Greek Textbook Takes Whole Language Approach

By: Nicole J. Johnson
Submitted: August 10, 2009

Professor Raju Kunjummen, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Biblical Languages and Old Testament at MTS, has completed his much-anticipated textbook: New Testament Greek: A Whole Language Approach, which will be released September 1 (Emet Books, ISBN: 9780981786506, $62.00).

This text, which has been used—in unpublished form— in New Testament Greek courses at MTS for the past five years, systematically acquaints students with Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament (NT). “There is no comparable work out there that brings you as close to an immersion experience in the study of Koine, principally to read and interpret the text. Its lessons integrate the typical content of beginning and intermediate courses, and leave you plenty of opportunity, with additional reading, drills, etc., and the details presented, to go beyond it,” said Professor Kunjummen.

Dr. Brian Tucker, Assistant Professor of New Testament at MTS, agrees. “I have successfully used earlier forms of this work in class for the past few years and seen beginning students eventually develop into confident exegetes of the Greek New Testament thanks to Professor Kunjummen’s linguistically informed and exegetically thoughtful whole language approach,” said Dr. Tucker.

Professor Kunjummen, who has taught students Greek from the beginning course through the practice of exegesis for more than 10 years, says that this whole language approach allows students to “…learn the forms of words, the structure of sentences, and their meanings, all as related parts.” Students begin by learning the Greek alphabet and sounds; and then transition into reading and translating New Testament passages, while learning the grammatical and syntactical features which undergird the language. Another unique feature of New Testament Greek: A Whole Language Approach is that it allows students to interact with passages from every book in the New Testament.

Professor Kunjummen has done Ph.D. studies in Semitic languages at the University of California at Los Angeles, with emphasis on language and grammar. He also has presented several papers on Hebrew grammar and Biblical studies at the national meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) for the past several years. This summer, Professor Kunjummen traveled to Rome, Italy for the International SBL conference to present a paper titled: “De-Psychologizing the Ethical Dative (Reflexive Lamed) of Biblical Hebrew.” He will be presenting another paper titled “From Literary Structure to Theology: How the Dialoguing Parables of Luke 16 Link Salvation and Social Ethics” at the annual meeting of the ETS in New Orleans, Louisiana later this year.

This textbook is designed for: New Testament Greek students at Bible colleges and seminaries; those who want to review or strengthen their Greek skills; graduate students who are preparing for Greek exams; as well as laymen who want to learn the language. “My hope is that those seriously interested in reading the NT in the original will find that this book provides them a more direct way than many a frustrated Greek student has found in the past,” said Professor Kunjummen.
 
You can purchase a copy of this text for $62.00. A special one-time discount of $39.95 also is being offered through the MTS Bookstore to anyone who has enrolled in a Greek class at MTS in the past. This discount is available to former Greek students only, through September 30, 2009. Prices do not include tax or shipping charges.

When asked why a former Greek student would want to purchase this text since they already have it in a three-ring binder, Professor Kunjummen quipped: “Well, they don't quite have it…This has a nice picture of me on the back cover; acknowledgements about students in the preface; as well as a very attractive front cover. Also, the text is nicely bound with a Smyth-sewn hardcover, about as sturdy as it gets. If all of this is not persuasive, the book was not as complete a couple of years ago. You would definitely want it for the appendices and index. The new page headings are a nice touch as well. Quite a steal at this price, if you see what books like this sell for! I think I owe it to them for what they paid for the class notes.”

For more information or to purchase New Testament Greek: A Whole Language Approach, please submit this order form or call the seminary at (734) 207-9581.