This was my first introduction to Greek. Wonderful book. It encouraged me to go deeper into Greek after finishing it. I can testify that I really was reading the text in 10 days.
Awhile back I started listening to the Greek New Testament read through an app and online. It has helped me a lot to further my understanding and to retain the efforts I put in years ago. I had read that one will never be able to read fast unless that person learns to speak it. So I have put in more effort in listening to the text being read. When I first started listening it seemed very fast but now it is not very difficult to follow along unless I am not familiar with the words that are being read. On RUclips there is a man named Philemon Zachariou who teaches the pronunciation. It seems there are many different professors who teach a wide variety of ways to pronounce the words. Hearing the texts read has helped me a lot to read faster. Sometimes I will remember a word that was read but I do not know the meaning of it and so I know I have been thinking about that word.
I started off with this grammar. I really liked it, but became concerned only because it was never on any "recommendations" lists. I started to assume it must have problems. However, after working through about lesson 15 and then switching to a "regular" grammar, I quickly realized that I had already "memorized" the 1st and 2nd declensions without even trying to (not to mention the imperfect tense, parts if the subjunctive, etc). Your video makes me want to revisit this book....
Loved this review! When I first discovered Dobson's grammar, a Greek teaching professor suggested a use for it. Use Dobson chapters 1-23, then switch to Mounce, work through Mounce, then come back and finish Dobson. This was, however, using Dobson for self-study as you talk about. A couple of additional things. Dobson primarily was teaching people who spoke English as a second language - that influenced how he taught Greek. Dobson also has a Hebrew grammar as well. You mentioned this being the 3rd edition. The 2nd edition did not include accent marks. The 3rd edition revision was identical to the 2nd with the addition of accent marks. The CD that came with the book was Dobson doing the reading of the Greek exercises chapters 1-20. Again, thanks for the review!
Thanks for an excellent review. I'm working through this book at the moment - I'm on chapter 18. I learn sitting on the bus on my way to town in 30 minute doses. This book really works for me - the lack of technical jargon is encouraging, and you really are translating biblical passages very swiftly. There is no need to take notes, and as I'm good at memorising vocab, progress is rapid. I plan to get to the end of this book, then dig deeper with one of the recommended grammars. (I also have a tiny, slim volume called 'Teach yourself New Testament Greek' by D F Hudson - published in 1960, that I found in a 2nd hand book shop. Full of grammatical tables, and perfect for reading as I walk. Beware of lampposts if you intend following this practice).
This is the first textbook I ever used, when I first became a Christian at 18, many many years before I went to seminary. The funny or annoying thing was that the book worked, I was learning a lot, and then the business of university got in the way and I forgot most of it. Sadly, at the time, I realized how easy it was to forget what I learnt and stupidly decided "Whats the point of learning this if I always forget it". It wasn't until many years later when I saw role models who made it to the end of the journey and realized how stilly I was. This books is great, y'all should read it and/or consider teaching using it.
I think you should create your own grammar and combine the best characteristics from each of them. You have so much passion for this topic and you explain things very easy to understand, so I will be the first one to buy it. Seriously
This was my first grammar and I loved it! It's great for those of us who somehow dodged grammatical training in other languages. So there is nothing intimidating about it. Try Athenaze on your own! Thanks for covering this book, btw.
Just went back through this video, and it’s super helpful. Another brother and I are about to start going through LNTG together. I’m going to tutor him, and I’m really looking forward to it!
Thank you very much for getting to this review-I have been waiting a long time. I have this grammar and I agree that it is one of the best self-taught introductions to Koine Greek. I like that you learn sentences right from the beginning and this seems to differentiate it from other beginning grammars. The layout is user friendly and not nearly as intimidating as other books.
I would love to add this to my library to reinforce some aspects that may have been overlooked by the traditional method. However, the lack of an electronic version is unfortunate.
For those of us who already spend much time processing large amounts of data, a natural learning approach is greatly preferred. One just had to keep the mind open and trust the process.
Hey check out the "Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata" It is a book that teaches you Latin through "natural method". It is sort of a graded reader combined with grammar explanation all in Latin.
I have used this grammar with small groups of beginners, they found it quite manageable. One aspect of the book is that the exercises have the answers printed in a column next to the Greek - it was easy to read round the group and uncover the answers as we went. Dobson's focus is on reading the New Testament as soon as possible. I don't think he is especially concerned it training linguists.
I just received this book and plumber’s Beginning with NT Greek. I plan on self teaching with no monthly subscriptions to start. What’s a better textbook?
Interested with your perspective. As a self- learner in recent years I started with this but found it frustratingly scattergun and the repetition got very boring. Mounce was real relief because it explained things logically and answered my why questions where Dobson just felt like parrot style, primary school learning. Possibly it didn't work for me because I already had a base level of Greek, albeit very rusty and a much higher level of NT studies background than Dobson's pitch audience. Might work for people with absolutely no background in languages but I found it too simplistic and misleading to recommend it for a serious self-learner as they would only have to do the stuff all over again properly to have much proficiency in the text. Things that were useful were having the keys on the same page as the exercises as you can absorb quite a lot by sight that way ( though he does suggest covering them up if you want to give yourself a test) but that might also cause the same issues as an interlinear in fooling you into thinking you know more than you actually do. The audio tracks online - very Erasmian and patrician- were quite useful but didn't cover everything so could be frustrating and, compared with the added stuff of Plummer or Mounce, were a bit boring and didn't add as much value, but this is a function of the age of the text which needs a serious update. Do agree it is less like a classroom text than most of the others and it was produced for a mission context so for those with not much previous academic learning it may appeal more than some others. But if you are a logical, systematic thinker who likes proper structure, thorough explanations and a good sprinkling of diagrams and summaries to help you see the wood and the trees I wouldn’t go with this - Plummer, Mounce and Harris are all so much better, have better ancillary materials and will leave you in a much more competent position as a confident reader by the end as well as setting you up better for further study both in terms of vocabulary and grammar confidence. Why do the work twice when you can do it once and do it right?
I absolutely loved this book, however the CD was complete cringe. You can do a lot better than Ancient Greek with a thick British accent. (The same goes for the CDs for JACT’s “Reading Greek” course.) You should get the Greek New Testament recited by a Greek speaker on CD. It’ll be in modern Greek pronunciation, but still preferable to a cringy English accent.
![Who Wrote a Short Story That Seriously Disturbed a Teacher? | Dirty Laundry x Smosh [Full Episode]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bvHAy_rKoEI/mqdefault.jpg)
Traditional approaches enables you to forget after your done with the book. This book helps you learn for use and read... Which helps long term
This was my first introduction to Greek. Wonderful book. It encouraged me to go deeper into Greek after finishing it. I can testify that I really was reading the text in 10 days.
Awhile back I started listening to the Greek New Testament read through an app and online. It has helped me a lot to further my understanding and to retain the efforts I put in years ago. I had read that one will never be able to read fast unless that person learns to speak it. So I have put in more effort in listening to the text being read. When I first started listening it seemed very fast but now it is not very difficult to follow along unless I am not familiar with the words that are being read. On RUclips there is a man named Philemon Zachariou who teaches the pronunciation. It seems there are many different professors who teach a wide variety of ways to pronounce the words. Hearing the texts read has helped me a lot to read faster. Sometimes I will remember a word that was read but I do not know the meaning of it and so I know I have been thinking about that word.
I started off with this grammar. I really liked it, but became concerned only because it was never on any "recommendations" lists. I started to assume it must have problems. However, after working through about lesson 15 and then switching to a "regular" grammar, I quickly realized that I had already "memorized" the 1st and 2nd declensions without even trying to (not to mention the imperfect tense, parts if the subjunctive, etc). Your video makes me want to revisit this book....
Loved this review! When I first discovered Dobson's grammar, a Greek teaching professor suggested a use for it. Use Dobson chapters 1-23, then switch to Mounce, work through Mounce, then come back and finish Dobson. This was, however, using Dobson for self-study as you talk about. A couple of additional things. Dobson primarily was teaching people who spoke English as a second language - that influenced how he taught Greek. Dobson also has a Hebrew grammar as well. You mentioned this being the 3rd edition. The 2nd edition did not include accent marks. The 3rd edition revision was identical to the 2nd with the addition of accent marks. The CD that came with the book was Dobson doing the reading of the Greek exercises chapters 1-20.
Again, thanks for the review!
Is the audio cd available on youtube or internet, in any case?
Thanks for an excellent review. I'm working through this book at the moment - I'm on chapter 18. I learn sitting on the bus on my way to town in 30 minute doses. This book really works for me - the lack of technical jargon is encouraging, and you really are translating biblical passages very swiftly. There is no need to take notes, and as I'm good at memorising vocab, progress is rapid. I plan to get to the end of this book, then dig deeper with one of the recommended grammars. (I also have a tiny, slim volume called 'Teach yourself New Testament Greek' by D F Hudson - published in 1960, that I found in a 2nd hand book shop. Full of grammatical tables, and perfect for reading as I walk. Beware of lampposts if you intend following this practice).
This is the first textbook I ever used, when I first became a Christian at 18, many many years before I went to seminary. The funny or annoying thing was that the book worked, I was learning a lot, and then the business of university got in the way and I forgot most of it. Sadly, at the time, I realized how easy it was to forget what I learnt and stupidly decided "Whats the point of learning this if I always forget it". It wasn't until many years later when I saw role models who made it to the end of the journey and realized how stilly I was. This books is great, y'all should read it and/or consider teaching using it.
I think you should create your own grammar and combine the best characteristics from each of them. You have so much passion for this topic and you explain things very easy to understand, so I will be the first one to buy it. Seriously
Agreed
You are very gracious. Never say never. 😉
I concur with this. Darryl, please surpass Deckers grammar please with your own.
This was my first grammar and I loved it! It's great for those of us who somehow dodged grammatical training in other languages. So there is nothing intimidating about it. Try Athenaze on your own!
Thanks for covering this book, btw.
I love this grammar because it is purely inductive rather the traditional deductive methodology.
Very interesting grammar... I'm tempted to check it out now. Something less technical sounds like a nice place to start!
Just went back through this video, and it’s super helpful. Another brother and I are about to start going through LNTG together. I’m going to tutor him, and I’m really looking forward to it!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
Thank you very much for getting to this review-I have been waiting a long time. I have this grammar and I agree that it is one of the best self-taught introductions to Koine Greek. I like that you learn sentences right from the beginning and this seems to differentiate it from other beginning grammars. The layout is user friendly and not nearly as intimidating as other books.
I literally found this grammar in like new condition for $2.50 at a thrift store. I also found Wallace's GGBB for. $1 there.
killer deal
What town? May be worth the trip.
That sounds like a great book to add to my library.
I would love to add this to my library to reinforce some aspects that may have been overlooked by the traditional method. However, the lack of an electronic version is unfortunate.
I agree. I don’t think this is very helpful as a reference though. A reference needs good explanations and indexing.
For those of us who already spend much time processing large amounts of data, a natural learning approach is greatly preferred. One just had to keep the mind open and trust the process.
It has its pros and cons. ruclips.net/video/lM-EAda9Rck/видео.html
i wish i had knew this at the start of my greek journey.
Hey check out the "Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata" It is a book that teaches you Latin through "natural method". It is sort of a graded reader combined with grammar explanation all in Latin.
Great book, I use it myself, but the video is about Koine Greek
Praise The Lord sir
I have used this grammar with small groups of beginners, they found it quite manageable. One aspect of the book is that the exercises have the answers printed in a column next to the Greek - it was easy to read round the group and uncover the answers as we went. Dobson's focus is on reading the New Testament as soon as possible. I don't think he is especially concerned it training linguists.
I can see how this would work in a small group like this. Thanks!
I just received this book and plumber’s Beginning with NT Greek. I plan on self teaching with no monthly subscriptions to start. What’s a better textbook?
The audio is not in the wbesite anymore, or at least i dont have access to it
Interested with your perspective. As a self- learner in recent years I started with this but found it frustratingly scattergun and the repetition got very boring. Mounce was real relief because it explained things logically and answered my why questions where Dobson just felt like parrot style, primary school learning. Possibly it didn't work for me because I already had a base level of Greek, albeit very rusty and a much higher level of NT studies background than Dobson's pitch audience. Might work for people with absolutely no background in languages but I found it too simplistic and misleading to recommend it for a serious self-learner as they would only have to do the stuff all over again properly to have much proficiency in the text.
Things that were useful were having the keys on the same page as the exercises as you can absorb quite a lot by sight that way ( though he does suggest covering them up if you want to give yourself a test) but that might also cause the same issues as an interlinear in fooling you into thinking you know more than you actually do. The audio tracks online - very Erasmian and patrician- were quite useful but didn't cover everything so could be frustrating and, compared with the added stuff of Plummer or Mounce, were a bit boring and didn't add as much value, but this is a function of the age of the text which needs a serious update. Do agree it is less like a classroom text than most of the others and it was produced for a mission context so for those with not much previous academic learning it may appeal more than some others.
But if you are a logical, systematic thinker who likes proper structure, thorough explanations and a good sprinkling of diagrams and summaries to help you see the wood and the trees I wouldn’t go with this - Plummer, Mounce and Harris are all so much better, have better ancillary materials and will leave you in a much more competent position as a confident reader by the end as well as setting you up better for further study both in terms of vocabulary and grammar confidence. Why do the work twice when you can do it once and do it right?
Thanks for sharing your experience, Judith! This is really helpful and those considering this grammar would do well to heed your thoughts here.
In your Opinion? In Greek would the grammar make since without 1 John 5:7 ?
Geek New Testament
1 John 5:6-8
6 οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ ἐλθὼν δι᾽ ὕδατος καὶ αἵματος, ἰησοῦς χριστός· οὐκ ἐν τῶ ὕδατι μόνον ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τῶ ὕδατι καὶ ἐν τῶ αἵματι· καὶ τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ μαρτυροῦν, ὅτι τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια.
8 τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.
I absolutely loved this book, however the CD was complete cringe. You can do a lot better than Ancient Greek with a thick British accent. (The same goes for the CDs for JACT’s “Reading Greek” course.) You should get the Greek New Testament recited by a Greek speaker on CD. It’ll be in modern Greek pronunciation, but still preferable to a cringy English accent.