St. Raphael School
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New Testament Greek 2: Intermediate is designed for current Upper School students and builds directly off of the skills gained in New Testament Greek 1: Beginner. This course continues students’ study of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Greek, which is the language not only of the New Testament and Old Testament Septuagint, but also the Church Fathers, the hymnography, liturgy, and iconography of the Orthodox Church, and the authors of classical Greek antiquity (e.g., Homer, Plato, Aristotle). All Greek courses at St. Raphael School are taught according to Modern (or Received) Pronunciation, which is how the language is pronounced today, both by native Greek speakers and in the Greek Orthodox Church. Furthermore, since there is a large overlap (around 80%) in vocabulary between New Testament and Modern Greek, students can feel confident using the skills gained in this class to go on to further studies in either Ancient Greek, Modern (conversational) Greek, or both. This course continues the unifying and holistic approach to the Greek language begun in New Testament Greek 1, giving students a lasting foundation that will help deepen their faith, broaden their cultural understanding, and strengthen their general knowledge of history, grammar, and etymology. We believe that the best way to do this is to engage the students as much as possible with New Testament Greek as a “living” language, giving them ample opportunity to be active participants, and not simply passive recipients, in the learning process that was already begun in New Testament Greek 1. As with a modern, spoken language, frequent repetition, familiarization, and reinforcement is key to success. As with New Testament Greek 1, this is done through exposure to selected texts, verses of Scripture, and other Orthodox prayers and services, including the Lord’s Prayer, the Trisagion, Kyrie Eleison, the Creed, Vespers, Orthros, Divine Liturgy, and various festal hymnography and iconography.
View the SRS Greek Program Curriculum Map Aside from regular in-class participation, assigned work will continue to fall into a few basic categories:
High School Credit: This course is the equivalent of one high school credit in foreign language.
What is the difference between New Testament KOINE Greek and Classical Greek?
Saint Raphael’s School teaches what is often called “Koine Greek.” It is the dialect of Greek which was spoken throughout the Eastern Mediterranean following the conquests of Alexander the Great in the late 4th century BC, and persisted throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods and eventually evolved into the Modern Greek language which is currently spoken in Greece today. Koine Greek is the dialect of Greek with which the New Testament was written (which is why is Koine Greek is often called “New Testament Greek”).
Along with the New Testament, the various services of The Eastern Church, hymns, prayers, and saints lives were also composed in Koine Greek. At Saint Raphael’s School, Koine Greek is taught using the “Modern” or “Received” pronunciation. This pronunciation is identical to that used by speakers of the Modern Greek language today, and it is also the pronunciation currently used for the liturgies and services of the Orthodox Church of Greece, and most of the Orthodox Churches under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch, including The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOARCH).
Schole Academy teaches both Classical and Koine Greek. Classical Greek is slightly different from and grammatically more complex than Koine Greek. While our course at Saint Raphael’s focuses on equipping Orthodox Christians with the tools to understand the New Testament, the church fathers, and the liturgy, Scholé course exposes students to the Greek of a lengthier period, from Homer (8th century BC) through “The Golden Age of Athens” (5th century BC) and into the Hellenistic/Koine period (including the New Testament and Patristics). Whereas our course uses the modern pronunciation employed in the Orthodox Church, Scholé Academy uses a pronunciation “reconstructed” to approximate that of the time period of 5th century Athens. We hope this description of the two sets of courses helps you decide which is more appropriate for your purposes.
Required Materials: Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course. These resources are listed to help inform your decision-making as you make course selections and build your course schedule. Please reach out to the instructor if you have any questions about materials.
Optional Materials:
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Dustin Finch’s love for Greek began in the Fall of 2008 at Williams Baptist College (Walnut Ridge, AR), where he was later honored with the Zondervan Biblical Languages Award for Greek in 2009 and for both Greek and Hebrew in 2010. He graduated with an M.Div from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (Elkhart, IN) and was honored with the Gertrude Roten Excellence in Greek Exegesis award in 2019. Since becoming Orthodox, his love for Greek has only grown as he has read the Greek text of icons, hymns, liturgical services, the Symbol of Faith, lives of the saints, and the Fathers. Moreover, he has been learning to pray in Greek—using the Psalms and the prayers of the Church. He lives in Jonesboro, AR with his wife, Angela, his sons, Owen (14) and Wilkes (10), and his dog, Maggie. He is a member of St. John Orthodox Church in Memphis, TN.
First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.
Make sure they don’t conflict with other activities in your schedule or other courses you are purchasing. Our system will not catch double-bookings!
Our Assistant to the Principal will be in touch with you after your enrollment to help you with next steps, including any placement evaluations that may be required for your course selections.
This registration will be finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.
Greek 1 offers a clear, sophisticated, and imaginative introduction to the Greek language for Upper school students....
Greek II follows upon Greek I in offering a clear, sophisticated, and imaginative introduction to the Greek language...
Greek III follows upon Greek II in offering a clear, sophisticated, and imaginative introduction to the Greek language...
