Keep Your Greek

It has been nearly 40 years since my 2 years of Greek in Bible College (this sentence alone makes me realize how much I’ve squandered). It was a strange paradox: 2 years of Greek were required for my major, but there were subtle undercurrents that lead us to believe that it was not really relevant to “red hot, evangelistic preaching.” And since the world was going to hell with unprecedented rapidity (it was the early 70’s, after all), there was no time to waste in seminary. Souls needed saving and God needed us on the front lines. Needless to say, Greek was something I had to do, but not something I relished. I purposely steered clear of the difficult instructors (who may have actually taught me something) and found the easier ones that would help me land a decent grade.


It wasn’t until sometime later that I came to myself and realized the importance of the Biblical languages and adequate preparation for a lifetime of study and exposition. If I had it to do over again, I would be proficient in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and German. But then I would probably be living alone surviving on a diet of Hot Pockets and Froot Loops.

If you need help or motivation to rediscover New Testament Greek, The Minister and His Greek New Testament by A.T. Robertson will motivate you to make Greek a daily part of your ministerial life. Keep Your Greek by Constantine Campbell will give you practical tools that will help you keep what Greek you have learned and recover part of what you have forgotten. This little book is a great help for those of us who remember just enough Greek to get into serious trouble. The road back is often steeper than it was the first time, but Campbell can help – after all, “it’s the climb” (I know, fewer things are more pitiful than an old guy quoting Miley Cyrus – in fact, anyone quoting Miley Cyrus is pitiful. Chalk it up to a pathetic attempt at being cool).

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan as part of their Keep Your Greek blog tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."