David Alan Black, Greek professor and author of a number of books on languages, suggests you don’t use Greek from the pulpit. Speak emancipating truth in a way that all can understand, and we will thank you for it. Dave Black Online I agree, and add the fact that in most cases when I’ve heard…
Dave Black comments some on linguistics and teaching biblical languages in a post today. (Check out the linguistics conference coming up!) The difficulty is the difference between teaching someone a language in a classroom and in discussing and describing that language in some detail as a linguist would want to do. Both the framework and…
These discussions seem to come up all the time about learning Greek, but the discussion also applies to Hebrew. How one can imagine it’s critically important to learn Greek if one is to preach or teach, but not so much to learn Hebrew, I don’t know. But the degree requirements of various colleges and seminaries…
Dave Black has been posting some interesting things on his blog, and yesterday he wrote a bit about Greek and Hebrew language and culture. I’ve put this on jesusparadigm.com to provide a permanent link. Here’s the bottom line: The bottom line: I think it’s a bit misleading to insist that grammar and thought are inherently…
I commend to my readers my interview last night with Bob MacDonald regarding his newly released book The Song in the Night. I make some further remarks on the Energion Discussion Network.
Thomas Hudgins is teaching Greek, and he thinks students should study with the intention of actually using their Greek in ministry (HT: Dave Black). I’m delighted to see more and more effort put into this type of teaching. I was very frustrated as a graduate student when I saw how students in the MDiv program…
I’m linking to this post by Joel Hoffman not just for its content, which is indeed excellent, but also because I think it shows how to discuss translating a word from one language to another. A couple of notes: 1) He’s discussing how to translate the word in a specific instance, not some general “what…
Dave Black notes the following: 9:04 AM This morning Kyle Davis, one of my teaching assistants, sent me a link to this excellent essay: The Method of Teaching New Testament Greek (.pdf). On the several takeaways I got from reading it, this one is perhaps the most important: Extensive memorization produces improved strategies for memorization,…
The biblioblogosphere is alive with discussion of the released photo, line drawing, and preliminary translation of what appears to be the oldest example of Hebrew writing to date. I found it originally through Evangelical Textual Criticism, but have since read quite a number of posts about it. I’m afraid, however, that I must be missing…
One of the lectionary passages for this week is Isaiah 9:1-4. Those who don’t know Hebrew may miss out on an interest fact about this passage. It is one of the best examples of what is called the “prophetic perfect” or the “perfectum propheticum” for those who really like Latin titles. I got used to…
