Note: I post the article below every year as seminary students arrive. I hope it will prove helpful for a new group of readers (or maybe even prior ones!)
A few weeks ago, a new crop of seminary students began the grueling month-long experience of Summer Greek. And, like all seminary students before them, they will begin to ask the question of why studying these ancient languages even matters. After all, a few years after graduation all will be forgotten. In the midst of a busy pastoral life, who could possibly maintain proficiency in the languages?
As a result of these questions, some students decide (very early on) that the biblical languages are just something to be endured. They are like a hazing ritual at a college fraternity. No one likes it, but you have to go through it to be in the club. And then it will be over.
Behind this “take your medicine” approach to the biblical languages are a couple of assumptions that need to be challenged. First, the characterization of pastoral ministry as somehow incompatible with the languages (due to busyness, or other causes), is an unfortunate misunderstanding of what a pastorate is all about. No doubt, pastors should be busy shepherding their flock, meeting with ministry leaders, and running the church. But, the core of the calling is to be a “minister of the word.”
And if the pastoral call is to be a minister of the Word, then there is a significant component of pastoral life that should be devoted to serious study of the biblical text—beyond just the preparation for that week’s sermon. Put differently, pastors should continue to be students. They need to be readers, thinkers, and theologians.
Unfortunately many modern pastors do not view themselves this way. This is evidenced by the language used to describe the place a pastor works at the church. In prior generations, it used to be called the pastor’s “study” (because that is what he did in there!). Now, it is called the pastor’s “office” (because pastors view themselves more as a CEO).
One of my biggest disappointments is when I go into a pastor’s office and see that there are no (or very few) books. It is like going into a carpenter’s shop and seeing no tools. I remind such pastors of the words of Cicero: “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
If pastors recover their calling as ministers of the Word, then keeping up with the biblical languages should be a more natural part of their weekly activity. If they work in a “study” instead of an “office” then studying might just come more easily.
But, there is a second assumption behind the “take your medicine” approach to the biblical languages. Many students assume that the study of the languages is useless if the specifics are forgotten at a later point. Indeed, this may be the biggest assumption in the mind of today’s seminary students.
This assumption, however, is profoundly mistaken. Even if a student forgets every single vocabulary word and every verb paradigm, the intensive study of the languages during seminary still plays an enormously significant role. Put simply, it helps students think textually.
Prior to learning the languages, most of us simply do not know how to think on a textual level when it comes to studying the Scripture. But after learning Greek or Hebrew (even if we forget it), we now understand grammar, syntax, logical flow, and sentence structure. Moreover, we understand the way words work, how their meaning is determined (or not determined), the importance of context, and the avoidance of certain exegetical fallacies.
These factors alone are incredibly important for proper interpretation of the text and preparation of a sermon. And they are drilled into our heads when we take the biblical languages—even if we forget them later.
So, students and pastors should be encouraged. There are good reasons to think you can retain your knowledge of the languages, if your role as “minister of the Word” is properly understood. But, even if you don’t, many of the benefits still remain.
ramonawriterprocook says
Since our ole buddy Mr. Strong already did all the sweat work and it is accessible to me and is not revised, do you still think it is all that necessary? It isn’t as if I have no access to the Languages for rightly dividing the Word.
Justin Keller says
It’s the difference between plunking out individual notes on a keyboard and actually playing music. While Strong’s can give you information on the denotation of a word, he can’t really give you connotations and nuances that only come from studying a language. While you can look up the parsing of a verb, that will not help you think about how that participle is being used, or what the significance of the switch from present to aorist tense might be. And Strong’s cannot help you with the aesthetics of what has been written, or with broader discourse or structural issues that determine meaning just as much as vocabulary and syntax.
Craig says
But there are, in fact, resources beyond Strong’s that will give you that information without requiring that you learn the language. It’s like the difference between everyone learning to be a concert pianist and everyone attending a piano concert. I don’t have to be a musician to enjoy music.
That being said, a familiarity with music theory helps one to better appreciate it. Or, in this case, a familiarity with the original languages helps one know when one might need to do a little more research. Like when one is depending on Strong’s concordance for all of their original language needs. 🙂
Mark Rich says
As the preacher & teacher, you are the musician of the Word. You don’t just enjoy the music, you help make it!
Grant Armbruster says
Mark, you are not called to make the music you are called to share the music and to bring others to it. We don’t make new words of God that is not our job. We are called to share the words of God. I do agree with having a pastors study and that there should be books volumes of books at hand to help spread the word. And even that the word should be understood. However Christ made it clear that the sum of the law is thus.
Jesus was asked: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,”
What good is a pastors study when the pastor is not tending his flock or living out these greatest of commands.
And do we need to know Greek and Hebrew to love one another.
I do however believe that there are people who are and should be called upon to keep the original languages so that this knowledge should not be lost.
But the Word of God was not meant for only the schooled it was meant for every man.
Craig says
I’ve heard a lot of really great cover bands who rely on the music-writing skills of others instead of doing a mediocre job of it themselves. And I’ve heard a lot of posers who give it a go, but who really should be letting someone else do the heavy lifting.
Have we beat this metaphor hard enough? 🙂
Jim Pemberton says
Metaphore aside, mediocrity can be applied to different aspects of a preacher’s sermon. I would rather listen to a poor speaker who is deeply searching and interacting with the Word and speaking to his own people than to listen to a canned, polished message by a great speaker who is only giving a generic application to people he doesn’t know. A preaching pastor is far better than a pastor who doesn’t preach and a preacher who doesn’t pastor. And no sermon is good without the pastor searching the text for its deeper meaning and letting it permeate his soul.
Phillip Mayberry says
I think this is one of the fundamental misunderstandings about the Biblical languages: the idea that using a concordance is sufficient. I can watch a YouTube video concerning how to “fix” anything that breaks on my car… but trust me: you don’t want me working on YOUR car! My child can look up any French word in a French dictionary… but I wouldn’t submit to her teaching an original reading of Calvin’s Institutes. I like what Dr. Chapman told us after our first 6 grueling hours of NT Greek, as we entered into intermediate Greek. It was something to the effect of “You men THINK you know Greek… but let me tell you what you know: you know just enough to be dangerous and to make a big mess out of things in the pulpit.” He went on to tell us that we, with our substantial vocabulary, and our knowledge of literally hundreds of forms (a given Greek verb, including participial forms, can take over 200 forms); etc., that we knew about 1/5 of what it took to competently handle and utilize the original languages in the pulpit. He was absolutely right. Oh, and one more thing. Pastors should NOT be taught to just “trust the experts who have already done the work.” Instead, we should be taught to carefully think for ourselves and weigh the arguments with at least some degree of competency. We are the ones responsible for feeding the sheep.
Grant Armbruster says
If you are not capable of learning how to repair your car from YouTube how are you able to learn Greek from instructors. Your argument falls short. And I learned how to change my oil tires and brakes from the internet. I am also learning French from the internet….and Though I know I will need some more instruction on the French I feel that my french will be sufficient to get me by whilst I learn in France. The same for PC repair and building. I have repaired and built PCs with no “formal” training. The only thing I lack is useless jargon. While jargon may make someone appear more knowledgeable are appearances what count or getting the job done….
Joe Cardwell says
But you don’t have time to keep up with your Greek? His point is that you’ll be better if you have a few years of it being forced on you in school and keep up with it consistency afterward.
Phillip Mayberry says
*sigh* I guess you’re right- my analogy falls short in some areas. I was hoping to make the point briefly, without nuancing the details… but I’ll expand. 1) You can’t ask Youtube to evaluate your progress. I wasn’t talking about simple tasks… I was talking about the kinds of repairs that necessitate trained mechanics as opposed to people like me, who can do simple tasks like change oil and tires; 2) We aren’t trying to “get by”… we are striving for excellence and precision. A lack of precision in conversational French is forgivable, but a lack of precision in exegesis fosters heresy. 3) Independent Greek Study (which IS better than no study at all) is not the equivalent of directed/supervised study for the same reasons that WebMD (or even good medical journals) is not the same as medical school. Furthermore, if you’re implying that those of us who care enough about the sheep to spend years of our lives patiently learning how to do the work ourselves rather than depending on others, subjecting ourselves to careful evaluation at great personal expense, often for little pay (and little respect, I might add- case in point)… if you’re saying that we are only concerned with appearances… well, I guess you’re entitled to your opinion. I’d be willing to bet you still go to an educated, trained (and probably not self-trained) doctor/hospital when you have a serious health concern rather than treating yourself medically, or seeking the advice of people who learned to practice medicine on YouTube and/or without peer review and testing. I bet you don’t accuse your doctors of only using “fancy medical terms” in order to impress you…
Now, I normally wouldn’t pick on grammar (I know it’s usually rude, and I don’t mean it that way), but as it is germane to the topic at hand, let me point out that your English needs more work (assuming English is your native tongue) before you begin to study French (and really, before you engage in a debate about the merits and methodologies of studying and utilizing language at all). Precision is everything when it comes to communication, whether formal or informal. Periods should not punctuate interrogative sentences. Capitalizations should not be found in the midst of sentences unless they are proper nouns. Comma’s are important to prevent run-on sentences. Conjunctions should not introduce sentences. Words should be consistently capitalized within the same argument. I’m saying this not to be mean, but to make a point that the OP makes without being so ‘pointed’: these are things that only directed study will train you unto. If you have no one to point out what you miss, and only yourself and/or YouTube/Strongs as your guide, then you’ll be much more confident… and much less aware of your own errors and mistakes. So, it comes down largely to a desire to be corrected unto excellence, rather than a desire to be self-sufficient and suspicious of those who know the value of correction and training, together with taking the difficult and more careful route to excellence and competency. In other words, “getting the job done” requires excellence, not mediocrity.
You’re right, though, when you point out that the Word of God is meant for every man. Thank God for good English translations! However, there is a distinction between “every man” and the ordained ministry. Not every man is called to teach. Those who are called to teach should be competent to teach, and should be ever growing in their competency, both pastorally and intellectually (loving the Lord with all our mind and heart).
Vaughn Hathaway says
Strongs, Youngs and Crudens are for English-only readers. However, IMO Greek and Hebrew need to be learned in college as preparatory for seminary..
Joe Cardwell says
Um, why do you need Strong’s if you’re going that route? Just line up a bunch of English Bible Versions-which is not an illegitimate study practice-and get the sense of a passage that way. Then read a few commentaries for deeper analysis. Greek or Hebrew study is not summed up in “word study.” It’s the flow of a narrative and rhetorical logic of a passage that can only be seen through facility with the original language. Most students will not learn enough Greek or Hebrew to divine that on their own. But at least they can learn enough to understand what a language-based commentary is saying. You’ll need some original language study for that.
Paulus Eliasson says
Great encouragement! I’m a Norwegian bible teacher, trying to learn Greek. You (or someone else around) wouldn’t have a great tip on how to do that – given that I have a full time job, and not the possibility to go to a university…?
William says
Paulus – try http://dailydoseofgreek.com/learn-biblical-greek/. I’ve really appreciated the free lessons so far.
Paulus Eliasson says
William – thank you for the tip. I’m checking it out now 🙂
jimpemberton says
I’ve been following DDOG for a good while now. Very beneficial! There is Daily Dose of Hebrew too for any interested:
http://dailydoseofhebrew.com/
Mo Dardinger says
Here’s the reasonable (and well done) online course in New Testament Greek that my husband and I just finished taking — http://centerforlearningbiblicalgreek.com/
Shawn says
BibleMesh offers great, affordable online courses.
James says
Thanks for posting this, I’m not a seminary student but I have been interested in learning the NT Greek (I’ve bought a UBS Greek NT and some books on learning Greek), understandably from the little Greek I’ve done on my own its tough but its very worthwhile. And I hope those learning in Seminary really take advantage of learning them to deepen their understanding of the word and value such an opportunity.
jimpemberton says
I can’t fathom a pastor claiming to be called by a God that he’s not passionate about knowing. No pastor can shepherd his Lord’s sheep well without seeking the Great Shepherd’s revealed will in the matter.
Bjohnson says
I am not in total disagreement, but can see how a class in textual criticism done in one’s own language can have the same benefits as those mentioned in the post. If the desired outcome is to have pastors learn how to critically evaluate a text, why throw a new language into the mix as well? Regarding a healthy understanding of Greek, hasn’t the serious legwork already been done by Greek Language masters, which we have access to so easily these days? Isn’t it the case that one does not get a better understanding of a passage just by merely parsing a word, as if that hasn’t already been done, (won’t your grueling personal translation end up looking like one that has already been published)? Rather, isn’t it true that the understanding is had when we look to the language masters and their reasoning for why they translate/interpret a passage in a particular way? Strong’s is hardly useful in itself, but de Silva’s work on Galations is going to deliver far more insight than anything I can do myself, even after two terms of seminary Greek. I wonder if replacing two basic Greek classes with a textual analysis class and a class on using Greek resources (like Nestle Åland texts) would have a longer lasting impact.
Grant Armbruster says
I agree with this. And how is this needing to know Greek much different that the Catholic Church holding controle over the Bible for generations with Latin requirements.
Jonathan Beck says
One difference lies in that learning the biblical languages, as was mentioned in the post above, trains students to think textually. As native speakers, we aren’t trained (most of us, anyway) to read the Bible critically – we are trained to memorize and personally reflect on what we read. There is certainly value to this, but this doesn’t lend to the author’s idea of reading textually.
The other difference being that, of course only the clergy was “allowed” to read the text. Today, anyone can learn the biblical languages if he or she so desires.
Lindsay Stafford says
“but can see how a class in textual criticism done in one’s own language can have the same benefits as those mentioned in the post.”
Not possible – one cannot understand textual criticism unless one can read the text, can understand the nuances between the variations.
Sort of like trying to understand Differential Calculus while only having a basic knowledge of arithmetic.
Bjohnson says
That is kind of my point. Since most pastors will not move beyond the basic level of Greek and Hebrew, there are better ways to hone one’s skill of textual analysis. This will be done in their native language with translations. Not many pastors go through the process of translating entire texts from Greek to English in order to prepare each sermon, though I am sure those at higher competency levels might do that.
It’s just silly to ignore the immense amount of work that has been done by ‘experts’. Anyone who takes biblical studies seriously relies on the experts, and I would wager that only becomes more true if one is studying in Greek and Hebrew. Their work is what is used In the classroom. The word ‘trust’ was misused above. We should always be willing to consider the arguments given, and to compare them with the work of other experts. That is not laziness, and it is unrealistic to imagine every pastor with an M.div doing all that ‘heavy lifting’ by themselves.
Steve Conradt says
I entered the Seminary at Fort Wayne at 56 years old. At the time I wondered why I’d have to sweat through ten weeks of Greek. I made it through. I’m so greatful I did it. I do use it often and can’t thank Dr. John Nordling enough what he did for me.
Thomas Slater says
Good article! James Kirby, former dean and former president at Emory, said that Methodism has gained a sense of the ministry as a profession but lost a sense of the ministry as a calling. He said this in the early 1980’s and it is still true. Well done.
Brian says
Good article….I does seem though that the age old answer, “I will never use it,” does not take into account all of the other things gained from the study of a language of the Bible. Pastors like to call themselves professionals yet do not want to put in the study necessary to actually be a professional. I am so glad that people like doctors and pilots do not take the approach that a pastoral student often takes….”I will probably never use that so why learn it?” The study of a Bible language will open up the understanding of why things are translated into English the way they are translated. The old adage, “One will never be read if he never reads” is so true. A preacher that will not broaden his base and deepen his reservoir will soon lack for a congregation of anyone that seriously wants to know why. I took Greek, I loved it and I never thought I would use it, until I used it in a Bible translation project. That drove me to study Hebrew and even learn to speak it. I feel sorry for the man who will not put in the time to learn all he can about the Word of God and I would direct him to Proverbs 1:22, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? I cannot image Solomon taking the position that he may not ever use it so why learn?
Bob Faser says
From my experience in ministry, I believe the advantage of studying Greek and Hebrew is that the minister is able to have that much more of an informed opinion about the scriptures (particularly in textual questions) rather than merely “trusting the experts”.
Of course some ministers will use their knowledge as a way of showing off to their congregations (“Look how clever I am.”), but most ministers – whatever the minister’s own theology – will use this study in a more pastorally useful way.
Dean says
It seems a lot of ministers are happy to trust the “experts” when it comes to a conflict between science & Scripture. In this they abandon the text altogether it would seem.Some ministers also opt for dumming stuff down & keeping it simple which doesnt really help the congregation grow but furthers a personal preference.
I am no minister as such but have seen & heard enough to appreciate that the greek & hebrew bring out a meaning or emphasis that plain old & confusing english never can.It really is a craft of sorts knowing how to use your tools well.
Owen Weddle says
There is a major difference between being able to use other people’s work (aka Strong’s) and being able to use it yourself. Learning Biblical languages is more about training your mind in how the language works, at the very least. Other instruments can not adequately do the legwork of connecting the usage of a certain word to the context; that comes by practice and discipline with the language yourself. Even if you never read the Greek (or Hebrew) by yourself again in the future, you have that much more skill in knowing how the language operates, so that you can use other’s resources effectively, rather than haphazardly.
I have heard many a sermon where people used the work other people did such as Strong’s as an ‘intellectual’ buffet, for which they chose whatever they wanted to use for their own sermon rather than critically evaluating how the word was used in context. By not having our minds regimented by the practice of reading and interpreting in the language, the way we use other people’s work become more controlled by our own biases of what we want to say, because we don’t understand how the way the language functions restricts or highlights certain types of meaning. This doesn’t mean you must have Greek and Hebrew training to use the resources well, but it does mean more likely than not you will likely use them poorly and would be better just sticking to a solid translation, or a comparison between translations.
Put another way, you will be a better teacher of the word if you use a solid English translation rather than using original languages without some basic form of education of how the languages work. The original language can and will add to your teaching (even if you never use a single Greek or Hebrew word in the sermon), but only if you put the time to learning it.
Phillip Mayberry says
Amen. I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your well-reasonsed articulation of the issues, benefits, and dangers inherent in the issue at hand. Well said!