Note: Time and location TBA.
Please direct inquiries to hka(at)duke.edu.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This reading course aims at the steady development of facility with Greek grammar useful for the exegesis of the Greek New Testament. Building on the paradigm-centered instruction students will have received in introductory grammar courses, our course will take a text-centered approach to learning Greek. As such, the majority of classroom time will be spent immersed in the reading process. While exegetical questions will be raised by our reading and discussed with brevity, the chief goal of each class period will be simply to read and comprehend as much as we can in our allotted time without sacrificing grammatical accuracy and translational fluidity. Brief introductions to the texts covered as well as to pertinent grammatical features will be offered by the instructor in an attempt both to connect this course to the broader Greek curriculum and to provide students with additional tools for their future study. A number of supplemental materials developed by the instructor will aid in the development of a vocabulary useful for the discussion of grammatical features.

While a variety of materials may be covered during the course of the summer session, the majority of attention will be devoted to Wisdom of Solomon, with brief detours inserted into the schedule at the instructor's discretion meant to rejuvenate the exegetical mind. An exceptionally rich text with a distinctive (and sometimes challenging!) Greek flavor, the Wisdom of Solomon is a true gem among ancient Jewish writings, combining poetic elegance and theological nuance. This text will give your Greek a workout and leave you a stronger and more confidence reader of the Greek of the New Testament, partly due to its level of sophistication and partly due to the challenge of reading a document which will be significantly more unfamiliar than any of the NT texts covered by previous Greek instruction. Diverse blocks of material within the document result in shifting demands on both the translator and the imagination. Neither the work itself nor the process of translating it will ever be boring.For those interested in the rhythm of the text, I have posted here a selection of my working translation, developed in conversations held in NT 2A (fall 2008). Inserted below is a section of the speech in the character of the unrighteous.

How then did arrogance benefit us?
And how did wealth with its bragging rights meet our need?
All these things have passed as a shadow—
Just like a herald’s shout might sprint past,
Like a ship cutting through choppy water,
No track of which is to be found when it passes
Nor path of its keel in the waves,
Or like when a bird flutters through the air,
No evidence of its passage is discovered,
But the nimble air, whipped by the lash of feathered limb
And torn by the rushing force of flapping wings,
Is traversed and after this is found no sign of entry in it.
Or like when an arrow is cast upon a mark,
The air being cut through
Is straightaway returned upon itself
As though ignorant of its route.
So also we, having once been born, died
And had no proof of virtue to show
But were spent in our wickedness,
Because the hope of the impious is like windborne dust
And as a delicate hoarfrost chased away by a storm,
And scattered it was, like smoke in a gale,
And it passed like the memory of a one-day lodger.
But the righteous live forever,
And in the Lord is their reward,
And their care is with the Most High.

Students will develop their own working translation of Wisdom, reflecting on both grammatical analysis and discussions of translational philosophy.

WHY ENROLL IN NT 2B?

By making the Greek Reading courses (NT 2A/2B) available free of charge, the Divinity School offers its students golden opportunities to solidify their Greek and put it to work in the study of the New Testament and relevant Jewish texts. The potential of the courses is great. Imagine the following scenario: An M.Div. student, arriving three years ago with a basic command of Greek from previous undergraduate work, commits to taking NT 2A and 2B whenever offered during her Duke tenure. This student, given the achievements of past classes, would have read the following texts in Greek:

Gospel of Mark (spring 2008); selections from Matthew, Luke, Acts, and John (fall 2006); 1 Corinthians (fall 2007); 2 Corinthians (summer 2007); Colossians (fall 2006); Ephesians (spring 2007); 1 Thessalonians (fall 2006); 2 Thessalonians (spring 2007); 1 Peter (fall 2006); 2 Peter (spring 2007); Revelation (spring 2008); selections from 1 Maccabees (spring 2007); Wisdom of Solomon 1-9 (fall 2008), Bel and the Dragon (fall 2008), and Susanna (fall 2008); Testament of Abraham A, Philemon (spring 2009).

This is a considerable amount of guided Greek reading that offers a low-pressure avenue for the development of facility with the language. Given that such a student would have likely enrolled in at least one or two Greek exegesis courses, it is entirely possible that she would have completed her degree having read and discussed the grammar of the majority of the New Testament, or a large part thereof combined with a good deal of Jewish pseudepigrapha.

WHAT MATERIALS ARE REQUIRED?

1. Greek New Testament (for intermittent dips into the language of the NT).
2. A reference lexicon of the student's choice.
3. Materials distributed by the instructor.

Many will already have purchased a copy of the Greek New Testament; however, note that both Greek New Testaments and various lexica are available in the Divinity School library. Cost should never be a concern for prospective students. Students interested in purchasing their first copy of the Greek New Testament are encouraged to consider acquiring this text, although a number of editions will suffice. If you are unsure about a new purchase, please ask before placing your order!

WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THE INSTRUCTOR?

The only real requirement is enthusiastic, engaged participation in the translation of the texts noted here. If you want to get a sense of the difficulty of the Greek of what we'll be covering, you can find the Greek text of the Testament of Abraham and the beginning of my reader's lexicon here. Take a shot; it's not that bad. A few other common-sense requests round out my personal requirements:

1. As our time together will be limited to two hours per week, it is important that we begin on time.
2. If you cannot make it to a given class meeting, please email me in advance.
3. Do as much as you can to prepare for each class session. The more we can read, the more fun and profitable our time becomes. Remember, your preparation allows everyone in the room to get more out of the course.

See also my Reader's Lexica for a description of my pedagogical methodology and examples of the resources I have developed for the instruction of Hellenistic Greek.