Using New Testament Greek in Ministry , livre ebook

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65 pages

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Hellenic languages

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Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 mars 1993
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441205902
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0461€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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© 1993 by David Alan Black
Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287 www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2012
Ebook corrections 12.01.2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, sound recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-0590-2
In Gratitude
to the schools that during seventeen years have allowed me to prepare preachers of the Gospel:
Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California
Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana, and (formerly in) Long Beach, California
Simon Greenleaf University in Anaheim, California
Bibelschule Walzenhausen in Walzenhausen, Switzerland
Freie Hochschule für Mission in Korntal, Germany
Contents
Cover
Title
Copyright Page
Dedication
Abbreviations
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. You and Your Greek New Testament:
Clarifying Objectives
2. Off the Shelf and into Yourself:
Selecting the Right Tools for Greek Exegesis
3. Getting Oriented:
The Nature and Task of Greek Exegesis
4. Developing Your Exegetical Skills:
A Concise Guide to Greek Exegesis
5. From Theory to Practice:
Employing the Principles and Tools
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Scripture
Back Cover
Abbreviations
AV
Authorized Version
BAGD
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature , by Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker
BDF
A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature , by Friedrich Blass, Albert Debrunner, and Robert W. Funk
GNT
The Greek New Testament , edited by Kurt Aland, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren
ISBE
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia , edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley
JB
Jerusalem Bible
KJV
King James Version
LB
Living Bible
LXX
Septuagint
NASB
New American Standard Bible
NEB
New English Bible
NIDNTT
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology , edited by Colin Brown
NIV
New International Version
NRSV
New Revised Standard Version
RSV
Revised Standard Version
TDNT
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament , edited by Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich
TEV
Today’s English Version
Preface and Acknowledgments
I have written this book for all who want to improve their skills in preparing messages from the New Testament. I hope it will find a ready response among busy pastors and pastors-in-the-making. My primary concern has been to motivate expositors to use their knowledge of Greek in ways that will glorify God. Just as importantly, as one who regularly preaches from the New Testament, I desire to see revival and renewal in the church. For the church—not the seminary—is God’s number one priority in the world. If believers are to grow and to develop into mature believers and effectively functioning Christians, then it is of the utmost importance that pastors and other church leaders provide Bible-centered messages for their people. In what follows, I have tried to explain simply and clearly how a knowledge of Greek can play a meaningful role in that process.
Let us not underestimate the importance of our task. Paul once wrote to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15 NASB ). The same diligence required of Timothy is also required of preachers today. The Word of God must be handled accurately— or not handled at all.
If you have had at least one year of Greek but rarely (if ever) use your knowledge of the language in ministry, this book is for you. If you are currently learning Greek, this book can help you see the relevance of what you are studying. Whether pastor or student, my prayer is that you will strive to be a true student of God’s Word and that Using New Testament Greek in Ministry will help you become an even more skillful one.
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the following persons who helped make this book possible: Allan Fisher and Jim Weaver of Baker Book House, who believed in this project from the very beginning; David Aiken, who superbly edited the manuscript and also compiled the bibliography; the library staff of Biola University, who assisted my research in countless ways; Father Anselm and the religious community of the Prince of Peace Abbey, who gave me access to their library along with several days of solitude for reflection and writing; my prayer partners Mike Adams and Mike Quarry, who shared the burden of this book with me in prayer; my congregation at Granada Heights Friends Church, who allow me to use my creative abilities in the service of Christ; my wife Becky and my sons Nathan Alan and Matthew David, who provide a loving environment in which to live and work; and my Greek students, who bring me more joy than they will ever know.
1

You and Your Greek New Testament
Clarifying Objectives
Why This Book?
They endure endless hours of lectures, stuff their minds with vocabulary, glut their bookshelves with expensive volumes, writhe over term papers, and agonize through scores of examinations. Greek students are a determined lot indeed. Even the most insensitive observer would sympathize with their plight. But when all the assignments are completed and the degrees bestowed, what will become of all this scholarship? Will the hideous chasm between the study desk and the pulpit be bridged? Or will the mysterious process of forgetting run its inevitable course?
To the pastor or ministerial student who has successfully negotiated a year or two of Greek, these questions are anything but theoretical. The trauma of transforming studies into sermons confronts most, if not all, young ministers. Walter Kaiser has gone so far as to speak of a “current crisis” in exegetical methodology. That crisis is the gap “between the steps generally outlined in most seminary or Biblical training classes in exegesis and the hard realities most pastors face every week as they prepare sermons.” [1]
The problem is not that no one can say what a pastor should do; almost everyone can—and does. Both denominational leaders and congregational members expect the person who is preparing for ministry to be able to deliver messages from the New Testament that are based on careful exegesis of the original Greek. Yet a common complaint among pastors is that seminaries have done little to actually give guidance in exegesis once the student leaves the classroom. They ask for more help in knowing how to use Greek to increase their effectiveness as preachers and teachers.
This is, I am convinced, an accurate assessment and a legitimate request. In reviewing the substantial body of Greek literature produced over the past several decades, I have become disturbed at the scarcity of books that discuss how and why a knowledge of New Testament Greek can increase ministerial effectiveness. Strong facility in the biblical languages is regularly affirmed as a positive factor in ministry, but a practical and up-to-date manual that would help the young (and the not-so-young!) pastor formulate a realistic strategy for using Greek in ministry is yet lacking.
That is precisely why I have written this book. Its entire purpose is to prepare you to use Greek in your ministry. You may approach its contents in any way you wish, depending on your needs or desires. Do you want a quick overview of Greek exegesis? Scan chapter 3, “Getting Oriented,” for it is designed to be your basic guide to New Testament interpretation based on the original Greek. Do you want help on buying the best Greek tools for your personal library? Turn to chapter 2, “Off the Shelf and into Yourself,” and I am confident you will find the information you are seeking. Are you curious about the proper steps in doing a word study? In chapter 4, “Developing Your Exegetical Skills,” you will find fundamental guidelines on deciphering these basic building blocks of language. Do you need to know how to move from text to sermon? Or analyze syntax? Or diagram a passage in Greek? Or do you want to know how the personal computer can help you in your study of Scripture? Drawing from many years of experience in teaching New Testament Greek, I have tried to give you the fundamentals in each area.
Of course, all I—or anyone else—can give you in a book about the practical use of Greek, no matter what its size or how great its goals, are the basic facts, the most accurate guidelines available, an informed selection of subjects, and, in my case, a bias in favor of practicality (over mere theory). You must translate all of this into whatever is right for you. In chapter 4, for example, you will find straightforward rules for analyzing the structure of any Greek text. But you must decide how often you will use this technique when you prepare your sermons. In the same chapter you will find help on resolving textual problems in your chosen passage. But you must determine when it is practical for you to follow this advice. All of us must decide for ourselves what and how much information about Greek we will use in our personal lives and ministries.
Of course, you probably would not be reading this book unless you were already convinced that a knowledge of New Testament Greek is of some practical value. Somewhere along the way you discovered the excitement and rewards of studying the New Testament in its original language. The pitfall is that even our best intentions can be weakened by distractions and moods. Therefore, before we look at some b