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Greek Lessons
- The Gift of Tongues as Known Languages: Witness of the Early Church Fathers
- From Jerusalem with Scrutiny: Fronting and Focus in Mark 7:1
- Speaking in Tongues in the Bible
- Grace Beyond Demand: Participles and Imperatives in a Kingdom Ethic
- Reverent Burial and Narrative Simplicity: A Koine and Classical Greek Comparison of Mark 6:29
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Category
Author Archives: Biblical Greek
The Gift of Tongues as Known Languages: Witness of the Early Church Fathers
The testimony of the early Church Fathers confirms that the original understanding of “speaking in tongues” was the miraculous ability to speak real, intelligible human languages previously unknown to the speaker. Fathers such as Irenaeus, Origen, Chrysostom, and Augustine clearly describe the gift as Spirit-empowered speech meant for evangelism and as a sign to unbelievers, not as ecstatic or incoherent utterance. While figures like Tertullian and Justin Martyr are less explicit or remain ambiguous, the broader patristic consensus aligns with the apostolic depiction found in Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14. Tongues, in this view, were practical and missional—expressions of divine communication meant to spread the gospel across linguistic boundaries.… Learn Koine Greek
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Speaking in Tongues in the Bible
The biblical expression “speaking in tongues” refers to the miraculous use of real, known human languages rather than ecstatic or unintelligible speech. A close study of key Greek terms in passages like Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 14 shows that the speech involved recognizable dialects understood by listeners, with Paul emphasizing clarity and interpretability in church gatherings. Even when described as “new tongues,” the term indicates languages unfamiliar to the speaker but still meaningful. Throughout the New Testament, the Greek word γλῶσσα consistently denotes either the physical tongue or an actual language, never incoherent utterance, underscoring that the phenomenon served to communicate God’s message intelligibly and constructively.… Learn Koine Greek
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The Morning They Found It Razed: Perfect Participles and Sacred Surprises
καὶ ὤρθρισαν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρωί καὶ ἰδοὺ κατεσκαμμένον τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Βααλ καὶ τὸ ἄλσος τὸ ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ ἐκκεκομμένον καὶ ὁ μόσχος ὁ σιτευτὸς ἀνηνεγμένος εἰς ὁλοκαύτωμα ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τὸ ᾠκοδομημένον (Judges 6:28 LXX)
Setting the Scene with a Historical Present
The verse opens with καὶ ὤρθρισαν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως τὸ πρωί — “And the men of the city rose early in the morning.” The aorist verb ὤρθρισαν (from ὀρθρίζω) sets the temporal and narrative pace. But the drama unfolds not in the main verb — but in a cascade of perfect participles that follow.
What they found is expressed not in straightforward narrative verbs, but in an overwhelming grammar of completion: participles in the perfect tense, each one loaded with theological and rhetorical force.… Learn Koine Greek
1700 Years Later: What the Nicene Creed Got Wrong? A Look Through Arian and Eunomian Eyes
Exactly seventeen centuries have passed since the First Council of Nicaea convened on May 20, A.D. 325 — a gathering that, by June 19, promulgated the Nicene Creed, a defining statement of Christian orthodoxy that proclaimed the Son of God to be “true God from true God” and homoousios (of one essence) with the Father. But what if we examine that landmark creed through the eyes of its earliest and most formidable critics? In the wake of Nicaea, two theologians in particular – Arius of Alexandria and, a generation later, Eunomius of Cyzicus – stood in staunch opposition to the Nicene formula.… Learn Koine Greek
John 1:1 Grammatical and Christological Exegesis: A Balanced Study from Arian and Nicene Perspectives
Greek Text of John 1:1
ΕΝ ΑΡΧΗ ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟC ΚΑΙ Ο ΛΟΓΟC ΗΝ ΠΡΟC ΤΟΝ ΘΝ ΚΑΙ ΘC ΗΝ Ο ΛΟΓΟC
Literal TranslationIN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND THE WORD WAS WITH THE GOD AND GOD WAS THE WORD
1. Morphological and Grammatical Analysis Ἐν ἀρχῇ (en archē) – “In [the] beginning”. The preposition ἐν governs the dative noun ἀρχῇ. Echoes Genesis 1:1 in the Septuagint. Indicates that the Logos existed before creation. ἦν (ēn) – Imperfect active indicative of εἰμί (“to be”), 3rd person singular. Continuous existence in the past. Contrasts with ἐγένετο used of created things in John 1:3.… Learn Koine Greek
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Justice and the Lord: Grammatical Petition and Retributive Theology in 2 Timothy 4:14
The Coppersmith’s Harm: Literary and Theological Context of 2 Timothy 4:14
2 Timothy 4:14 — Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ χαλκεὺς πολλά μοι κακὰ ἐνεδείξατο· ἀποδῴη αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· (“Alexander the coppersmith showed me many evils; may the Lord repay him according to his works.”)
This verse appears in the closing section of 2 Timothy, a letter filled with Paul’s final reflections, warnings, and exhortations. Here, he names Alexander the coppersmith as one who actively opposed him, doing “much evil.” The verse has two clauses: a narrative report of harm and an optative wish for divine justice. The grammar shifts from indicative to optative, indicating a move from recollection to petition for divine retribution.… Learn Koine Greek
Until I Come: Grammatical Imperatives and Ministerial Priorities in 1 Timothy 4:13
Devotion to the Word: Literary and Theological Context of 1 Timothy 4:13
1 Timothy 4:13 — ἕως ἔρχομαι πρόσεχε τῇ ἀναγνώσει, τῇ παρακλήσει, τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ. (“Until I come, give attention to the public reading, to exhortation, to teaching.”)
In this pastoral instruction to Timothy, Paul sets forth the core duties of a young church leader in the interim before his own return. This brief verse contains a temporal clause and three coordinated datives governed by a present imperative verb, forming a triad of ministerial priorities centered on Scripture. The syntax is simple, yet packed with ecclesial and theological significance, offering a clear apostolic vision for public ministry.… Learn Koine Greek
Withdrawal and Mission: Temporal Syntax and Theological Momentum in Matthew 4:12
Turning Point in Galilee: Literary and Theological Context of Matthew 4:12
Matthew 4:12 — Ἀκούσας δὲ ὅτι Ἰωάννης παρεδόθη ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν. (“Now when he heard that John had been handed over, he withdrew into Galilee.”)
This verse marks a pivotal transition in Matthew’s Gospel. Following the baptism and temptation of Jesus, the narrative now shifts into the beginning of his public ministry. The arrest of John the Baptist becomes a chronological and theological signal, prompting Jesus’ movement toward Galilee. The grammar of the verse—especially the aorist participle ἀκούσας and the main verb ἀνεχώρησεν—constructs a temporal and causal link that drives the narrative forward.… Learn Koine Greek
Learning Contentment: The Grammar of Sufficiency in Philippians 4:11
The Verse in Focus (Philippians 4:11)
οὐχ ὅτι καθ’ ὑστέρησιν λέγω· ἐγὼ γὰρ ἔμαθον ἐν οἷς εἰμι αὐτάρκης εἶναι
οὐχ ὅτι… λέγω: Clarifying MotivePaul opens this sentence with a familiar construction:
– οὐχ ὅτι — literally “not that…” This is an idiom used to deny a misunderstanding of what was just said. – καθ’ ὑστέρησιν — “according to need” or “from a place of lack.” The preposition κατά with the accusative implies cause or standard. – λέγω — “I say” (present active indicative of λέγω).
Together: “Not that I am speaking from need.” Paul wants to make it clear that his appreciation (for the Philippians’ support) isn’t rooted in desperation.… Learn Koine Greek
Speaking Against and Judging the Law (James 4:11)
Introduction: Slander as Judgment of the Law
James issues a stark ethical and theological warning against slander among believers:
Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί… “Do not speak against one another, brothers…”
He then explains that slandering a brother is functionally equivalent to judging the law itself, a bold theological statement that reverses the moral posture of the speaker: from obedient doer to presumptuous judge.
Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί, ὁ καταλαλῶν ἀδελφοῦ καὶ κρίνων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καταλαλεῖ νόμου καὶ κρίνει νόμον· εἰ δὲ νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου, ἀλλὰ κριτής. Morphological Breakdown Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε {mē katalaleíte} – Form: present active imperative, 2nd person plural; Verb: καταλαλέω = “to speak against, slander”; Usage: prohibitive imperative with μή: “Stop slandering one another” ὁ καταλαλῶν… καὶ κρίνων {ho katalalṓn… kai krínōn} – Form: nominative masculine singular present active participles; Translation: “the one who speaks against… and judges…” Function: subject of the main verbs that follow Notes: Both participles describe a single person engaging in both actions: verbal harm and moral judgment.… Learn Koine Greek