I recently gave a talk entitled “Teaching New Testament Greek for Spiritual Formation” at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, in San Antonio, Texas (Wednesday 15 Nov 2023). I’m posting here the initial part of the handout, as text, below, and also providing the deck of slides from the presentation. (Both have been modified, slightly.) I hope it will be a benefit to teachers.
Preliminary information
The presentation is based, in part, on Instagram reels produced by ΟΜΙΛΕΙΝ: https://www.instagram.com/omileingreek/
The series of reels begins here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv3uNgSLA8i/
I hope it will be a benefit for you, as you seek to abide continually in the Vine, Jesus, producing fruit for the Gardener, our Father.
Introduction
Can the Koine Greek classroom where the New Testament is studied be a place where learners are transformed more into the image of Christ? I believe that it can – and should be such a place. Knowing the Scriptures more intimately, in their original languages, should lead to the most profound spiritual transformations – both for student and teacher. So how do we take our curricula in Greek courses in a direction that fosters growth of character – commitment to Christ and imitation of him?
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) enables teachers and students to spend more time focussing on the content of what is said in the New Testament in Koine Greek, while still paying attention to grammar, sentence structure and so forth, though leaving it in its proper, secondary place. For this reason, CLT offers a wealth of possibilities for enriching learners’ appreciation of the New Testament’s message, at a highly transformative level.
CLT also facilitates great(er) comprehension of the intent behind a text. So, the meaning jumps out. Thus, the Scriptures’ ability to impact a learner in obedience to God’s word is multiplied.
This presentation looks at one example. Greek allows access to Old and New Testaments in a unique way. This presentation explores how CLT Greek learning enables – and encourages – the formation of Christ-like character, namely through meditation on and internalization of core truths in Scripture about our identity.
Scripture offers us many, reinforcing answers to the question “Who am I?” These can be internalized in three stages (all done in Koine Greek):
1) Meditation on / memorization of a short phrase, culled from the language of the Bible, that encapsulates a core truth
2) A brief discussion of this truth, using simple language
3) Finally, mediation on / memorization of the relevant verse
Who you think you are will have a profound impact on how you conduct yourself. Meditation on key passages, involving memorization of short phrases, enables learners to increase their self-awareness in Christ, giving the Spirit room to transform them.
The quest to understand who we are is pursued best, when placed within the contours of God’s grand scheme for the created world and people he loves, from creation through to the age to come. The belief undergirding this approach is that only as we abide in Jesus’ teaching (and Scripture, generally) do we know the truth so that it may set us free. I will go into Greek from here, addressing you all, as a group. First, a prayer, in Greek….
Download the presentation slide deck here –
Are you a Koine Greek instructor? Are you interested in teaching Greek in Greek? Would you like to make spiritual formation a more central component of your pedagogical approach? Consider joining the διάβασις Program (January 2024 – May 2025):
