I am just wondering how many hs families are learning the Biblical languages, Greek and Hebrew? What curricula do you use? Is there much interest in this out there? Do you see any value in it? Thanks, Roger
My 12-yo son is learning Greek. We got it from www.greeknstuff.com He wants to start Hebrew, but I want him to get a little more solid with the Greek before he starts that. He's doing this because he wants to be a pastor.
No, we don't, and I don't think we plan on it. BUT I've a non-Jewish friend who is learning Hebrew with her oldest son through a local Messianic congregation.
Deena, I'm very pleased to hear that your son wants to be a pastor and that he is pursuing Greek and Hebrew so young. I think that is wonderful and I hope he never gets discouraged with it! I infer from the lack of very many responses that few families are pursuing Greek and Hebrew for the purpose of Bible study / research. I have noticed at the conventions and book fairs that there seems to be very little in this area. On the other hand, there does seem to be a growing interest in classical education with an emphasis on Latin and classical (not Biblical) Greek. Has anyone else noticed this? What do you think about it? Sincerely, Roger
Roger.... BTW Welcome! Do you think we should be teaching them Koine Greek? The common language of the people.. We will be studying Greek in our middle school years...but I still have not settled on a program yet...If nothing else at least an introduction to it... We do study Latin, but as an aid to our modern every changing language of English:roll: ,kwim? But you are correct there is not as much curriculum on the Biblical languages of Hebrew, Greek and the little bit of Aramaic as there is Latin...
I see Latin "pushed" a lot. I think for the reason that it's more of a base of our language. Roger, I hope my son never tires of it also! He really likes it, and is going quickly. I'm slowing him down some, to make sure he's "getting it" and not just skimming over it. I do know that many of the language systems have Greek and Hebrew now. I can go get "Learn Hebrew in 10 Minutes a Day" type things now, so it's getting easier. Tina, Have you checked out greeknstuff.com? My son enjoys their stuff, but it is more workbook style. Seems to work well for him though, so we're continuing on with it.
A lot of Classical homeschoolers are teaching it. I taught Latin to my boys, mainly for the roots of our language. I took Hebrew from a Messianic Jewish Rabbi, it was hard and the only thing I really remember are the sung prayers and fun things. My husband knows Greek and can read the Greek Bible (and flunked Hebrew in Seminary) but never taught it to our sons. I do not know what I will do with my grandson. http://www.donpotter.net/greek.htm This link has several Greek programs. http://www.donpotter.net/Hebrew/Hebrew.htm This link has two Hebrew programs.
Tina and All, IMHO, any language study is immensely valuable for many reasons. It teaches you about your own language. You begin to think more precisely. It increases your ability to communicate clearly. It exposes you to other cultures (historical or modern). And I could list many other benefits. If one is going to study Greek, then in my opinion, Koine Greek is more valuable for a Christian than Classical Greek simply because it is the language of the New Testament. I would much rather that my children be able to read Paul in the original than for them to be able to read Plato. As far as curricula go, I took a look at the greeknstuff link that Deena provided. I thought it was extremely well done. It's at least as good or better than anything else I've seen on the market. BTW, I have three classes left to complete my M.A. in Biblical languages, so that's the reason for my interest in this. I have nothing at all against Latin and took four semesters of it myself. I guess I just see so much more potential benefit from studying the languages of the Bible. BTW, in case you haven't heard it, here's my favorite ditty about Latin... Latin is a dead language, As dead as it can be. First it killed the Romans, And now it's killing me. Sincerely, Roger
That's the absolute truth!!! I spoke and wrote excellent English, but didn't really understand either. You learn that there are three tenses...past, present, and future. Then suddenly I'm in an advanced high school French class, and they're talking about "conditional" and "imperfect". Heck, I didn't even know such things existed! If I don't know them in English, how the heck was I suppose to figure them out in French? As for the ditty, I learned that LONG ago! Am glad to see it's still around! I doubt my children will learn either language to read the Bible in the original language. To me, it's more important for them to understand Latin and Greek roots to get a better understanding of English.
Roger, It's good to get an opinion from someone getting an MA in Biblical Languages! My older two did three levels of Latin through them, and now the one ds is doing the Greek. As I said above, it works for him, and he's learning a lot, so I'm sticking with it! If he really does take theology in college, then having a background in Greek and Hebrew can only help him! Do you have any recommendations for Hebrew?
I took New Testament Greek in high school and absolutely loved it. I will definitely be teaching it to my kids!
Okay, here's one of those things I love! I was looking in a catalogue for my local Christian store/homeschool connection place and found some really easy looking Greek and Hebrew class work for my ages of kids! 8-12 yr olds! I am going to look at them at the store if they have them in, and see if they look as easy in person ( so to speak). I had not thought to teach them this, as I will be teaching myself more than a word at a time in order to do this. I approached the subject with my dd and she said it could be fun! She especially liked the idea that it would be something on her plate that not everyone had and could prove useful that way. So next year, not this one as we will have a full plate already, but I will be ordering it for the following year. AFter that we plan for her to go out to High School so we shall see! Thanks for asking this question and getting me looking! Teacher Mom
TMom, Did you check out www.greeknstuff.com ? It's for kids also. It has Latin and Greek but no Hebrew. What was it in Hebrew that you found? I'd be interested in looking at it too!
Deena, I looked in my catalogue and that is what it is! the greeknstuff, stuff! I also found that they have latin, but not hebrew, I saw hebrew someplace have to look through my catalogues again... I have to confess if it says FREE CATALOGUE and is homeschool stuff I always click yes, or check yes! I find it inspires me on those days when I am wondering why I do this? Or when I am so stressed out and worn out from trying to keep a clean house, home teach and the number of other things that include dishwasing and laundry and Church related, sports realated things just to name a couple hahaha. TEacher Mom ( I keep typing TMOM because T is my nick name, ehe)
Ok I checked the site out too! WOW! That really looks inviting! I will have to talk to hubby and have find me the starting level stuff... it really looks do able! I thought of this partly because of this thread, but also my dd started playing with fonts and made a couple sentences using greek letters, or something, ( Its Greek to me!?) :lol:
Yeah, the Greek 'n Stuff materials are made by a homeschool mom. We got the tapes but don't listen to them a whole lot. But they do help with pronunciation. Like I said, my ds is enjoying it, and they liked the Latin part also while we did that. TMom (is it okay if I call you that? It's shorter than typing the whole thing!) So, what do you do in your spare time ( asied from the few things you listed)?!! :lol: I think all us homeschool moms are the same---we let the kids run wild and sit on the couch eating bonbons, right?! Heehee....
Deena, With Hebrew, you have to make a preliminary choice up front before you think about a curriculum. There are two ways to approach Hebrew. The traditional way (the way it is done in Bible colleges and seminaries) is strictly focused on Biblical Hebrew. It very closely parallels the way New Testament Greek is taught. The alternate way is to begin with modern Hebrew and then add Biblical Hebrew later. I have studied both ways and I strongly recomend the alternate approach. But here are the pros and cons as I see them. The traditional route has the advantage of getting immediately into the Biblical text. It is single minded in its goal of understanding and exegeting the Bible. The downside is that it is difficult, complicated and confusing. There is NO emphasis on the spoken language; it is treated exclusively as a written (dead) language. Consequently, the VAST majority of people (usually pastors) who study Biblical Hebrew this way never truly learn it and never use it after seminary. The alternate route has the advantage of approaching Hebrew as a living language. Students learn to speak it. It is more interesting and is a much easier way to learn. When one then begins to study Biblical Hebrew, it is a much easier transition. One simply learns the differences. The only downside is the curricula choices become a little more complicated. All languages change with time. (For example, the King James Version of the Bible is obviously not the way we speak and write English today.) Biblical and Modern Greek are barely the same language. That is because Greek has always been a spoken language and has gone through 2000 years of change since the New Testament was written. In contrast, Hebrew was NOT a living language during that time. And as it turns out, Biblical and modern Hebrew are much more closely related than are Biblical and modern Greek. That is why it makes sense to approach Hebrew the way I am recommending. Now for curricula choices. We are just beginning to use Rosetta Stone with our kids. http://www2.rosettastone.com/en/ We haven't been using it long enough for me to give you a complete evaluation, but so far I like it. It is a very good introduction to modern Hebrew. The advantage is it is multimedia, computer-based, interactive and fun. The disadvantages are it is a little pricey and there is no transition to Biblical Hebrew. Another one you might consider is "Easy Hebrew." http://www.easyhebrew.com/ "Easy Hebrew" is a correspondence course developed by a native Israeli who is also a Messianic Jewess. It is a true correspondence course meaning you will actually send in tests, have them graded and have them returned with comments. It teaches modern Hebrew and DOES provide a transition to Biblical Hebrew. It is a very good program. The disadvantages are it is not as colorful and engaging as Rosetta Stone (but this will NOT be a problem for anyone who has been successful with greeknstuff), and the transition to Biblical Hebrew is no substitute for a serious study of Biblical Hebrew grammar. This second "disadvantage" is not really a disadvantage either since by the time your son will have go through this program, he will be in an excellent position for such a serious study. I highly recommend Easy Hebrew. The reason we are using Rosetta Stone right now is we are teaching very young children (ages 6-10). Easy Hebrew is suitable for kids from approximately 8th grade up. Sincerely, Roger
Roger, Thankyou so much! I wasn't sure where to begin when we do get to the point of him doing Hebrew. If we start next year, he'll be in 8th grade. Not sure about him studying two different languages such as that at the same time at that age??? Maybe it's BETTER to do it that way though! He'll be 13 years old by then, so still young enough to pick it up more quickly??? I really want to allow him to do this while his interest is high. I'm afraid that if I don't allow it for too long that the interest may die out! I looked at the site quickly, and it looks promising, though not cheap. I put it in my favorites, and I will go back again and look at it more thoroughly. Thanks for the suggestions!
Hi Deena, IMHO, if he is doing well with the Greek, enjoying it, and is not stressed with it, then there is no problem adding Hebrew at the same time. There are no deadlines. He can take his time with it and learn at whatever pace is comfortable. Since he wants to be a pastor, I would go on to say that studying Greek and Hebrew should be looked at as an enjoyable, exciting, lifetime adventure. He will never "finish" Greek so that he can then start Hebrew. There is always another layer underneath the one you just mastered. There is much to discover and it never gets old. A pastor, who is serious about feeding the Word to His sheep, should never "finish studying" - and that definitely includes the languages. I think it is a tradgedy when a minister gets tired of the languages or forgets them because of disuse or sees no value in them. I guess I'm a little opinionated. I started Greek in high school with A.C.E.'s (Accelerated Christian Education) Greek course. While other boys were outside playing basketball or whatever, my best friend and I sat in his parents' dining room translating the New Testament. It never occured to us that we weren't having fun. Sincerely, Roger
Roger, My ds came and read your message. I thought it'd be good for him to see anyway. He agreed and said he hopes to spend the time learning the languages like that! I hope it lasts! I'm thinking I probably should look into something for Hebrew since he's so interested. Thankyou for the info.! I agree with what you said, that a pastor who is serious about "feeding his sheep" should never stop studying and learning! It has bothered me, too, that many pastors have talked about how horrible it was to learn the Greek and Hebrew in classes they were required to take. Then they say how glad they were when they were done with the classes and they could put that behind them! That's one reason I as excited to find this Greek, because I want my son to be able to learn while he's young and interested, and have a positive background before he gets to that stage. Then hopefully it will be interesting enough to him to pursue it and learn from the classes, instead of hating it the whole time! I want him to be able to read and understand the original Greek and Hebrew, and he wants that too. I want him to enjoy the knowledge and blessings gained from his studies!
