It’s that time of year again.
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.
[Note: I post this article every year as seminary students arrive. I hope it will prove helpful for a new group of readers (or maybe even prior ones!)]
Al Ngu says
This is awesome. Thanks for the encouragement Dr Kruger. We went through that drill last 2 years Greek 1,2 and exegesis in RTS NYC.
John Bugay says
As a writer in an apologetic capacity (especially interacting with Roman Catholics), I found that my life changed when I started reading commentaries. And I never understood commentaries so well as when I first set myself up to learn a little Koine Greek. I’m no expert, but just a little bit was life-changing, and I’m hoping to expand my knowledge of Greek, and even move into Hebrew and Latin as I’m able.
James W Poteet II says
I couldn’t agree more with your post. I’m happily learning Hebrew after wrapping up the required courses on Greek. I hope to continue to build on what I learned of Greek, but one of the biggest things I gained was the ability to take a microscope to Scripture to dig out meaning. I learned how to THINK about words and phrases in a way I hadn’t known existed.
(Side note, you should come teach a class at Dallas. I’d love to have a course on the doctrine of Scripture taught by you.)
Mark Tippin says
Convicted by this article. I am a pastor who has lost way too much of my language ability. Any Suggestions on good resources to rekindle this, especially Greek?
Aaron C. says
Download the Daily Dose of Greek app or check out http://www.dailydoseofgreek.com.
Mark Tippin says
Any ideas for Pastors who want to rekindle their knowledge of Greek?
Rachael J says
You can basically take Greek 1 through all of the resources found here: https://www.billmounce.com/
I highly recommend getting his book and workbook too!
James W Poteet II says
I can’t recommend Daily Dose of Greek enough. Very helpful for maintaining familiarity. http://dailydoseofgreek.com/
There is also a Facebook group for supporting new/returning learners. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1782611922031179/
Definitely get a reader’s Greek New Testament and read a few verses a day. Nothing will help you get comfortable with the language like regular usage.
Emily says
This website will send you a lesson each weekday translating and parsing a Greek verse as a brief refresher.
http://dailydoseofgreek.com/learn-biblical-greek/
Darlene Fitzhenry says
Well, if you’re sitting in the pew it certainly makes a difference to listen to someone who has taken the time to be a student.
William Duncan says
I had a pastor who read/translated from the Scripture in the original languages in worship. Not only did it force us to pay closer attention when he read, it kept him sharp.
Aaron says
I was beginning to worry as I read the beginning of your article that you were going to brow beat those of us who have lost much of our biblical language studies. I was relieved to see how you ended the article, and I couldn’t agree more.
As a bi-vocational seminary trained minister who has a great love for the written English language, I struggled terribly in Greek and Hebrew (despite 3 years of both between undergrad and seminary.) I simply cannot memorize things well, and having dyslexia doesn’t help I am sure. Couple that with 60 hour weeks just to work my other job and also do what is minimally necessary in the life of the church (15 or so hours of sermon prep 3 services a week, prayer, reading outside of the sermon prep, visitation, etc) and there just hasn’t been room to keep up the languages to the level that would allow me to read freely from the original languages.
However, I have found a lot of value in my studies just the same. I understand the linguistic structures very well, even if I don’t know much of the vocabulary, and I can readily understand the analysis I find in more scholarly commentaries which reference the Greek and Hebrew. And if I decide it is worth a couple of hours of my precious time I can parse out a particular verse or text to dive deep, with the help of my dictionaries from seminary of course.
I say all this to say that I absolutely recommend the study of the original languages. I would give a lot to be a person that easily retains vocabulary and was able to translate on the fly from the Greek or Hebrew in the pulpit (what I wouldn’t give…) But even though I can’t I will say those years of toil, headaches, and borderline despair were valuable and have helped me much in my exegesis of the word of God, which after all is the chief duty of we shepherds.
Michael says
Ask Dr. Mike Heiser what he thinks about that question. Dr. Mike has opened a hidden realm with his research and analysis based on his background in ancient languages.
Jim Sutton says
I am not a Pastor, but do desire to delve into the meaning that was written into the original, Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic languages of the Scripture. For that reason I took a year of Greek from Dr. Wayne House at LeTourneau University many years ago during my college years, and another year of Hebrew from a Hebrew scholar in the D/FW area several years later (enough training to be dangerous as they say!). Those years were a great investment that helped me understand, appreciate and deepen my understandings and beliefs as a Pastor brings out nuances of the language that are significant and accurate to the text. It also has helped identify times when the text was being abused, or misinterpreted. After all these years, it is still enjoyable to spend a few hours in the evening from time to time delving into the Koine Greek or the Hebrew Tanakh.
Mark Trimmer says
Sir,
That is a most escellent article that every “pastor” in American should have to read and write an extensive Thesis on, i.e. explaing the logic behind such teaching with outlines and footnotes. This is the primary reason that pastors dont not want educated “laypeople” in their congregation that know the Bible better than they do. Because, the iknowledgeable person can expose the pastore fallacy, resulting in a direct threat to the “money flow”. Refer to Jesus throwing the Money Changers out of the Temple.
Kirk Dolan says
Agree 100%, but laypeople like myself should also learn some Greek and/or Hebrew to help them study the Word, too. I read my interlinear Greek every morning, and it helps me learn a lot of words. I also find out that English translations sometimes are not completely correct, such as incorrectly translating “one and Only” instead of “only begotten” in John 3:16 and elsewhere, and leaving out “…with joy” “meta charos” in Acts 20:24. There are also times when the same Greek word is translated differently in English, and I want to know that, because using the Greek words in a concordance is more accurate than looking up the same English word and finding out there are different Greek words. Hebrew is next.
Thank you.
Bob Ierien says
I’ve got shelves and shelves full of books in my office. I keep buying more. And I rarely have time to read them. Yes, lots of pastors think of themselves as CEOs, because we’re expected and forced to function as CEOs. (I recently had to attend a joint meeting of the finance and property committees in the largest of my three congregations because the chairs of those two committees [a bank VP and a retired commercial facilities manager] weren’t talking to each other.) I’d love to sit in my “study” and read deep theological texts twenty hours a week, but if I did, the ministry of these congregations would grind to a smoking halt inside of two weeks.
Also, FWIW, the sign over a pastor’s door should read neither “office” nor “study”, it should read “Equipment Room” (Eph. 4:12).