5 comments about The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance (Strongest Strong's).

1. First off, this is an indespensible resource for all serious NASB bible students and second only to the Bible itself in "must have" research tools. This is an excellent concordance and Greek/Hebrew bible dictionary (Strong's numbers used). But there is little other material. It could use some more "how to" material in using a Strong's reference book and even some general "how to study the bible" material. They have the reference part down, now with a little attention to the supporting material this would get five stars.



2. This concordance is truly amazing in its completeness. Applies to King James and New Jerusalem translations also. Verses can be located by a single word. Thank you!!



3. If you're using the NASB, don't fool with any other concordance. This is it.



4. I don't use Strong's Concordance anymore. After years of classes in the Biblical languages I don't need it. However, for years while in college when I was first beginning serious study of the Bible on my own and encountering different theologies and interpretations of passages, Strong's was my daily companion. If you don't have the luxury (or for some the burden) of having studied the Biblical languages, but you want to begin to do serious study of the Bible on your own, then there is no real substitute for Strong's. There are plenty of other very helpful reference works, but nothing fills the niche that it does.
   
   Now that my wife has begun study like this on her own I enthusiastically bought this for her. Happily, Strong's has been updated so that Bible students are not tied to the King James Version as they once were. I am not at all suggesting you give up other word studies or helps or commentaries, but Strong's is an important step towards serious, independent Bible study. If this is where you are at, then make sure Strong's is one of your frequently used reference works.



5. If you use the Updated NASB this concordance is almost a "must have." It gives you a list of every word one could use to find a verse as well as the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word underlying the English translation. It allows you to see for yourself the original word and the ways it has been translated and the number of times it has been translated that way.

5 comments about English Words from Latin and Greek Elements.

1. This is the book of choice for use in my classroom. Students find it easy to use and understand. For my purposes, I find the book to be logically arranged and clearly written. It is very accessible, and I encourage students, teachers, and philologists alike to use it.

   Rocco Dormarunno
   Instructor, College of New Rochelle




2. This book is not encyclopedic as I was expecting, much of its merit is in the exercise section. For school instuctors, this book might be perfectly suitable, but for readers who are more interested in linguistics, historical etymologies...this one just isn't enough. Too few resources I have to say.
   
   The major good part, to me, clearly buries itself deep, I mean, things like "dun means hill fort in Celtic" and "chester means camp in Latin" are extremely helpful but they are not listed or indexed, which means you have to read every sentence to pick them up yourself.
   
   And the IE language family tree on the first page is scholarly well drawn. It could just be better if the author adds a linguistical timeline at the end of the book as well, something like from the Hittie empire, to persia, to rome, and to the germanic migration, along adds some tidbits of historical information. Plus a hypothetical Indo-European people's migration and origin map won't hurt either.
   
   So perhaps this book is to be used by teachers as a textbook or an instruction one, not for oneself.



3. I was impressed at it's condition. The only thing wrong with it was a couple of scratches on the front. I'm very pleased!



4. The book does not provide an answer key for the end of chapter quizes.
   
   That is why I gave this workbook a low rating.



5. "This book is a worthwhile, worthwhile, book. It is a very systematic vocabulary-builder,which explains the rules of declension,as well as most, if not all of the common roots of Latin and Greek. I would also reccomend to you Mr Ayers other book: Bioscientific terminology-to go along with this book, and the purchase of one of the dictionaries that he reccomends. Study it: memorize it: master the rules of etymology and your life will be opened up in ways that you cannot begin to understand."

5 comments about The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Red-Letter Edition).

1. If you are going to study the Bible, this concordance is a must.



2. If you are in need of a concordance the Strong's is by far the best and this one is improved, the words of Christ is in red and it is easy to follow, the reference number is located to the right of the word you are researching and the Hebrew is in normal type while the Greek is in italic type print and this makes it easy to reference, also appearing within the enhanced definition are cross-references to to other leading word dictionaries. This gives a better understanding of words in the King James Version that may have left you in question before, it is much better to be able to see the word meaning from the original transcripts. It also has a complete topical index, includes the Harmony of the Gospels, the parables of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus and much more.



3. This is a must have for every layperson, bible student, and pastor. The New Strong's Expanded Exhaustive Concordance is equipped with everything needed to achieve a successful study of the scriptures. I truly love the topical index to the bible, it gives you total history of any subject matter or person in the bible linking Old Testament to New Testament. Every word that is in the bible is in the concordance allowing you a sure way to find the scripture you are looking for. I can't go on without mentioning the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries that allows you to receive the correct meaning to certain words in scripture so you can rightly divide the Word of Truth. There is so much that I can say about this book, if you don't have one you need to purchase one now, you will be pleased.



4. I have most of the reference books for both OT & NT research, but was missing Strongs. To find it with such an expansive Vines Dictionary was a real surprise - and a real treat.



5. I've never looked at a Strong's before and was slightly intimidated by the amount of information I would be getting. After a few minutes of getting the feel for it I'd already learned quite a bit and confirmed some things that I was really interested in.
   
   As I study the Bible I sometimes find myself grabbing the Strong's and going more in depth into God's Word. It's very easy to follow and understand and I highly recommend this to anyone from complete newbie (like me) to a John MacArthur level bible scholar.

4 comments about The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (Strongest Strong's).

1. The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek dictionaries are done very well, compared to the old Strong's Concordance I have.



2. If you are a fan of the NIV Bible then this is the best book to have along with it. This exhaustive concordance has everything you need to study the words in the NIV bible. It includes the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries. This is a must have book for your bible study needs!



3. The point when using any reference book is to expand on understanding and to get the true sense of the subject under study. This "Strongest" Strong's concordance falls short of this, as it apparently uses personal bias in its definitions (and comments), i.e. cross - 'stauros - cross, cross'. Research is for accurate knowledge. I was very disappointed.



4. They took James Strong's classic and computer verified the findings. Best match for the KJV for serious bible students.

5 comments about Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek Book I.

1. this is a great introductory book for ancient greek. For example, having worked through Book I and half way into book II, i turned to an original greek text and suprisingly i was able to make sense of it. I reccommend that one gets the workbook component so that one can look up their answers in the answer key, as the book alone does not contain answer keys. This might seem like a problem, but once I worked my way through the Book I workbook (which has an answer key) i became confident enough with greek so that i did not need the workbook with this second book in the series. i also recommend "All the Greek Verbs" or "Tutti Verbi Greci"; this book will help with parsing verbs. Obviously memorizing the stems for each verb in each of its voices and moods would be the best, but this is an arduous task..."All the Greek Verbs" helps with those tricky verbs. My last word of advice is to MEMORIZE THE VOCABULARY!!!



2. This book is good as long as you also buy Workbook I and another grammar book and have a tutor who can fix all the trick questions they ask. It is designed to not give you all the answers and force you to think (get frustrated) and then ask the teacher. If you're brilliant you can figure out some of their trick questions by looking in the back or a chapter or two ahead. There are no answers to any of the exercises, so if you're doing a self-study without a tutor good luck figuring out if you answered correctly.
   If you have the time to devote to it, get Workbook I (which does have the answers)and have a tutor to help explain the answers to the trick questions, and have a complementary and better grammar book you can refer to,then this is a really good book; but by itself- nada.
   Of course, you could also just buy the teacher's version and get every execise correct... :)



3. I've read through many of the reviews of this book and find that most of my critiques and commendations of it have already been expressed, but I think a concise (non-partisan) evaluation of it could be useful for a prospective student. I worked through both volumes of this text during a two-semester-long, 5-days-a-week "Intensive Attic Greek" class at a large Eastern University. I had two diiferent professors who taught the class, both of them well-respected classicists in their respective areas. I also own (and have extensively consulted) the texts by Anne Groton (_From Alpha to Omega_) and Donald Mastronarde (_Introduction to Attic Greek_), and so I am qualified to evaluate the _Athenaze_ series.
   
   The main advantages of this book [as I find them] are the following:
   -- The student begins to read 'Greek' from the start.
   --The book is designed to be 'friendly,' and is a refreshing change from the stoic scholasticism that permeates Greek pedagogy.
   --The introduction of principal parts, etc. is staged, which can ease the burden of being overwhelmed by unfamiliar verb forms. Some might think this is a disadvantage, but I found it helpful.
   --The text is interspersed with small [heavily glossed] snippets of 'real' Greek: selections from Archilochus, Sappho, Theognis, etc...as well as consistent segments from the New Testament. These selections become longer and more difficult as the book progresses.
   --Contrary to some reviewers' comments, _Athenaze_ DOES include reference charts for grammar paradigms. The confusion is that the first volume includes only material covered to the end of that volume, while the second includes both. This is logical. Personally, I find the format of the paradigms to be easier to follow than those in Mastronarde book, though the _Athenaze_ charts are less thorough (not covering 3rd-person imperatives, for example, or the Dual). However, some paradigms are not included, and must be hunted up in the body of the text...notably the -MI- verbs, and the forms of 'oida.' This is annoying, but purchasing a supplementary grammar (the Oxford grammar is a fine one) will solve this easily.
   
   Now, for my critiques:
   --Like all books, the text should be supplemented by a competent teacher. I tried (and failed) to teach myself Greek using this and several other texts. After attending classes for the past year, I've realised that NOTHING substitutes for the assistance of a well-trained Professor. This cannot be stressed enough. Someone can do a decent job of learning the language with this series, but unless they have exceptional fortitude and wit, will be unable to move to a 'real Greek' text, aided only by a lexica and commentary.
   --The second book (compared to the first book) is disproportionately weighted with difficult grammar, introducing the Perfect System, the Subjunctive, the Optative, Aorist Passive, Future Passive, Indirect Discourse, -MI- verbs... This stuff can be tough sledding, and require far more work than concepts introduced in the first book.
   --I thought the treatment of Indirect Discourse to be too brief. Even with supplementary instruction from the professor I struggled with these concepts, because the _Athenaze_ examples were too brief.
   --The chapter vignettes, though meant to charming, are fairly prosaic (as must be expected when working with so limited a vocaublary). In a classroom, the tedium can be broken by poking fun at the story, but reading this on your own might be a strain. Also, the drawings that precede each chapter are terrible, but [mercifully] end by the second voume. These may seem like superficial criticims, but I challenge anyone to find a student who's used this book and not been distracted or puzzled by these oddities.
   
   Those are the main points. Overall, _Athenaze_ is a good text, but it should really be supplemented by a teacher. I found the 'filler' material to be interesting and diverting, and the book provides many opportunites for practice reading. It seems as competent as any other available text, and provides a valuable choice for people who learn best by 'immersion.'



4. The baby Greek reading selections do not adequately prepare a student; the vocabulary seems scattered and inconsistent with the layout of the grammar lessons; various themes are diced into uneven sized chunks; the material is not systematic, and you will find yourself flipping back and forth through several chapters just to clarify one point that should have been thoroughly presented in one chapter. The cultural notes, while they might have some interest for a budding classicist, do not actually help the student learn Greek and just waste paper. This book is nowhere near as thorough, useful, and valuable as the classic Hansen & Quinn textbook, Greek: An Intensive Course. It's not even cheaper, as you have to buy Book 2 to find the complete first year course.
   
   The Athenaze series is an easy intro to Greek. But that only means you will learn the material less thoroughly, have a looser grasp of all the concepts, and not be sufficiently prepared to read the classics.



5. As Greek text books go this one isn't the best to use when learning on your own out side of lecture but it's not the worst. Definitly recomend the work book that accompanies this text.

5 comments about A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.

1. This is a very reliable companion to the Greek text of the New Testament &c. Lucidly written, systematic and easy to use.



2. Briefly, this lexicon is a scholarly lexicon. Some of the other reviews have criticized that its definitions are inappropriate for beginning students, and that is true becasuse this is the most advanced and comprehensive lexicon that does justice to the imprecisions within the greek language. More often than not, a Greek word cannot be exactly equated with an English equivalent. This lexicon does justice to the broad semantic ranges of even the most obscure Greek word. This is recommended for scholars and serious students of Koine Greek. This lexicon is also an outstanding reference for scholarly publications concerning the Greek text. There is also a version available for the Logos software suite.



3. I purchased the second edition of this volume when I was studying Greek at Denver Seminary, back in 1989 as it was highly recommend by my Greek professor. And I used it quite a bit during seminary and even after that in my personal Bible studies.
   
   When I began work on my Analytical-Literal Translation of the New Testament: Third Edition (ALT), I got the BibleWorks 7 software program. That program has several lexicons that come standard with it, and it is a lot easier to use those lexicons than to look up words in this volume. But even with that program, with wanting to be exact as possible in my translations, I would still check Baur on occasion as it contains information that is not found in BibleWorks. Most especially, this volume indicates how words were used in extra-biblical literature. And this info can be a great help in getting an idea of how a particular word was used at the time the NT was written.
   
   For instance, I depended on information in Baur to decide how to translate the plural of "adelphos." Most lexicons give definitions like "brother, fellow Christian, fellow believer" (Friberg on BibleWorks). But Baur's lexicon indicates "The plural can also mean brothers and sisters" (p.16). It then gives specific examples of this usage in extra-biblical literature.
   
   This concurs with what I was taught at seminary that "adelphoi" was used to refer to a group of only men and to a group of both men and women. So I decided that the best way to render this word was to use "brothers [and sisters]." This rendering indicates the term definitely includes men but might also include women (e.g., Rom 1:13).
   
   So this lexicon can be very helpful in pinning down the exact usage of words. But it is very expensive, and I see it is now available as an add-on for BibleWorks. Given the expense of the new third edition and of the BibleWorks add-on, since I already own the second edition, I won't be getting either of these. But if you don't own a previous version and intend to do in-depth Greek word studies, then either this hardcopy version or the BibleWorks add-on would be worthwhile.



4. This review willl cover four Greek New Testament lexicons: Bauer, Abbott-Smith, Thayer and Souter.
   
   For many years, I had resisted purchasing a copy of Bauer, et al's mammoth (7 ¾" x 10 ¼" x 2 ¼") Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. Yes, it had a great deal of data. Yes, it shared insights from contemporary literature which shed light on word meaning for words used rarely in the New Testament. However, it was an absolute pain. The layout made it difficult to find what was needed, and it seemed quite easy to lose the forest for the trees in Bauer's 1st and 2nd English editions. Frankly, I preferred George Abbott-Smith's Manual Lexicon, and availed myself of Bauer at the seminary library only as needed. Now the available choices have changed, and for the better.
   
   Bauer's 3rd English edition is a marvel. Everything the other reviewers write about its clear typeface, and intelligent use of bolding and spacing is true: it's a joy to use. A bit heavy, but it's worth it. The actual definitions as opposed to glosses are also a plus. All of this combined means that all of the data produced by scholarship is far more useable. Thank you, University of Chicago! I was willing to shell out the not insubstantial price for it, and have no remorse, it was money well spent.
   
   Have I kicked Abbott-Smith to the curb? No. His Manual Lexicon is older (1937), but still makes use of the bulk of the papyri discoveries. He provides a quick reference for the Hebrew words underlying the Greek when that word is used in both the New Testament and the Septuagint (LXX) translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. He also provides numerous though not exhaustive Scripture references for each entry, making this lexicon reasonably functional as a concordance. With all this, I can still tote around Abbott-Smith (8 ¾" x 5 ¾" x 1 ¼") in my bag. It has yielded pride of place in my study, but for now at least, it's still a keeper.
   
   Two others are worth mentioning. Thayer is old but still in common use because Hendrickson has put out a very cheaply made version which is keyed to Strong's concordance. Of course, if you're using Strong's as the basis for exegesis, you might want to wait on a large lexicon and invest in some Greek training. Thayer wrote prior to the papyrus finds that really altered our understanding of Koine Greek usage, and so is not as good a choice as the others reviewed here.
   
   Finally, there is Souter's little gem of a pocket lexicon. He is post-papyri (1917), and offers pretty accurate glosses for the words listed. Hard not to like Souter, it's quality made from Oxford, red with gilt lettering, and is roughly the same size as the NA-27 Greek New Testament, meaning it fits in your pocket easily. While you don't want to use it for serious exegetical work, you also don't want to tote Bauer around with you everywhere. There is another small lexicon from the United Bible Societies which is nicely made, but not as worthwhile as Souter. As a Greek expert pointed out, it basically uses the RSV translation as the lexical definition.
   
   Bauer, et al: 5 stars
   Abbott-Smith: 4 stars
   Thayer: 3 stars
   Souter: 4 stars



5. It is the best lexicon of the Early Christian Literature (NT included) available, because its entries are characterized by excellent classification of the meanings, because it gives sound grammatical-syntactical information of the words, it gives plenty of examples with proposed renderings of specific passages, it discusses difficult cases, it refers briefly to the origin of the Early Christian Literature words and it adequately presents their contemporary extra-Biblical usage. Something else very important is the rich and updated bibliography that is provided.
   
   In other words, it is a great improvement and expansion of the Grimm-Thayer lexical tradition, but, comparing to Grimm-Thayer, it gives lesser attention to the LXX usage and the Hebraic background of the NT words. Allow me to consider this an imperfection of the BDAG that forces the reader to buy also a LXX lexicon or a theological one (such as the TDNT abridged or the EDNT) in order to have a more spherical view of NT Greek, but I have to admit that nothing vital is missing. The second drawback is the price. Finally, a couple of times I have noticed mistakes in the etymology; but, of course, this is not an etymological dictionary, neither does it claim to be one.

5 comments about Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics.

1. Reading and rereading the works on Greek grammar has been somewhat of a career for me since 1992. I first read Wallace's book in 1996-97. I have previously read at that time Robertson's large and short grammar through as well as the works of Blass, Nida and Louw, Dana and Mantey, Black, Burton and was soon to add Perschbacher and Young's work's. I have since read Wallaces's work an additional 7 times through. My copy is heavily marked and worn out. I have reread Robertson's big grammar through 4 more times as well as the other major works and have my view of Biblical Greek shaped from these great scholars who taught through their pubished works. I am very familiar with Wallace's Greek Grammar, Beyond the basics and find it one of the finest. He charted new territory in the area of the genitive case. He has brought a clear logic to the hotly debated arguement of the temporal aspect to the indicative based tenses. He argued for the traditional view with some needed modification. He also broght out some great information on the conditional clauses and the function of verbal aspect in the imperative mood. Wallace leans a little more on Blass though he does appeal to Robertson (in my opinion he does not give Robertson the credit for the source of his information as well as he should). I have to say of all the grammars that I have read I find Wallace's work on the par with Robertson. I highly reccomend that one read this book through sevral times. This book is very logical, has a keen linguistic approach, and is very level headed. There has been so much misuse of Greek grammar (not by the grammarians themeselves who's works I sighted but from commentaries that refer to the Greek) but Wallace brings sholarship and good sense to the understanding of NT Greek.



2. I'm just finishing First Year Greek and find William Mounce's Basics Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar a real leap forward to the older beginning grammars. He gives adequate beginning definitions in that volume but gives regular references to the expanded treatments in Wallace's Intermediate Grammar Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Listed in a similar stye and expanding on Mounce's beginning treatments, it is the perfect segway into Intermediate or Second Year Greek. It also doubles as that USABLE reference that you will actually use on a regular basis as you are seeking to translate or resolve curiosities in the NT Greek text. Wallace really has forgotten more about Greek than most ever learn and we're all really glad he wrote it down! Great value, many improvements over older Grammars and lots of new research that ultimately makes the language easier to learn. Great service from Amazon and, again, I feel like I got great value.



3. It has been 36 years since I graduated from seminary and, now retired, I am trying to relearn Koine. In reviewing the advances in our understanding of etymology and syntax, I realize that some of the older texts I spent scarce money on years ago are simply not up to speed. Wallace's Inter.> Advanced grammar is a truly great text. I used to consider a grammar to be a reference work; I'm reading this thing like a novel! I own Dana&Mantey, BDF, Moulton (Prolegomena), and Burton; this work includes virtually everything in the sum of the others. I have also just ordered the "holy grail" of grammars: AT Robertson. I am very anxious to compare them. Even this early in my 2nd life with Greek, I can see that this grammar is a must-have.



4. This textbook is an extremely comprehensive treatment of the Greek grammar beyond the basics. A basic knowledge of Biblical Greek is required to get the most out this text book. It is highly recommended for all who are studying Biblical Greek and desire to get beyond the grammatical categories to see the revelance of syntax for exegesis.



5. This has been a most helpful volume to me already; it is clearly done and not too advanced for a middle student of the language. If I have any criticism I would say that the index could be just a little more complete, but it is not bad. I find myself using the volume often with satisfaction.
   My background is engineering so I am unfamiliar with some of the literary vocabulary, but usually Wallace takes the trouble to explain terminology and that is a big plus.

5 comments about Greek New Testament: With English Introduction including Greek/English dictionary/flexible.

1. This is justy what I expected. It is a perfect greek new testament for my use. The only bad thing that is not major is that sometimes the commentary takes up almost 1/2 the page. It is nothing extremely bad, just a minor nuisance. Overall still a 5 star.



2. I say "reasonable text," not "excellent text," because while the text is about as good as can be expected when following the Aland school of textual criticism, other scholarly approaches (a label which automatically excludes "Majority Text" and "Textus Receptus" approaches) are possible and in some cases more useful. (See, for example, the article "Remarks of an Outsider about [several Greek lexica] and Their Textual Basis" in the book _Biblical Greek Language and Lexicography_, ed. Bernard A. Taylor et al.) It is the uncritical acceptance of this Aland school that has led to the gratuitous "grade inflation" noted between the 3rd and 4th editions of the UBS Greek NT. The more you gaze at your own navel, it seems, the better it looks, even if it hasn't changed a bit over the years.
   
   So much for the text; now for the font. The first time I opened this 4th edition, I was struck by vertigo (not a normal sensation with me in any circumstance). The font is a disaster! It is hard to say why it happens, but just looking at the font makes me dizzy. It is a crime that this sacred text has been defaced by such an unsightly presentation. I still use my 3rd edition for reading. I have the 4th in case a particular note in the apparatus needs to be consulted, but the 3rd is the only readable one of the pair. The Nestle-Aland 27th edition is also easy on the eyes and has the same text, though with a different sort of critical apparatus. (The UBS edition aims to highlight variants significant for translation, while the N-A edition aims to cover a larger number of variants with a more complex apparatus.)
   
   If you are a newcomer to New Testament Greek, avoid the UBS 4th edition for continuous reading. If you can, get a used copy of the 3rd edition, which has a beautiful font. Otherwise, get the Nestle-Aland 27th edition. And best wishes in your studies! It _is_ possible to learn to read the Greek New Testament well, so don't lose heart if the early going is rough.



3. This book is a nice size. Very compact, only an inch thick, very easy to carry around.
   
   I just started learning Greek, I read some of the other reviews, one guy was complaining about the font. Well, I think the font is beautiful. But I'm not a scholar, so I don't know how it compares to the other editions. To me, since it's my first Greek bible, I like the font they chose, which is the SuperGreek, and SSuperGreek. Looks good to me.
   
   It has all the breathing marks, punctuations, accent's, bold lettering for old testament quotes, maps, english headings, and alternative renderings of the text on the bottom of the pages. I think they should have Jesus words in red, that would've been tight.
   
   I can see the typeset just fine. it's the same size as any other average bible, the type that is. You can easily distinguish between upsilon, and nu. Even though this book is 931 pages, you wouldn't think so by the size of it.
   
   I have the burgandy hardcover edition. The front and back hard cover's are very thin, just as thin as the bonded leather covers of a regular bible, but not naturally bendable. With a regular bonded leather bible, if you bend the cover, you can easily smooth it back out, with the Greak New Testament hard cover, if you bend the cover, your gonna have a permanent fold. The pages are the same as bible pages, minus the gold outlining.
   
   I love this little bible. Even though I'm just learning Greek, I would recommend you buy one, and practice reading it, and pronouncing the words if you're learning like me. And when you finish your Greek course study, you will already have it handy.
   
   Jesus is God.



4. The book came looking brand new. It seemed like it was never used. Great price and came quite quickly.



5. Ah yes grasshopper. You have arrived. This is the one that you want. Dictionary included, you can slack on your memorization just a little because this concise tool is just at your fingertips. The work is well done and finely polished.

5 comments about Minimus Pupil's Book: Starting out in Latin (Minimus).

1. We do not "homeschool" but I wanted to use this book to teach my daughter Latin as a supplement to what she's learning in school. So far I have found it to be frustrating. Mostly because all the words are not defined. I have been having her translate the cartoons but she is not able to do it completely because of the lack of definitions. It would also be helpful to have a comprehensive glossary at the end. I have a Latin dictionary but it's not terribly helpful. For instance, they introduce "est" but none of the tenses. So along comes "erit" and I'm not sure how they're supposed to know that that is the future tense and means "is going to be"? And "erit" is not in the Latin dictionary. I am now going to have to sit down and write up a spreadsheet with definitions of all the words.
   
   The mouse is cute and I like the addition of Roman culture and history.



2. I purchased this book for my daughter's homeschool. She loves it. Easy to follow and good accumulation of vocabs. Many hand-on activities for each lesson in Teacher's guide book, so strongly recommend to get both. Audio CD is OK... Love children's voice actors,but recording quality is not so great.
   Still must to get audio CD along this book.



3. I'm teaching Latin to my eight year old daughter and her eight year old friend. I'm not used to teaching this age group, but this book is making it pretty easy. They enjoy the comics, especially if I have them act them out, and they remember the lines afterward; they don't even mind the vocabulary drills. The only real "work" on my part is writing one-two page Latin stories or mini-histories so they can get some practice translating and reading Latin prose.



4. I love this whole series. I use it in homeschooling my kids. Latin, while not used in communication, helps in grammar and spelling. I recommend this to any educator.



5. I purchased this book and the audio cd to go with it based on reviews I read. I was led to believe my children and I would enjoy the cartooning and listening, but it didn't happen. The book was far too complicated and the cd did not follow the book at all. Yes we were listening to Latin, but we had no idea what it was saying which made it really boring. I have sent both items back and am hoping to get my hard earned money back.

5 comments about Biblical Greek (Zondervan Get an A! Study Guides).

1. This is a helpful, portable chart, more appealing & clearer to read than the Quickstudy Guide Latin chart, its opposite number. It matches the Mounce grammar books, but a much better book to learn N.T. Greek as well as an intro to Attic is:
   "The Elements of New Testament Greek, Third Edition" (Book and Audio CD) by Jeremy Duff. This however does not have a companion chart, hence the need for this chart. So you might as well get it.



2. It is a handy tool for reviewing, but you don't have to buy it. As he/she make progress through the first year of Greek class, one can make his own review or cheat sheets, more through than this one, focusing on the issues he/she need to learn better. Not to mention the reviewing and the systematizing work itself that can provide a great help in order to organize the Greek grammar knowledge in one's mind (using different colors and highlights, tips and tricks, and so on).
   
   You can spend your money more wisely by buying Mounce's BBG vocabulary cards, which are really helpful (unless you decide to make your own cards...)



3. I have found this little cheat sheet very helpful. As one reviewer mentioned, its not a must have, but it is certainly nice to have. Wile learning another language, it is nice to have a quick reference guide readily available instead of thumbing through your textbook. If you are just learning Greek, you could certainly live without this chart, but its cheep and personally has helped me.



4. I have found this to be a handy help with Koine Greek. It contains a great deal of useful information in a sturdy, durable folder. It fits quite well into the front or back of a three ring binder along with one's class notes. The font is small and crowded, but, afterall, this is a "cheat sheet". Generally, I think it is safe to say that this guide has most of the things that one might need help with as a student.



5. The entire study package of Basics of Biblical Greek which includes the textbook, the study guide, the vocabulary cards, the summary sheet, and the lecture CD's is a blessed fruit of a long, thoughtful, meticulous, and high-tech labor of one of the world's best New Testament Greek scholars. I have to admit I have not studied Greek from other professors, but after studying Mounce, I simply can not imagine a better way to teach students an introduction to Biblical Greek than the one Prof. Mounce implements in this study packet. The structure and methodology are so impressively organized that I believe, without trying to diminish the role of an instructor, one can study by himself or herself without taking the class at a seminary. From start to finish, Prof. Mounce designs the lessons with solid exegesis skills as the goal in mind. He wastes no time but immediately exposes students with translation exercises using real Scripture passages in the study guide, even early in the first few chapters when he barely starts with nouns.
   
   The lessons are divided into three major parts; nouns, adjectives and verbs. Each chapter begins with exegetical insights related to the topic being taught in that particular chapter. He then moves on by explaining the English and Greek forms. The nouns and adjectives are not too bad. They are usually divided into three types of declensions. While the nouns usually take on one of the three declensions, the most common configuration of adjectives is either 3-1-3 or 2-1-2 where the first, second and third numbers indicate the declension type for masculine, feminine and neuter genders, respectively. There are some discussions on special-case nouns having slightly abnormal endings; pant and ent, for examples. Now verbs are considerably more challenging because they not only have more numerous categories and rules, but the biggest obstacles are the tense stems and when they form the real verbs through a combination of augments, tense-formatives, connecting vowels, and personal endings. The trouble can be illustrated by comparing it to having to memorize the English present, past and perfect tenses of irregular and regular verbs which the Greek version has six; present, future active, aorist active and passive, perfect active and passive, instead of three in English. And each of these six stems has different forms not only depending on the person and number, but also on the voices; active, middle, and passive. On top of these, there is another parameter, called aspect, where these verbs take on other forms, the indicative covered in the early chapters of the verbs, subjunctive, infinitive and imperative. Some are similar if not the same as the indicatives, which make them even harder to distinguish which one is which. Here Prof. Mounce reminds students to always watch for the contexts. Context is your best friend when it comes to translation. There is no easy way of getting around this issue completely except in my view, to get the Greek Morphology text, also by Mounce. At the end of some chapters, there is coverage on extended materials that deal with special cases, additional rules in translation, contraction and morphology.
   
   The summary sheet consists of all important rules involving word formation, verb-ending charts, and all the forms of frequently used verbs. It serves as a handy guide for students when doing the translation so they don't have to flip through the pages of the textbook. Some flipping of pages is inevitable, though, because the last few pages of the textbook has the list of major lexicons.
   
   There are two types of drills in the study guide. The first is chapter-by-chapter review where students are asked to parse ten words in a table having the forms that have been covered up to that chapter. Next, there is a warm-up translation section consisting of seven short phrases or sentences to be translated before the real translation exercise begins with twenty sentences; some are long ones. From my experience, I sometimes had a headache after completing the translation work due to the intensity it involves in figuring out not only what the words mean, but also their forms, and how to restructure the sentence in English format that both are understandable and make sense. The second type of drill is the exam-type where the test materials are combined every five chapters. The tasks include parsing, grammar rules, and translations usually from a New Testament passage.
   
   As in any other languages, learning Greek requires extra memory power, but not brute-force memorization of every single word indiscriminately. Prof. Mounce always warns students only to memory special-case words and rules such as endings and contractions, instead of every single word with all its garden variety of forms. Excellent advise.
   
   Needless to say, I delightfully endorse Prof. Mounce as your virtual Greek instructor. If you decide to homeschool yourself, you can purchase the complete combo set at teknia dot com. I don't think Amazon sell the lecture CD set. But even if you are taking the class at the seminary, I don't see any harm for you to buy the combo set anyway, though you probably won't need the lecture CD's provided you have an excellent instructor.