Syntax & Translation in 4 Maccabees 9:7

I was looking at 4 Maccabees 9:7: πείραζε τοιγαροῦν, τύραννε, καὶ τὰς ἡμῶν ψυχὰς εἰ θανατώσεις διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, μὴ νομίσῃς ἡμᾶς βλάπτειν βασανίζων. NRSV: Therefore, tyrant, put us to the test; and if you take our lives because of our religion, do not suppose that you can injure us by torturing us. The NRSV’s [...]

Any Comments on the New Look?

What do you think of the new theme I’m using?

Do Contemporary Grammars Know What to do with Personal Pronouns?

Two observations: 1) The three most recent intermediate grammars make no reference to the clitic/non-clitic difference between ἐμοῦ and μου. In fact, of the three, only Porter even mentions the word “enclitic” at all—and never with reference to these pronominal forms[1] 2) Wallace’s grammar has a consistent preference to synchronic description (or at least categorization). [...]

Greek & English Pronouns and Linguistic Typology

This post does not seek to provide any sort of new or exciting insight into Hellenistic Greek. The main goal is to help situation the language among other languages in terms what’s the same and what’s different. D. N. S. Bhat (2004, 1-15) proposes that the primary typological division among languages divides them into two [...]

Musing on Prepositions

Greek Grammars draw a distinction between “proper” and “improper” prepositions–and some grammars refuse to deal with those so-called “improper” ones. Pedagogically, is this really helpful? Or does it simply make something relatively simple more complex than necessary. Beyond age, is there really any difference between them?

Wallace on the Greek Article

I generally appreciate Daniel Wallace’s Grammar. Granted, I think he uses way too many categories that have very little to do with actual Greek grammar and everything to do with “literal” translation, but all in all, he provides quite a bit of information in an accessible manner. His section on the Greek article is fantastic. [...]

On Explaining Everything

All grammars leak.* Anyone who attempts to create a grammar that doesn’t is on a fools errand. *Edward Sapir, Language (New York: Harcourt Brace, 1921), 39.

Teaching Greek with Basic Linguistic Tools

Using a couple of basic methods borrowed from linguistics, I helped a friend whose just working through first year Greek understand how the verbal system works: Binary Features (from Phonology) Position Class Charts (from Generative Morphology) So simple; so basic, but today I received an e-mail from him saying, “[Y]ou’re a life saver, this stuff [...]

Books for Sale

I have a very nice set of the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (4 Volume Set) that I’m looking to sell. The used price for them on Amazon is $65.85+$3.99 for shipping. Books priced this high though, get a significant chunk of cost taken by Amazon’s cut. I’m willing to sell them for [...]