New Testament Greek 1 | Beginner Upper School

View the SRS Greek Program Curriculum Map

New Testament Greek 1 offers a clear, sophisticated, and imaginative introduction to the New Testament Greek language, also known as Koine Greek, for Upper school students. Students will cover the fundamentals of New Testament Greek grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, and will read and translate excerpts of the New Testament, the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, Orthros, Vespers, as well as various hymns, prayers, and other texts. The aim of New Testament Greek 1 is to cultivate delight in the original language of the New Testament and the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church.

The course map highlights the key points of grammar to be covered each quarter, as well as Reading & Review units. By the end of the year students will have learned the Greek writing system, omega verbs in various forms, the three declensions, and the five cases. They will be familiar with the beginnings of syntax, learning to identify tense, person, number, & mood of verbs, and the case, number, and gender of nouns. They will also be introduced to adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and prepositions, as well as an increasing number of case functions.

Homework will consist of written exercises, memorization of vocabulary and review for assessments. Students will also be encouraged to build their own Greek reference grammar in their notebooks. This will enable them to study well for assessments as well as provide a reference for translations and exercises. Assessments will include vocabulary quizzes every half-chapter and tests every chapter (for a total of 12 tests). These may vary depending upon the needs of the class. Students should average approximately 30 minutes of homework and study per day, five days a week, apart from class time and quiz/test-taking – though individual student needs may vary.

We plan to cover the first 12 chapters of the textbook with the intention that students will be able to transition smoothly to New Testament Greek 2 next year. The number of chapters may vary depending on the needs of the class.

High School Credit: This course is the equivalent of one high school credit in foreign language.

What is the difference between New Testament KOINE Greek and Classical Greek?

Saint Raphael’s School teaches what is often called “Koine Greek.” It is the dialect of Greek which was spoken throughout the Eastern Mediterranean following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC, and persisted throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods and eventually evolved into the Modern Greek language which is currently spoken in Greece today. Koine Greek is the dialect of Greek with which the New Testament was written (which is why is Koine Greek is often called “New Testament Greek”).

Along with the New Testament, the various services of The Eastern Church, hymns, prayers, and saints lives were also composed in Koine Greek. At Saint Raphael’s School, Koine Greek is taught using the “Modern” or “Received” pronunciation. This pronunciation is identical to that used by speakers of the Modern Greek language today, and it is also the pronunciation currently used for the liturgies and services of the Orthodox Church of Greece, and most of the Orthodox Churches under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch, including The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH).

Schole Academy teaches both Classical and Koine Greek.  Classical Greek is slightly different from and grammatically more complex than Koine Greek.  While our course at Saint Raphael’s focuses on equipping Orthodox Christians with the tools to understand the New Testament, the church fathers, and the liturgy, Scholé course exposes students to the Greek of a lengthier period, from Homer (8th century BC) through “The Golden Age of Athens” (5th century BC) and into the Hellenistic/Koine period (including the New Testament and Patristics).  Whereas our course uses the modern pronunciation employed in the Orthodox Church, Scholé Academy uses a pronunciation  “reconstructed” to approximate that of the time period of 5th century Athens.  We hope this description of the two sets of courses helps you decide which is more appropriate for your purposes.