BA Religions, Theology and Ethics

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
New Testament Greek

Course unit fact file
Unit code RELT10120
Credit rating 20
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Full year
Available as a free choice unit? Yes

Overview

The course brings you from beginner’s level up to being able to read any part of the New Testament in Greek (with the aid of a dictionary for unusual words). The course progresses through the twenty chapters of Jeremy Duff, The Elements of New Testament Greek, roughly one chapter per teaching week. The first lecture of each week introduces and discusses the new material. The other lecture reinforces the material and gives feedback on each week’s homework, which consists of translating sentences and short NT passages from Greek to English. In the classes we will also discuss points of interest in NT passages, making use of the Greek you have learned to interpret aspects of the text that are illuminated by understanding of the original language.

Aims

  • to provide an understanding of the main grammar and vocabulary of the Greek of the New Testament so that you will be able to read and interpret the Greek New Testament with (limited) use of suitable aids such as a dictionary
  • to provide an understanding of selected interpretative issues that relate to the original language of New Testament

Learning outcomes


 

Teaching and learning methods

Small group lecture/seminar; weekly homework exercises.

Knowledge and understanding

  • recall and use vocabulary commonly found in the New Testament
  • use the basic rules of New Testament Greek grammar, being able to identify and understand the main types of word-forms
  • demonstrate understanding of most New Testament Greek sentence formations

Intellectual skills

  • learn and recall a substantial body of vocabulary
  • demonstrate understanding of grammatical forms in a language other than English
  • interpret a text in a language other than English

Practical skills

  • locate and use vocabulary and grammatical information in tables and other forms
  • write in a non-Roman script

Transferable skills and personal qualities

  • organise your work to tackle a learning task, with many elements, that extends over a whole academic year
  • demonstrate persistence in learning
  • use knowledge of Greek to understand a range of words in English, especially technical ones

Employability skills

Other
This course unit gives you a `hard-edged¿ qualification: learning Greek demonstrates considerable intellectual ability and an ability to work consistently at a complex task over a long period. The skills that you gain in analysis of sentences and paragraphs in Greek also teach you analytical skills that are useable in a wide range of other settings

Assessment methods

Weekly translations 0%
Class test 1 20%
Class test 2 20%
Exam 60%

 

Feedback methods

Feedback method

Formative or Summative

Written and oral feedback on weekly homework

Formative

Written and oral feedback on the two class tests

Summative and formative

Written feedback on the examination

Summative

 

Recommended reading

  • J. Duff, The Elements of New Testament Greek (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, Third edition, 2005)
  • The website http://www.nt-greek.net/home.html supplements Duff by providing PowerPoint slides pertaining to the grammar, practice, and exercises in the textbook
  • Many other valuable resources can be found in the Greek NT Gateway section of http://www.ntgateway.com

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 22
Seminars 22
Independent study hours
Independent study 156

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Andrew Boakye Unit coordinator

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