Grace College and Seminary professor, Dr. Matt Harmon, is quoted in an article in the Indianapolis Recorder about the use of New Testament Greek in Bible study. A portion of the article appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
Workshop gives people the tools to understand the Bible in its original language
As a scholar of New Testament Greek, John Bechtle has had the advantage of being able to read his Bible in its original language, taking out any of the ambiguity and confusion that come with the various English translations. He noticed other people wanted that skill, but they assumed they didn’t have the time or resources to commit themselves to learning the ancient language.
Learning New Testament Greek — which is different from modern Greek — in its entirety isn’t practical for most people, Bechtle said, but he realized that wasn’t necessary. The much more feasible goal was to go one word at a time. …
Even though the purpose of Bechtle’s workshop is to give everyday people the tools to understand the Bible as it was originally written without needing an expert at every step, there’s still much to gain from pastors and teachers having this knowledge. Matt Harmon, who teaches Greek and New Testament classes at Grace College, said one of his favorite things about having a grasp of the Greek language is that he can now better relay that wisdom to his students.
“When I use it for preaching and teaching,” he said, “I can see structure and flow of argument more clearly than just the English text, which helps me more clearly explain that to others.”
Click here to read the complete article.