New Testament Greek 2 | Intermediate Upper School

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In US New Testament Greek 2 (Intermediate), students will continue their study of the alphabet forms, sounds, grammar, and vocabulary of Koine Greek (see note on Koine Greek below) with the received (modern) pronunciation.

**Topics covered will include: **

• a review of grammatical concepts learned in New Testament Greek Beginner
• syntax of nouns, verbs, etc.
• vocabulary used frequently in the New Testament

Koine Greek was the language of Jesus and the Apostles and is part of the Orthodox Christian inheritance. By the end of the course, the students will have a basic understanding of New Testament Greek syntax and a solid foundation for further study of the Gospel, Evangelion, The Good News.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word.” John 1:1

The US New Testament Greek 2 course aims to best develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing through topic-based instruction and discussions. By the end of the course, students will gain the following skills and the course learning objectives:

• Review Alphabet forms including blends, recognize, pronounce, and write both the sound and name of each Greek letter (both lowercase and uppercase)
• Learn to read, pronounce, and write New Testament Greek (Koine) text
• Expand their understanding of English grammar through the study of Greek grammar
• Practice parsing, classifying, and diagramming Greek and English sentences
• Learn Basic Greek Grammar
• Memorize paradigms of Greek nouns, verbs, adjectives, articles, and pronouns
• Pursue derivative word study
• Develop Biblical Greek vocabulary and comprehension which is the foundational to the English vocabulary of many academic disciplines, such as medicine, medicine, theology, etc.
• Learn hymns and prayers of the Orthodox Church in the original language to inscribe in their hearts, these prayers and hymns
• read scriptures in Greek of the Septuagint (Old Testament, which was originally first translated in Koine) and the Gospel (New Testament).
• learn to translate Greek sentences
• Learn and memorize the Trisagion hymn, which invokes God as the thrice holy, and the Lord’s Prayer both in Greek and English
• study of Church Feast Days within the Orthodox Church
• study of Greek history, culture, and landmarks.

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.