Going from Koine to Classical Greek

[Zachary Salsbury]

Like many people who come from a biblical studies background, I started out with learning "biblical Greek". Obviously, learning a language through the study of such a limited corpus seems odd. In fact, I think this practice tends to perpetuate a certain amount of laziness on the part of many NT students. This being said, are there any good resources that anyone could recommend for a student trying to gain a broader knowledge of classical and Hellenistic Greek for use in historical studies? I geuss I am looking for a Greek book for students/victims of biblical Greek.

 

Thanks!

[ἠφανισμένος]

Decker's Koine Greek Reader includes selections from the Apostolic Fathers and Whitacre's Patristic Greek Reader has selections from a range of patristic writers (from the Διδαχή to John Chrysostom). Either would be a good place to start if you've only read the New Testament.  If you want to dive straight into Attic prose, you could check out Geoffrey Steadman's free editions of Xenophon, Lysias, or Plato.

[Joseph45]

I suggest just grabbing one of the many textbooks available for learning classical Greek. Go through the text chapter by chapter, making sure to do the assigned exercises and readings. You'll be able to go through it relatively quickly since you already have a base in Greek, but it'll expand your comfort with broader forms of the language. Maybe skip exercises that focus strongly on Greek poetry or non-attic dialects (unless you think you'll end up needing to read those)--topics that probably won't come up too much anyway at first.

 

Then just figure out something that you want to read. Dive into Plato, Josephus, Philo, Plutarch, or whatever seems most relevant to you and just force yourself to do a little bit each day. The transition really isn't that daunting, but it will require some work and determination, especially at first as you get used to the specific author's vocabulary and style.

[Between Fields]

Athenaze is an introductory and intermediate textbook (so some of the earlier chapters might be boring for you), but it does a good job of giving examples from Attic, Ionic, Homeric, and Koine (and even Doric for a little bit), so it might be helpful. Another strategy you could use would be to work back historically from the NT towards Classical Greek. 

[Kuriakos]

I was just about to recommend Athenaze!

[Zachary Salsbury]

Thanks guys! I actually already have books 1 and 2 of Athenaze. I have actually recently been toying with the idea of doing a second MA in classics in order to improve my language skills and my knowledge of ancient history. Any thoughts on this?

[Joseph45]

Don't get a second MA. I mean, it depends on what you want to do and all, but that's a big time commitment and probably a big money commitment. Again, I don't know what you want to do, but I really doubt that it's worth it. You'll build your Greek skills as you go along working on the texts you need to in the doctoral program. Sure, it would be fantastic if you had a fabulous classics background to begin with, but, especially since entrance into a good PhD program is no guarantee no matter what you do, it's not worth it.

[sacklunch]

I would slightly disagree with the above comment. If you have something like an MTS you will be at a slight disadvantage when compared to other applicants who have 3-5 yrs of M* work (a somewhat common fact). It would be different if, say, you had an MA in Classics or your undergraduate focused on Classics/NW Semitics (and so on), but as it stands, you will likely be competing against students with strong backgrounds in classical languages (not just biblical). That said, Classics MA's are fairly competitive and it is somewhat rare to find such a program that will only allow you to focus on classical Greek (I'm assuming you have little to no classical Latin). There are exceptions, of course, but searching over in the Classics forum will be the best indicator. I thought about going this route before I did my second M* and ended up doing a religious studies M* program that allowed me to take courses over in classics. This let me focus more on classical Greek texts alongside getting deeper into Aramaic/Syraic/Hebrew. I have found RS departments to be more open about letting students work over in Classics Departments, while Classics faculty, at least the ones I have dealt with, are often bewildered when students want to delve into Semitic materials.

 

My recommendation would be something like Pratte's Eros at the Banquet. This book begins by slightly modifying Plato's Symposium while taking the reader through the entire dialogue. Once you're in chapter 3 or 4 you are reading the unedited text. It has great notes for students needing to solidify their understanding of common classical forms and structures. The companion grammar note book that comes with it is also fantastic. 

[Joseph45]

I guess from my experience, most people at top tier programs don't have more than one masters. I think, at a certain point in time, having a second masters just flags that you couldn't get in the first time around (and, therefore, aren't that appealing of candidate).

 

There are, of course, exceptions, and I'm certainly only speaking from my own experience and perceptions, but I know a lot of people in top tier programs (partly because I'm at one), and getting a second masters is not the norm or the key to getting in (at least at the handful of programs that I'm pretty familiar with). And, for what it's worth, I strongly recommend against getting a PhD unless you're at a top six or so program. Too much time, energy, and commitmee for a very dreary job market.

 

I know opinions differ, but that's my (limited) perspective on the question.

[Kuriakos]

It would be better to take a year off and self-teach than to spend the money for a second MA.

[RD_Paul]

I did four years of Classical before I really started studying Koine closely, and I think the difference is emphasized a little too much. Now, I don't mean to downplay the fact that Classical (Attic, Doric, Ionic) is, generally speaking, more syntactically complicated than the NT, but going from "Biblical" greek to Classical won't be that difficult...as long as you're motivated. The more you study Classical, the more the mystery of the language begins to fall away (which is the problem most folks who only study "Biblical" Greek are faced with...they don't know enough of the language for it to become beautiful and interesting, more than a hoop to jump through).

 

Anyway, I've taught introductory Greek to first year seminary students twice now, and I've helped one of my former students pick up Classical with Athenaze and Steadman's very helpful texts, which Petros already mentioned. Also, for Homeric Greek, read through Pharr's text, and not only will you have read a huge bulk of Homer, you'll begin to grasp the way the language changed from Homeric-->Classical-->Hellenistic.

 

One other thing that I recommend (adding to Kuriakos' recommendation to de self-study rather than another M*) is to find a few people with whom to read, if they exist in your area. For me, it has sometimes been difficult to maintain my commitment level unless there are others to hold me accountable. It's also just a lot of fun to read Plato/Herodotus/Zenophon with others. A very different experience than reading the NT with others.