Reading Biblical Greek: A Grammar for Students by Richard J. Gibson and Constantine R. Campbell (review)

Richard J. Gibson and Constantine R. Campbell's textbook Reading Biblical Greek: A Grammar for Students, along with its companion workbook and DVD, is intended for use in an introductory course in biblical Greek. This new offering from Zondervan, reflecting decades of teaching by the two authors, is a thoughtful approach that emphasizes the application of learning, centred around the book of Mark.

The textbook moves quickly and frequently between learning and practice. The hard-cover 129-page book has 83 sections, each of which focuses on one discrete idea at a time (e.g., "Nouns" [section 13], "The Article" [section 14], "Masculine Nouns" [section 15]). Each section is typically a page, in landscape format, arranged in three columns. Where appropriate, the first column discusses the idea, the second column shows the idea in the Greek (e.g., the paradigm), and the third column gives exercises. In using this style, the authors fit into one page the basics and some additional ideas that may contribute to understanding, along with useful exercises. The 3-column format allows for an abundance of exercises that make moving beyond lecturing easy; if one section is taught per hour, there would be exercises available to use for nearly every hour of class.

Another strength of this course-pack is that it is designed to bring students into contact with the Greek New Testament (GNT) as quickly as possible. The exercises in the textbook and the companion workbook are centred around the NT book of Mark. The textbook occasionally refers to other NT texts where this aids in describing an idea, but from early on, Mark is the object of study. For example, in introducing the definite article, the student is instructed to find all fourteen definite articles in Mark 1:1–5 and parse them. Exercises like this, that use Mark early in the student's progress to describe the idea being discussed, are the norm at the beginning of the textbook. In addition to this, the exercises in the textbook are intended to be reinforced by the ongoing reading Mark found in the workbook. The workbook covers Mark 1–4, with typically three verses per section. The workbook comes into play about halfway through the textbook (beginning in lesson 42) and gives vocabulary and grammar assistance coordinated with what has been learned in the textbook. This gradual building of understanding while repeatedly using Mark helps the student to gain confidence in their reading of the GNT.

The vocabulary is arranged first according to what is being learned in that section (e.g., the section on contract verbs ending in ϵω is tied to a vocabulary list of verbs ending in ϵω), then by frequency. For ease of study, all the vocabulary is collected at the back of the book rather than by section. By the end of the course, the student will have memorized approximately 450 of the most frequently used words in the GNT.

As instructors move toward using modern/historical Greek pronunciation rather than Erasmian, ease of study is becoming a consideration in textbook choice. This textbook and set of DVD lectures may be used both by those who wish to teach Erasmian and those who wish to teach modern/historical pronunciation. The textbook begins with a history of Koine Greek, followed by an introduction to the difference between Erasmian and historical/modern pronunciation, then shows both throughout, as applicable.

The textbook is a welcome move away from introductory Biblical Greek textbooks that treat Greek like a problem to be solved rather than encouraging the student to read and meditate on the text of the GNT. The format, with the practical exercises that centre around Mark along with the reading of Mark reflected in the accompanying workbook, makes it easy to accompany teaching with relevant practice. The only potential drawback I have found is that 83 sections with three...