More About These Notes
These notes were first produced for students to whom I taught New Testament Greek
(using John H Dobson's excellent book, Learn New Testament Greek).
Having worked our way to the end of our textbook we then faced the question of what
to do next. I wanted to encourage my students to go on with their readings in the
Greek New Testament and to help them to read it regularly. The following notes cover
the entire New Testament in 250 weekly sections, each consisting of five days.
The
reading plan begins with Luke’s Gospel and then continues with Acts. With these
two books we gain an overview of the entire New Testament story from the pen of
one of its major authors. From here we move to the letters of Paul . It is remarkable
that these two companions and authors account for more than half of the content
of the New Testament. Having completed Paul's letters (in chronological rather than
New Testament order) we return to the Gospel accounts, looking now at Matthew. Matthew
is, perhaps, the most 'Jewish' of the Gospels and his account of the life of Jesus
is thus followed by letters written for Jewish Christians, namely Hebrews and James.
Next we turn to Mark's Gospel, which represents not only Mark's eyewitness account
of the Saviour but also that of Peter. For this reason it is followed by Peter's
letters. These are followed by the letter of Jude, which includes a section that
is very similar to part of 2 Peter. Last, but by no means least, we have the writings
of John: his Gospel, his letters and the book of Revelation.
By following this plan
you will be introduced to the variety of literature and authors that together make
up the New Testament. The Greek of some is more straightforward than that of others.
Moreover, the Greek of a single author can vary in style and complexity as is evident
from a comparison of Luke's Gospel with the book of Acts. But this variety of styles
goes hand in hand with a singleness of message and of purpose: the intent of every
author is to declare what God has done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ and to communicate
the message in a way that would readily be understood by those who read it, capturing
their attention and speaking to their hearts. It is immensely thrilling to be able
to read the words these men actually wrote, to be able to understand what they were
writing and to find that it commands our attention today no less than it did those
for whom it was originally written
narly two thousand years ago.
The portion allocated to
each day consists of about eight verses. I have provided help with grammatical forms
and vocabulary in accordance with what I judged to be the need of my students.
Once
you have worked your way through the passage of the day, word by word, and have
understood it, read it through again in one go. I would encourage you to read the
Greek out loud as this will help you to remember it. When you are really stuck,
use an English translation as a crib (the more literal translations such
as the
English Standard Version are particularly useful here), but don't use a crib all
the time: try first to work out the meaning for yourself.
The Greek text I am using
is that of the United Bible Societies' Third Edition edited by Kurt Aland and others
(the Nestle-Aland 26th Edition). Don't worry if the text you normally use is slightly
different.
Along with notes on vocabulary, grammar
and style I have included a number
on the interpretation of the text. In seeking to understand Scripture, originality
is no great virtue, and for this reason I have often quoted directly from other
writers. Careful reading of any of these sources (such as Howard Marshall's Commentary
on the Gospel of Luke – one of the first to be extensively quoted) will show that
they also are greatly indebted to the work of others – a debt which they are pleased
to acknowledge. I readily confess that the contents of these notes is therefore
far from being all my own work. Like a magpie, I have flitted from one source to
another collecting sparkling fragments that have caught my eye. I trust that you
may also find them a delight.
Lastly, please appreciate that these notes are in
a continuing state of development. Let me know of any mistakes you may spot in them
and inform me of any ways in which you believe these notes could be improved – they
are intended for your benefit.
πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, πρὸς ἐλεγμόν, πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν,
πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον
ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένος.
2 Timothy 3:16,17
Peter Misselbrook