Product Description

Providing graded readings in Koine Greek from the New Testament, Septuagint, Apostolic Fathers, and early creeds, this unique text integrates the full range of materials needed by intermediate Greek students. Its many features include four helpful vocabulary lists, numerous references to other resources, assorted translation helps, a review of basic grammar and syntax, and an introduction to BDAG—the standard Greek lexicon.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #351477 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780825424427
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From the Back Cover

Koine Greek Reader goes where other readers do not by providing graded readings from the New Testament, Septuagint, Apostolic Fathers, and early creeds. Its many features include four helpful vocabulary lists, numerous references to other resources, assorted translation helps, a review of basic grammar and syntax, and an introduction to BDAG. Professors looking for a new textbook will find that Koine Greek Reader integrates the full range of materials needed by intermediate students.

Praise for Koine Greek Reader

“Absolutely the best volume of its kind available today. It incorporates a wealth of valuable information for classroom use or for self-study . . . [and] has been carefully prepared and organized, tested and refined in the classroom over a number of years, and handsomely produced by the publisher. I recommend it enthusiastically!”

—BUIST M. FANNING III
Department Chair and Professor of New Testament
Dallas Theological Seminary

“This tool supplements traditional grammars and provides hands-on exposure to a variety of Koine texts. Particularly helpful are the readings from the Septuagint, the Apostolic Fathers, and the early creeds. . . . An excellent resource for intermediate and advanced college and seminary students.”

—MARK L. STRAUSS
Professor of New Testament,
Bethel Seminary, San Diego

“Intermediate students of New Testament Greek will be well served by this fine selection of readings. . . . Anyone willing to go through this material carefully and in sequence will notice a marked increase in proficiency.”

—MOISÉS SILVA
Former Professor of New Testament,
Westminster Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“The Koine Greek Reader is by far the best resource currently available for learning Koine Greek inductively at the intermediate level. I look forward to using it in my own teaching and expect that it will be used widely both as a classroom text and for independent study for years to come.”

—MARTIN M. CULY
Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek,
Briercrest College and Seminary

“It is hard to find something to criticize in this wonderful resource. The best recommendation that I can give is that I will be adopting it for my classes as soon as it becomes available!”

—WILLIAM VARNER
Professor of Greek,
The Masters College

“Rodney Decker’s Koine Greek Reader is a godsend to serious students and would-be scholars of New Testament Koine Greek who prefer a traditional pedagogical approach. . . . The breadth of resources made available in this reader leads the student directly into the maze and, rather than showing the way through it, develops the essential skills needed to find one’s own way through it.”

—CARL W. CONRAD
Associate Professor Emeritus
Washington University, St. Louis
Cochair, B-Greek Internet discussion list

“Rodney Decker’s Koine Greek Reader is a welcome addition to the growing number of resources available for intermediate level Greek courses. I have used the Koine Greek Reader in a second-year Greek class, and on the basis of my students’ enthusiastic response to it and their progress in their study of Greek, I enthusiastically recommend it.”

—W. EDWARD GLENNY
Professor of New Testament Studies and Greek,
Northwestern College, St. Paul, Minnesota

Rodney J. Decker (Th.D., Central Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of Greek and New Testament at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous journal articles and a highly respected monograph on the gospel of Mark published in the Studies in Biblical Greek series edited by D. A. Carson. He edits the popular New Testament Resources Web site (http://www.ntresources.com).

About the Author
Rodney J. Decker (Th.D., Central Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of New Testament at Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. He is the author of numerous journal articles on linguistic, exegetical, and theological topics and a highly respected monograph on the gospel of Mark published in the Studies in Biblical Greek series edited by D. A. Carson.

Customer Reviews

The best there is
This book is not only the only (so far as I know) true 'koine' reader, it is also among the best 'readers' available. Decker, along with Mounce BBG, has mastered the art of inductive language teaching. The student learns the material by immersing him/herself into it and appropriate help is given as need along the way. This allows the student to stretch his/her own knowledge and confirm or correct his/her current understanding of the grammar.

Several features make this book shine above the rest, though:
1) it is a true Koine reader, meaning the student will learn some NT text, some LXX text and some early christian texts. As someone said on the B-Greek forum, learning the span of koine, rather than simply translating the NT will make the student more adept at analyzing the language itself and less dependent on his/her background knowledge of english translations.

2) Vocab lists. This book is truly made for the student and the classroom. The various vocab assignments before each section will help the student incrementally develop his/her vocabulary beyond the 50x range. Especially helpful in this regard is appendix H which lists all the words that occur in the LXX more than 50x but less than 25x in the NT. By mastering this list, the student will be able to feel comfortable reading the LXX and becoming familiar with its lexical and grammatical features. To paraphrase what someone famous said "Sell every commentary you own if you have to in order to by a copy of the LXX and put it to use."

3) helpful grammar review. While Wallace's Grammar is superb and full of examples, the best way to master grammatical concepts is to read the text and see them in use. Decker does a masterful job of pointing out special grammatical notes concerning the NT, LXX and early christian writings, allowing the user to learn grammar through constant use.

4) using BDAG. Appendix A on using BDAG is a must read (this is available in some form on his website also). BDAG is worth its weight in gold for simple definitions and glosses, but very few know how to use this tome to its full potential. Decker does and he teaches the student how through a series of exercises in the greek text.

I believe that Decker's book should be required reading in all second year Greek courses so as to expose students to the wide range of koine texts, develop students as masters of the language not simply translation glosses, and refresh and sharpen grammatical learning in the context of exegesis/translation.

A good but biased reader
A good and helpful reader for those learning koine Greek. The format is large and the fonts are readable, easy on the eye.

The texts are from The Hew Testament and from outside of it: The Septuagint, Apostolic Fathers and from The Early Creeds of the Church. As a complementary tool one should have at hand the BDAG. Also it is asumed that the student studied one year of elementary Greek.

On the other hand it is leading the reader on a peculiar view that it is not concerned with the historical truth: The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed it is given in the English translation with the much later addagio "filoque" (The Holy Ghost proceedeth both from the Father and the Son), altough the Greek texts misses it.

Be aware!

Great Greek Reader for the Intermediate Student
As a beginner, you may have difficulty keeping up with the lessons. However, as your learning increases, this book will be quite beneficial to expand your knowledge of the New Testament Greek.
Enjoy!