Getting closer to the source

I took Biblical Greek this sem, and had really mixed feelings going into it. I never have been good in languages, even in English. It took me much effort in university for me to improve my writing to a decent standard. Needless to say, I am hopeless in Chinese. However, the thought of being able to read the New Testament in its original language intrigued me. To me it seems that being able to read the bible in its original language will allow me to better understand the author’s thoughts, and more importantly the mind of God that is speaking to us through the author. Thus far, that expectation has not been disappointed. Even while learning the fundamentals of Greek, it became clear that there are areas in the New Testament where the nuances can be more accurately seen and understood if the passage is read in Greek.

I also appreciated the fact the module had a very specific focus: to understand the New Testament in its original language. As such, the usual components of an introductory language class, such as conversational Greek and writing Greek sentences, were absent from this class. It was a constant reminder that we should be focused in all we do, and not just gain knowledge for the sake of it, but to always keep the bigger picture in view.

To become good at any skill in life, consistency is key; and Greek is no exception. From memorizing vocab, to familiarizing oneself with the grammatical syntax of the language takes consistent diligence, which is something I definitely lack and need to work on.. As a first step, I plan to revise what I have learnt from this module before Greek 2 begins after the break. It will be difficult but I am really looking forward!