Perspectives on Biblical Languages

This course offers an overview of Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek, with an emphasis on why knowledge of the original languages has been vital throughout Christian history and why this knowledge plays a significant role today. Assuming no prior study of either language, you will learn some of the basic features of Greek and Hebrew, including their alphabets and pronunciation, and key grammatical constructions. We will also explore the Christian heritage of studying these languages, along with some issues regarding the original languages and their translation today.

This course is divided into three main sections. The first section will be devoted to the key elements of Biblical Hebrew and the text of the Old Testament. The second section will cover English translations of the Bible, in consideration of the various theories and problems for the faithful transmission of God's Word to the People of God. The third section will deal with Biblical Greek and the Greek text of the New Testament, including particular translation challenges presented by the New Testament.