called “Linear B” (13th century BC).
The form of Greek used by writers from Homer (8th century BC) through Plato (4th century BC) is called “Classical Greek.” It was a marvelous form of the language, capable of exact expression and subtle nuances. Its alphabet was derived from the Phoenicians. Classical Greek existed in many dialects of which three were primary: Doric, Aeolic, and Ionic (of which Attic was a branch).
Athens was conquered in the fourth century BC by King Philip of Macedonia. Alexander the Great was Philip’s son and was tutored by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He set out to conquer the world and spread Greek culture and language. Because Alexander spoke Attic Greek, it was this dialect that was spread. It was also the dialect spoken by the famous Athenian writers. This was the beginning of the Hellenistic Age.
As the Greek language spread across the world and met other languages, it was altered (which would happen to any language). The dialects also interacted with each other. Eventually this adaptation resulted in what we call Koine Greek. “Koine” (κοινή) means “common” and was the common, everyday form of the language, used by everyday people. It was not considered a polished literary form of the language, and in fact some writers of this era purposefully imitated the older style of Greek (which is like someone today writing in King James English). Koine unfortunately lost many of the subtleties of classical Greek. For example, in classical Greek ἄλλος meant “other” of the same kind while ἕτερος meant “other” of a different kind. If you had an apple and you asked for ἄλλος, you would receive another apple. But if you asked for ἕτερος, you would be given perhaps an orange. Some of these subtleties come through in the New Testament but not often. It is this common, Koine Greek that is used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), the New Testament, and the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.
For a long time Koine Greek confused many scholars because it was significantly different from Classical Greek. Some hypothesized that it was a combination of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Others attempted to explain it as a “Holy Ghost language,” meaning that God created a special language just for the Bible. But studies of Greek papyri found in Egypt over the last one hundred years have shown that Koine Greek was the language of the everyday people used in the writings of...
