Why Learn Koine (Biblical) Greek
I’m excited to be offering Koine (Biblical) Greek in the coming academic year with Kepler! Prior to moving to Moscow, Idaho in July 2022, I was a pastor in England for nine years, and I still get the occasional invitation to preach. Being able to read the Bible in Greek isn’t just of benefit to preachers, though: it can help all of us. We have some excellent translations, and we can be confident that we have access to the word of God. However, I’d like to share an instance where understanding the way Greek works and knowing what Greek words mean helped me to read the Bible more precisely and pick up on emphases and allusions that I wouldn’t have seen as clearly by reading an English translation. This is not through any fault of the translators but simply because of the differences between the two languages. The passage is John 8.46-59 and I will be referring to the English Standard Version.
What are your pronouns?
No, I am not confused about gender! Greek, like Latin, is a highly inflected language: information about the meaning of a word is expressed by changes in its form. For example, person (I, you, he &c.) and number (I/we, he/they &c.) are shown by the ending of a verb; pronouns are unnecessary to express the subject. Where pronouns are present, you need to ask why. Sometimes, but not always, it may indicate emphasis on the subject, perhaps to make a contrast. In verse 55, Jesus says, “But you have not known him [the Father]. I know him.” In Greek, ‘you have not known’ does not have the pronoun ‘you’; this is shown by the ending of the verb. However, ‘I know him’ does have the pronoun ‘I’; John is emphasising Jesus’ knowledge of the Father in contrast to those with whom he is speaking.
To be or not to be?
Different languages divide the world up in different ways; one word in English might translate several words in Greek with different nuances of meaning. In verse 58. Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Here, the verb ‘to be’ is used of both Abraham and Jesus. However, this translates two different verbs in Greek. The first, referring to Abraham, has the sense of coming into being, whereas the second, referring to Jesus, has the sense of existence more generally. John isn’t just saying that Jesus predates Abraham. He seems to be contrasting the very nature of their existence: Abraham came into existence whereas, by implication, Jesus did not.
Koine Greek is not only the language of the Greek New Testament but also the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Learning Koine Greek can help you see when New Testament authors are quoting or alluding to Old Testament passages. The Greek for ‘I am’ is the same as in Exodus 3.14, when God speaks to Moses from the burning bush and reveals his name. Jesus is saying that he is this God: no wonder his hearers wanted to stone him!
Reading this passage in Greek helps us to see in a deeper way that Jesus has unique knowledge of the Father. This reflects the fact that he did not come into being like other creatures, but shares in the one divine nature. This leads us to trust and worship. As the mediaeval scholastics understood, this is the goal of a classical Christian liberal arts education, of which the linguistic arts are an integral part.
To find out more about learning Greek with me, please follow this link: https://kepler.education/courses/9c7fc0d0-168c-4e28-b51b-fece09913929/
