New Testament Greek B

• • Special verbs
  • Third declension nouns
  • Participles
  • The Passive and Voices
  • The Perfect
  • The Subjunctive
  • Using Verbs
  • Translating increasingly complex text from the New Testament
  • Being exposed to a variety of palaeographic hands to aid development and recognition

Equivalent subjects

You cannot enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:

• ACU-THEL506-New Testament Greek B

You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:

ACU-THEL505-New Testament Greek A ;

Special requirements

No special requirements

This unit is designed to further develop the knowledge and skills acquired in THEL505 New Testament Greek A, and to continue to open up the world of biblical texts and theological scholarship which is essential to the study of ancient history and theology. Greek is also the language of the Septuagint and a vast array of literatures of people and cultures surrounding the Mediterranean in the post Hellenistic age. Learning ancient Greek therefore enables students to read foundational texts, access the works of central figures in the historic tradition in the original language, and engage in detailed research and interpretive study in theology and biblical studies.

This unit involves a study of Greek through reading and translating texts from the Greek New Testament. Students are further exposed to increasingly more complicated features of Hellenistic Greek. This builds to the main focus of the unit, which is developing understanding of these topics through translation and interpretive activities.

Each week of semester there will be an opportunity to apply Greek knowledge, even after the first hour of study, to translating and investigating a genuine historical object from the ancient world which will demonstrate the value of learning (and continuing to learn) Greek. The purpose of this approach is to illuminate the way in which the Greek that is being learnt has real-world application to interpretive issues or resolving ambiguities in the New Testament text. It is often the case that English translations of the Greek Bible either obscure the clarity of the Greek text or make explicit elements of translation that are only implicit in the original. The historical objects will include, but are not limited to a) ancient coins, b) epigraphic inscriptions, c) papyri, d) ostraca, e) wax tablets, and even f) ancient maps. Exposure to these artefacts provides experience with real historical data which serves to reinforce the learning of the Biblical language. It will also enthuse the student amid the more difficult weeks of learning paradigms and vocabulary by encouraging application of learning to genuine historical material.

In order to pass this unit, students are required to attempt all assessment tasks and achieve an overall grade of Pass (50% or higher).The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome. The unit’s main focus is on building students’ understanding of grammar and syntax, and their capacities in translation. It thus prepares students for more advanced topics in exegetical tasks and critical analysis. The first assessment task aims to embed and test knowledge of developing grammar and syntax. Quizzes are staged to enable students to chart progress and embed knowledge required for the translation-focused assessments. The second assessment is a Greek Translation Forum which focuses on the application of developing knowledge to specific technical ability in translation at a level appropriate for developing students (including the application of principles of grammar and syntax). It also builds expertise required for the final examination. The third assessment task is a Greek Composition Forum which places stronger weight on translation ability and seeks to develop confidence through the consistent opportunity to compose a short passage in ancient Greek using the vocabulary and grammatical concepts covered in that week. It simultaneously enables students to apply their knowledge of features of basic Greek grammar and syntax, as well as have an opportunity to translate other students’ compositions. The fourth assessment task is a final examination and consists of a range of translational and grammatical questions based on topics in THEL101 and THEL208 including sentences, grammatical concepts, cases, gender, prepositions, adjectives, tenses, moods, verbs, pronouns, conjunctions, irregular verbs, third declension nouns, participles, passive and voices, perfect, and the subjunctive. As the final piece of summative assessment in the unit, it is the most complex, enabling students to reflect on their work across both units and demonstrate skills at the appropriate level in translation, linguistic analysis, critical thinking, and communication. Classes include similar informal tasks (both for individual students and small groups), preparing students for assessment tasks related to translation and grammar and syntax knowledge. The assessment strategy is concerned to provide appropriate scaffolding to enable students to build on their previous knowledge and apply it to new situations. Assessment tasks are therefore closely related to classroom activities, and are clearly related to learning outcomes and associated graduate attributes.

• Quizzes on Greek morphology, grammar, and syntax (20%%)
• Translation Forum (Greek to English) (20%%)
• Composition Forum (English to Greek) (20%%)
• Final examination (40%%)