This book invites you to see not only how Hellenistic Koine ought to be pronounced but also why. Rigorously investigating the history of Greek orthography and sounds from classical times to the present, the author places linguistic findings on one side of the scale and related events on the other. The result is a balance between the evidence of the historical Greek sounds in Koine and pre-Koine times, and the political events that derailed those sounds as they were being transported through Europe’s Renaissance academia and replaced them with Erasmian. This book argues for a return to the historical Greek sounds now preserved in Neohellenic (Modern Greek) as a step toward mending the Erasmian dichotomy that rendered post-Koine Greek irrelevant to New Testament Greek studies. The goal is a holistic and diachronic application of the Hellenic language and literature to illume exegetically the Greek text, as the New Testament contains numerous features that have close affinity with Neohellenic and should not be left unexplored.

What did the apostles’ Greek sound like? How should New Testament Greek be pronounced in our classrooms? Often students are taught Erasmian pronunciation, which does not even reproduce Erasmus’s own pronunciation faithfully, let alone that of the New Testament authors. But if we want to process the language of the New Testament the same way its original authors and readers did, we should use their pronunciation. In his new book, Benjamin Kantor breaks a path toward an authentic pronunciation of Koine Greek at the time of the New Testament, seeking to improve students’ reading proficiency. A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek distills Kantor’s new monograph, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek, with an eye toward practical instruction. The first comprehensive phonological and orthographic study of Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek surveys thousands of inscriptions and papyri to determine historical pronunciation. A Short Guide gives students an overview of the basics of phonology before explaining the pronunciation of each Greek letter and phoneme individually. Perfect for classroom use, this guide explains Kantor’s cutting-edge research accessibly and includes sample texts for reading practice.

A pioneering, comprehensive study of the pronunciation of Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek. How was New Testament Greek pronounced? Often students are taught Erasmian pronunciation, which does not even reproduce Erasmus’s own pronunciation faithfully, let alone that of the New Testament authors. In his new book, Benjamin Kantor breaks a path toward an authentic pronunciation of Koine Greek at the time of the New Testament. To determine historical pronunciation, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek surveys thousands of inscriptions and papyri. Kantor’s work integrates traditional methodology and statistical analysis of digital databases to examine spelling variations in the chosen texts. Kantor covers this cutting-edge approach, the primary sources, and their contexts before explaining the pronunciation of each Greek phoneme individually. Written for interested students and specialists alike, this guide includes both explicatory footnotes for novices and technical analysis for veterans. As the first comprehensive phonological and orthographic study of Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek will be an essential resource for years to come.

This new primer offers a succinct, single-volume introduction to biblical Greek that has already been tested in classrooms around the country. 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 Bible.

Many who study biblical Greek despair of being able to use it routinely, but veteran instructor Rodney Whitacre says there is hope! By learning to read Greek slowly, students can become fluent one passage at a time and grasp the New Testament in its original language. Whitacre explains how to practice meditation on Scripture (lectio divina) in Greek, presenting a workable way to make Greek useful in life and ministry. Ideal for classroom use and for group or individual study, this book helps students advance their knowledge of Greek and equips them to read the original texts with fluency and depth.

This Hellenistic Greek reader is designed for students who have completed one or more years of Greek and wish to improve their reading ability and gain a better appreciation for the diversity of the language. The seventy passages in this reader reflect different styles, genres, provenances and purposes, and are arranged into eight parts according to their level of difficulty. Grammatical support and vocabulary lists accompany each passage, and a cumulative glossary offers further assistance with translation. Students are led to a deeper understanding of Hellenistic Greek, and a greater facility with the language. * Includes canonical and non-canonical Christian texts, Septuagint (prose and poetry), Jewish Pseudepigrapha, inscriptions, and Jewish and Hellenistic literary Greek * Includes a web component with more than thirty additional readings for classroom and independent use * Passages offer a glimpse into the everyday life of Hellenistic Greeks, with themes such as sexuality, slavery, magic, apocalypticism, and Hellenistic philosophy.