I am not a Greek scholar. I have now taken five semesters of Biblical “Koine” (means common) Greek and there is still so much to learn. Of course, I am training to be a pastor, so Greek will be a fundamental part of my ministry (together with Hebrew). But what about those will not attend seminary? What if they just want to get a basic understanding of the language to aid them in their study of the Scriptures? Greek is a fascinating language. But beyond that it is a simple language (granted the exegetical issues are very complicated in advanced Greek, but that’s the minister’s job). The first way to begin learning Biblical Greek is by learning the Alphabet. Once you learn the alphabet, pronouncing words will become a fairly simple task (granting you learn a few rules for pronunciation and accentuation).
Several months ago in the WorldView Super Conference, Gary Demar told his largely homseschooling audience that though Latin is a great language to teach your children (for those who follow a Classical model), Greek is an even better language for them to learn since it is the language of the New Testament. Gary is correct! Once you learn the basics of Biblical Greek as a Bible student your world will open to fascinating details about the content of the text.
My suggestion is to learn the alphabet and then learn how to memorize the vocabulary. An excellent start for anyone seeking to learn introductory Greek is to purchase Bill Mounce’s: “Basics of Biblical Greek.” It is the most user-friendly copy you will ever find. For your convenience, I have recorded the vocabulary from chapters 20-35 (following Mounce’s book) with the translation following it. And just this morning I have recorded the vocabulary from chapter 4, which includes over 50 introductory words in the New Testament. Download them and listen to them over and over. Find them here (scroll down to find the download section; you will also find other helpful recordings).
