LATIN--GREEK--GREATBOOKS--RHETORIC


Greek Tutorial

    Without a knowledge of Greek there is no education." --Leo Tolstoy
1. Why Study Greek?

2. Greek Course Description, prerequisites,  and registration information


1. Why Study Greek?

    Learning ancient Greek is an essential part of a classical education; education without some study of Greek cannot be called classical in any historical sense.  The Greek language of the classical age (Homer to Alexander, or about 800 B.C. to 330 B.C.) gave to western civilization the great myths, fables, plays, prose and poetic forms, philosophies, scientific and medical studies, political ideas, and histories which have informed our culture beyond measure. Think of the Trojan War, the tragedy of Oedipus, Socrates' dialogues, Plato's philosophy, Aristotle's science, Euclid's geometry, Hippocrates' medicine, and Herodotus and Thucydides' histories. The very similar Greek of the Hellenistic age (Alexander to Constantine, or about 330 B.C. to A.D. 330) was the language of an equally wide variety of literatures, including especially the writings of the Septuagint, New Testament, and early church fathers. Greek along with Latin was part of everyone's education in the ancient Roman world, Greek was the language of early Christianity and of medieval Christianity in the eastern Mediterranean (the Byzantine empire) as Latin was in the west, and ancient Greek again became part of the common education in the western world from the Renaissance onward until less than a hundred years ago. Modern Greek is much closer to its ancient and medieval roots than most other European languages are to theirs, so the history of the language is more continuous and uninterrupted by great changes.

    A student who learns ancient Greek will have direct access to the great literature of the ancient and early Christian world unimpeded by translations, and this is particularly important to the Christian who wishes to read the New Testament (and the Old Testament too, in the Septuagint, the Greek translation made long before Christ's time) in the original language. The student of Greek will have much easier access to modern scientific terminology, especially that of medicine.

       
      "I have become convinced that of all that human language has produced truly and simply beautiful, I knew nothing before I learned Greek...Without a knowledge of Greek there is no education." --Leo Tolstoy

      "Learn Greek; it is the language of wisdom." --George Bernard Shaw

      "I would make everyone learn English; then I would let the clever ones learn Latin as an honor--and Greek as a treat." --Sir Winston Churchill

      "It cannot be said too often that Greek is an evolving language and that an understanding of ancient Greek includes mastery of both Attic [Classical] and koine. The former was the language of the great works of history, literature, and philosophy of the classical period that have had such a profound influence on our Western culture. Koine Greek, on the other hand, is the dialect of the New Testament writers who recorded the beginnings of the most significant religious movement of the West. Whatever the student's or scholar's own particular interests, he cannot fully appreciate the one without an understanding of the other and of the relationships between the two."  --Stephen Paine

      "Owing to the exigencies of the present educational situation, many who desire to use the Greek Testament are unable to approach the subject through a study of classical Attic prose. The situation is undoubtedly to be regretted, but its existgence should not be ignored. It is unfortunate that so many students of the New Testament have no acquainance with classical Greek..." --J. Gresham Machen
       

      "And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." --St. Luke

2. Course Description, prerequisites, and Registration Information
 

    The aim of Schola's Classical Greek Tutorials is to teach beginners to read classical Greek intelligently and with pleasure. The course covers all of essential Greek grammar in two years.

    Greek I is best suited for students who are at least 14 years old, and have some previous experience with Latin (or Greek). Those without prior classical language study will be considered, but please contact the instructor first.

    Go to Schola Bookstore to order texts (althought most books are shipped within days, some may take several weeks. Books should be ordered as soon as possible after registration to avoid shipping delays) 

    Register for Greek Tutorial


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