William D. Mounce

Please. If you want to teach Greek, teach Greek, not your theology. As a teaching tool, this may be highly regarded... but it just grates to be hit over the head with the author's ideas. If I'm learning to read the Bible, it's because I want to develop my understanding of my theology, not William D. Mounce's. And if I'm learning koine to read something else (e.g. Josephus, Philo, LXX), then I have even less use for something that insists αυτος means "He," not he/she/it.

Yes, I'm still show more grumpy about the introduction. And the whole approach. Be sure you can stomach before you buy. show less

I took Spanish in high school (a correspondence course) and I must say that I wish that the textbook and workbooks for that class were produced in the same format as this Greek Grammar. Mounce teaches in a compare/contrast style. Throughout the book he teaches, or reminds you of, English grammar and then gives you the Greek grammar. It is at times quite different from the English equivalent but the contrast actually helps one understand it more. He will also give you examples of things you show more will learn later on in the book and tell you not to try to learn them yet since, "They are given just to expose you to the concepts." I like that as repetition helps things stick in my mind.

Mounce has a little character called 'the professor' who appears throughout the book giving you fun facts about what you are learning, summaries of what you have just learned and more information as well. Though a bit weird, it proves to be quite helpful and interesting. I love the incentives the author gives for studying each chapter by means of written examples by preachers and teachers showing the importance of each grammatical point for exegetical study. For instance, at the beginning of his chapter about infinitives, Mounce has an exegetical insight from Darrell Bock demonstrating how infinitives often "complete important ideas". He uses the example of 1 Corinthians 15:25 which reads, "For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet." (ASV) The tense of the word for 'reign',βασιλευειν,is an infinitive in the present tense, describing a continuous action. "this present infinitive explains what is necessary about what God is in the process of doing through Jesus…Paul stresses that Jesus is in the process of ruling until the job of subjecting everything under his feet is complete." So, in order to properly interpret passages like this, one needs to understand Greek infinitives.

Mounce has come up with many ways, including what I have mentioned above, to encourage your persevering with learning Greek. At the end of some chapters he has 'exegesis' sections that show you how what you have learned is used in exegesis. And at the end of every chapter he has a section showing you the percentage of what you have learned of the total words in the New Testament. By the time you finish chapter 6 you'll have learned 36.79%of the total word count in the New Testament. And before I forget, I must also mention that Mounce has many free resources online that compliment this grammar, including a program called "FlashWorks" which exercises your memory of the Greek words you have been learning. You may tell it what chapter you are on and it will drill you accordingly.

I highly recommend this Grammar, it is deliberately geared towards keeping you focused on the many benefits of learning Greek because of its great value as a tool in the proper exegesis of the Word of God.

Many thanks to Zondervan for sending me a free review copy of this book(my review did not have to be favorable) show less

Having read other works by Mounce and enjoyed his methodical and well-paced walkthrough of biblical languages with an audience who understood the need to care about the subject, I had some good confidence that this book would match his previous books. This is the case here. If you've read or gone through Mounce's probably more well-known book on the subject Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar this is going to be familiar and is in the same vein. Where that one is a focus on the grammar, Greek show more For the Rest of Us is a focus on the grammar as well as the syntax. Just as a note, I did read this in conjunction with a weekly church study that was using this book along with class activity and the use of Logos software to give an understanding of Greek in a more than surface-level undertaking and utilizing the Bible software to do a good amount of work for you as well. So individual results may vary.

Mounce starts off with the basics such as letters and Greek words to memorize are at the end of most chapters. Then the push to understand English grammar that will help the reader of non-native Greek understand the concepts of what will be talked about throughout the book. So, this study suddenly becomes a chest-clenching double study as you curse the government schools that failed to impress upon you your own language. Where Mounce's previous book had a chapter dedicated to that, this book has almost introduction chapters of English language to set the stage for the Greek of that same type. Mounce also sprinkles in Concordance software (as he has a controlling interest in that software) but the use of some type of Bible software capable of assisting with the learning is very helpful.

The layout in the chapters are methodical and well-laid out. The use of a sub-numbering system to make going back through easier for reference. This section does a good job of showing biblical examples and here's where I would say is a negative of the book. While an example is given, it is usually a simple one and a few more examples showing different appearances of the syntax in question would have been really helpful to almost triangulate you into what you may be missing or helping find a relationship between the examples and your understanding of the section. Also, there are times where a concept is defined and the example is given, it may have been helpful to add a line or two going over the example and really driving home the point to help the reader understand the concept. Here are there, there are grammar and syntax concepts that need to be looked up if you don't understand it, and some circling back to previous points or definitions would have been helpful.

This isn't a book you'll be able to read passively and be good overall. Going through examples and making this a study will be the most beneficial use of this resource and your time. Having the benefit of struggling with a group and being dedicated was a huge benefit to me. I also had the benefit of a teacher who was far enough along in seminary and knew Greek well enough to develop the curriculum around the use of this book. So the recommendation and grade should be understood in light of that interaction with the book. Final Grade - B show less

The Answer to One of My Oldest Dreams
Ever since I was in high school, I have harbored a desire to learn ancient Greek.

Since my rapid fire synapses that ease the learning of a foreign language have long since stopped firing, I had pretty relegated this desire to the unfulfilled list. That is, until I discovered this book. William Mounce, with this book, places a rudimentary mastery of Greek within my reach.

The book is an incredible resource. Let me caution, finishing the course will not make show more me a Greek master. Rather, Mounce teaches enough Greek to enhance Bible study.

The book is more, however. The author provides several chapters showing how a novice can apply his or her limited knowledge of a little Greek.

• "What are Translations?" is an insightful look into a bible translators mind.
• "Phrasing - An Introduction to our Bible Study Method" / "Fine-tuning Phrasing." These two chapters are worth what you are asked to pay for this book.
• “What Are Word Studies?" An excellent explanation of how to perform a word study.
• "How to Read a Commentary." The author explains the differences in commentaries; what do and do not do.

Gratefully, the grammar portion of the book is short and manageable. This makes it ideal for the type of self-study I am attempting. Another study aid is the CD-ROM, which comes with the book. Each week’s lesson is reinforced by a lecture, complete with slides, delivered by William Mounce to a group of lay-people attempting to do what I have undertaken.

If you have a desire to learn Greek, but do not have the time or the fortitude to undertake an academic approach to language, this is the book for you. Who knows, I might even tackle Hebrew appendix contained in this book. show less