UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

GREEK 2003 FALL, 2008

PLATO/NEW TESTAMENT

Daniel B. Levine

Written Assignment

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK

Read "The Language of the New Testament" by Bruce M. Metzger from The Interpreter's Bible (vol. 7, pp. 43-59), and type brief answers to the following questions. Due Friday, September 12.

1. What were four different Greek dialects of the Classical period?

2. Metzger calls the spread of Greek "a divinely ordained preparation for the propagation of the gospel" (p. 45). What do you think he means by this?

3. What are two general characteristics of the koine which distinguish it from the Classical Greek language?

4. What are two kinds of 'literary Koine"? What are their characteristics?

5. What are our sources for the "nonliterary' Koine?

6. How is the Epistle to the Hebrews "nearest in literary quality to the highest standard of koine Greek?" (p. 46).

7. Metzger says that Luke was an "author whose literary abilities were of a superior order" (p. 47). What evidence does he give to support this assertion?

8. Why is the Book of Acts written in two different styles?

9. What is wrong with the Greek of the Gospel of Mark?

10. Why is the Book of Revelation written in 'barbaric' Greek?

11. What was John's favorite Greek verb tense?

12. How has the discovery of nonliterary papyri helped our understanding of the language of the New Testament?

13. Why can the Christian word for 'church' be explained better in terms of Hebrew than in terms of Greek?14. What does 'Christ' mean?

14. How is the Greek word 'grace' different in Christian texts and Classical texts?

15. How did the Christian scriptures give new shades of meaning to the words for 'flesh' and 'love'?

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