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Greek Lessons
- Why with Sinners? The Syntax of Scandalized Questions in Matthew 9:11
- Stingers and Power: Similitude, Purpose, and Present Force in Revelation 9:10
- Of Shadows and Conscience: Relative Time and Mental Completion in Hebrews 9:9
- The Overflowing Syntax of Grace: Distributive Emphasis and Participial Purpose in 2 Corinthians 9:8
- Who Fights Without Pay? Rhetorical Interrogatives and Negated Expectation in 1 Corinthians 9:7
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Category
Category Archives: Textual Criticism
The Ark at Ararat: Resting on the 27th Day
Καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐν μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνός ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ Αραρατ (Genesis 8:4 LXX)
Landing in Language: The Aorist of ἐκάθισεν
The verse begins with ἐκάθισεν — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular of καθίζω, meaning “to sit,” “to rest,” or “to settle.” – The aorist tense here emphasizes a completed historical event — the ark definitively came to rest. – It marks a crucial turning point: no more wandering upon the waters.
This verb sets the tone for the passage — one of finality, divine control, and geographical rootedness.
A Precise Moment: 27th Day of the 7th Month– ἐν μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ = “in the seventh month” 17th – ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι = literally “seventh and twenty,” that is, the twenty-seventh day
Clarification of the Numerical Error: Earlier interpretations misread this as the seventeenth day due to a confusion with the Masoretic Hebrew text (which says בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר = seventeenth).… Learn Koine Greek
An Introduction to the Palaeography of Greek New Testament Manuscripts
1. Introduction
Palaeography, the study of ancient handwriting, is a critical discipline for understanding the transmission and preservation of Greek New Testament manuscripts. Far from being a purely technical endeavor, palaeography functions as a vital tool in reconstructing the textual, historical, and theological contours of early Christianity. It enables scholars to analyze and interpret the handwriting, script evolution, page layout, and orthographic tendencies of individual scribes and manuscript-producing communities.
In the case of the Greek New Testament, palaeographical analysis intersects with a unique corpus of sacred literature that spans over a millennium of manuscript tradition—from the earliest fragmentary papyri of the 2nd century AD to elaborate parchment codices of the Byzantine period.… Learn Koine Greek
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Seventy-Five Souls: Syntax and History in Acts 7:14
The Verse in Focus (Acts 7:14)
ἀποστείλας δὲ Ἰωσὴφ μετεκαλέσατο τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ Ἰακὼβ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν αὐτοῦ ἐν ψυχαῖς ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε
The Aorist Participle: ἀποστείλαςThe participle ἀποστείλας comes from the verb ἀποστέλλω, meaning “to send.” It is an aorist active participle, nominative masculine singular, agreeing with Ἰωσὴφ — “Joseph.” In Greek, the aorist participle often conveys an action prior to the main verb. Thus, “having sent” introduces the cause or means for what follows.
Joseph, having sent a message or delegation, performs the next action: he summons.
Main Verb: μετεκαλέσατομετεκαλέσατο is the aorist middle indicative of μετακαλέομαι, meaning “to summon” or “to call for.”… Learn Koine Greek
Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece 28th Edition
This is the 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28), a standard edition of the Greek New Testament used by New Testament scholars and Bible translators.
What’s New In Nestle-Aland 28th Edition Critical apparatus revised and easier to use . Papyrii 117-127 included for the first time . In-depth revision of the Catholic Epistles, with more than 30 changes to the upper text. Scripture references systematically reviewed for accuracy.The Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament that comes with this edition was prepared by Barclay M. Newman.
Textual Revisions and MethodologyThe Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, commonly referred to as NA28, introduces 34 textual changes within the Catholic Epistles.… Learn Koine Greek
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Punctuation in Greek Manuscripts: From Antiquity to the Byzantine Tradition
Greek punctuation evolved from a sparse, continuous script into a sophisticated system that shaped how Scripture and theology were read, understood, and preserved. Early Christian manuscripts like 𝔓⁴⁵ and 𝔓⁷⁵ offered minimal guidance, relying on readers’ fluency, but by the Byzantine era, scribes had standardized marks like the hypostigme (comma), ano teleia (period or semicolon), and paragraphos to clarify meaning and support liturgical reading. Marginal symbols such as the diple and obelos flagged quotations and disputed texts, while poetic divisions (stichoi) aided chanting and textual measurement. Though Modern Greek punctuation has shifted toward Western norms, ancient marks endure in polytonic editions, reminding scholars that punctuation—like breathings and accents—is not just grammatical but theological, shaping interpretation and preserving the sacred cadence of the Greek biblical tradition.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in History, New Testament MSS, Textual Criticism
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The Role of Greek in Early Christian Worship, Theology, and Manuscript Tradition
Greek was the lifeblood of early Christianity, serving as the linguistic thread that wove together worship, theology, and Scripture across diverse cultures. As the lingua franca of the eastern Mediterranean, Koine Greek enabled the spread of Christian teachings without translation barriers, while its poetic and philosophical depth gave rise to rich theological expressions like λόγος and χάρις. The New Testament itself was penned in Greek, bridging Jewish tradition with the Greco-Roman world, and early manuscripts—preserved in papyrus and codex form—laid the groundwork for textual transmission and modern biblical scholarship. From liturgical hymns to apologetic treatises, Greek empowered the Church to speak with clarity, unity, and intellectual rigor—a legacy that still resonates in theology and worship today.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in History, Textual Criticism, Theology
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New Testament Greek: Importance for Biblical Studies, Exegesis, and Theology
New Testament Greek isn’t just a linguistic puzzle—it’s the scaffolding of theological clarity. Every case ending, aspectual nuance, and syntactic shift carries interpretive weight, shaping how doctrines are understood and applied. The grammar doesn’t merely support exegesis; it actively guides it, revealing emphasis, causation, and theological intent embedded in the structure itself. Lexical richness and semantic precision protect against oversimplification, while historical debates—from Christology to soteriology—often hinge on the force of a single article or participle. In this way, grammar becomes a theological safeguard, anchoring interpretation in the inspired text and ensuring that theology flows from exegesis, not the other way around.… Learn Koine Greek
Posted in Exegesis, Textual Criticism, Theology
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Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis
Codex Bezae Cantabrigensis is a 5th century A.D. codex of the New Testament that is written in an uncial hand on vellum. It is designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 5 (von Soden). The codex contains, in both Greek and Latin, most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of the third epistle of John.
The codex that was written one column per page contains 406 extant parchment leaves (from perhaps an original 534) measuring 26 x 21.5 cm, with the Greek text on the left face and the Latin text on the right.… Learn Koine Greek
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus B 03 (Vaticanus Graecus 1209) is the oldest extant manuscript of the Greek Bible. The Codex has been stored in the Vatican Library since the 15th century, hence the name Codex Vaticanus. It is written on 759 leaves of vellum in uncial letters, and has been dated palaeographically to circa 325–350 A.D. Most lines of Vaticanus contain only 15-18 letters of text.
Codex Vaticanus originally contained a virtually complete copy of the Septuagint, lacking only 1-4 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh. The original 20 leaves with the Genesis 1:1–46:28a (31 leaves), and Psalm 105:27–137:6b, have been lost and were transcribed by a later hand in the 15th century.… Learn Koine Greek
