★★★★★ 4
VERY GOOD FOR ITS PURPOSE, SOME RESERVATIONS
Format: Paperback
To same space, WM= William Mounce. BBG=Basic Biblical Greek Grammar. This is
an expanded edition of the earlier book of the same name. One will recognize many
elements of the author's BBG, but this is more of "how to use Greek for exegesis" so it
doesn't have a lot of paradigms etc. WM even puts in the "professor" character from the
BBG 3rd ed. He has chapters on word studies, translations, textual criticism, advice on
how to use commentaries, etc. It's written at an elementary level so it's an excellent
guide for someone just wanting to understand more deeply the scriptures, or to check
the accuracy of translations. If one wants to go more in depth, he/she can consult the
intermediate grammars like Gerald L. Stevens or Wallace (that one is really detailed!).
WM divides the book into sections of increasing depth - Fundamental Greek, Church G.,
& Functional G. He deals with verbal aspect in several places. He says tenses do have
the time element in the indicative mood, but it's second to aspect. Outside the indicative,
only aspect is a factor. The 3 are UNDEFINED, CONTINUOUS, and (traditional perfect)
complete w/ continuing results. Whether the traditional perf/pluperfect is THE meaning
of the tense, or an aktionsart, I will leave to the reader. Sometimes these 2 tenses
represent a state. The traditional perfect is there much of the time, determined by the
meaning of the verb and context. One should look at how the verbs are actually used
(sometimes it's really hard to tell why the perfect was used). Perhaps the old proverb
applies to Greek i.e. "the only hard and fast rule, is that there are NO hard and fast rules".
The book is helpful for students of the word. One can learn the plan of salvation from
good translations, but knowledge of the Greek can answer questions, like the seeming
contradiction between (ROM 3:23 & 1 JOHN 1:08,10) with (1 JOHN 3:06,09). Or the
question of why Jesus told Thomas to touch Him, but said to Mary "touch Me not" in
(JOHN 20:17). Understanding the (normally) continuous/repeated of action of the
present tense can answer these questions.
I believe the book has a few flaws (thus 4 stars). I think WM gets some things wrong,
like when he says a commentator should never say something in the Bible is clear or
obvious. One might say this about figurative language - like REVELATION, but if the
Bible isn't clear about say, what one must do to go to Heaven, then what's the point?
Also WM says on pg 126 (2nd "dot") a student can't "argue" with a commentator or a
translator - he/she doesn't know enough Greek. One doesn't have to be a scholar to
be able to see when someone is putting in his/her own theology (at least there are
enough clear passages in the Bible that one shouldn't have to). The great scholar
A.T. Robertson mentions this on pg 389 of his "big book" - there comes a point when
grammar stops and theology takes over. Even WM says there're commentaries he
doesn't recommend.
I recommend the book. As to the few problems, always remember what Douglas
K. Stuart said in his book on commentaries "just because one is a PHD, doesn't
NECESSARLY mean that he/she is right and you're wrong". Always let the Bible
speak for itself.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2015
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