By Andy Cheung, New Testament Tutor and Coordinator of Student Resources.

Have you ever considered studying New Testament Greek or wondered what benefits there are in learning the Biblical languages? Consider the remarks of A. T. Robertson, a distinguished Greek scholar, who said, “The Greek New Testament is the New Testament. All else is translation. Jesus speaks to us out of every page of the Greek.  To get these words of Jesus it is worthwhile to plough through any grammar and to keep on to the end.”

Evangelicals rightly emphasise the canon of Scripture as the measuring rod against which all doctrine is tested and if the Bible is to be our final authority, proficiency in the Biblical languages should be a high priority among ministers of God's word. Martin Luther once wrote, "In proportion then as we value the gospel, let us zealously hold to the languages...And let us be sure of this: we will not long preserve the gospel without the languages. The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit is contained."

Luther is surely correct in emphasising the gospel in such learning: we should not study Greek merely for the sake of doing so. Edmund Hillary's reason for climbing Everest may have been "because it's there" but a gospel-centred purpose should lie at the heart of all Christian training. This is well said by an old Scottish proverb: "Greek, Hebrew, and Latin all have their proper place. But it is not at the head of the cross where Pilate put them, but at the foot of the cross, in humble service to Christ." Proficiency in Biblical Greek is a mere workman's tool to be used in handling the word of truth.

Emphasising the importance of Greek is not to cast doubt on the reliability of Bible translations. From the KJV to modern versions such as the ESV, translations have been faithful reproductions of the Biblical text. Yet at the same time, it is clear that knowledge of the underlying Biblical text often yields important theological nuances, shades of meaning and exegetical gems that are otherwise hidden behind the screen of an English translation. Traduttore, traditore, an Italian proverb meaning "a translator is a traitor", is an apt assessment of the inevitable loss of subtleties when a translator attempts to reproduce the meaning of the text in a foreign language.

No two languages are identical and therefore complete correspondence is impossible: Greek words seldom have completely exact equivalents in English. Words, in any language, often have a broad spectrum of definitions: linguists say they have a "semantic range". In New Testament Greek, for example, the word sarx is notoriously difficult to translate with the TNIV deploying over two dozen English phrases or words in translation. There are other factors that prevent perfect translation too: mechanisms of tense, aspect, and mood are commonly incompatible between source and target languages while idiomatic expressions can leave the unwary reader barking up the wrong tree.

Reasons such as these explain why New Testament exegesis is better enabled by an understanding of Biblical Greek: fluency in the original languages drives the wheels of hermeneutics. Take for example, Paul's question in 1 Cor. 12:30, "do all speak in tongues?" It might appear to be a straightforward yes / no question but in fact the Greek uses a particular construction that requires a negative answer. The answer is not open to debate. Paul's question is rhetorical. Not all speak in tongues.

Another example is Eph. 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God". But what does "it" refer to? What is the gift of God? The ambiguity of the English translation means that it might be "faith" "grace" or the whole process of salvation. But in the Greek text, we find clarity: the word "it" requires a neuter object but "faith" and "grace" are both feminine nouns. Accordingly the "it" is best understood as the entire process of salvation by grace through faith.

Or consider the Gospel of Matthew where the genealogy of Jesus closes with "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born who is called Christ" (Matt. 1:16). Who is referred to by the "of whom"? In the preceding verses, the genealogy is male dominated and therefore we might suppose that Joseph fathered Jesus. After all, the "of whom" in the English translation could refer to either Joseph or Mary. But the gospel writer is careful to emphasise the virgin birth and employs a feminine relative pronoun that requires us to understand that Jesus was born of Mary. The mention of Joseph thus establishes him as the legal father of Jesus whereas Mary is given particular emphasis as the biological parent.

In 1 Pet 5:10 we find another example of a hidden gem: an interesting expression that is all but hidden in the English translation: "And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." In the original Greek, Peter has inserted an extra pronoun autos ("himself") that is not required for grammatical purposes. But in using this pronoun, Peter emphasises God's personal involvement in restoring his people. It intensifies the personal action of God, highlighting His work in restoring, confirming, strengthening and establishing those who have suffered.

Finally, it is finished. Or, as the Greek of John 19:30 puts it, tetelestai. Jesus' dying words are recorded in the perfect tense of a Greek verb that means to complete an action, especially the fulfilment of religious requirements. Furthermore, the usage of the Greek perfect tense indicates action that is not just completed but has ongoing results. The consequences of Jesus' death on the cross were not temporal: they are ongoing. Only in the Greek text are these nuances of meaning to be found.

Many more examples such as these can be found on the pages of the Greek New Testament. A familiarity with Biblical Greek will enable the exegete to uncover important truths in the Bible and handle the text more accurately and with greater confidence.

At the Midlands Bible College, we have long recognised both the importance of Greek study and the difficulty in finding a suitable course. Accordingly we offer a beginner's 20 credit module by distance learning in Biblical Greek. It is available part time or full time and is accredited by the University of Wales, Lampeter. The module can be studied individually or as part of our wider theological courses. Visit the module page for more information