Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct

By Zondervan

Fifty-two short devotions based on passages from the Greek New Testament--written by some of the top Greek scholars of today.

The main point each devotion offers comes from a careful reading and study of the passage in the Greek New Testament, not from the English Bible. The authors use a variety of exegetical approaches in their devotions: grammatical, lexical, rhetorical, sociohistorical, linguistic, etc. Some insights focus on particular words and their role in the passage, while others highlight background studies or provide a theological reading of the passage.

Each devotion draws students into translating a short passage and pursuing an understanding of why this or that insight matters for their lives and ministries. Devotions on the Greek New Testament encourages professors, students, and pastors alike to continue to use their Greek Bibles beyond their seminary years.

Celebrated contributors include:

• Scot McKnight
• Daniel B. Wallace
• Craig L. Blomberg
• Mark Strauss
• William D. Mounce

Devotions on the Greek New Testament can be used as a weekly personal devotional or as a supplemental resource throughout a semester or sequence of courses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: May 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9780310535843

Book preview

Introduction

One of the common questions students wonder about when they are doing Greek exegesis in class is whether they will be able to keep it up as they enter a busy ministry. Moreover, they ask themselves, Does it really make a difference in the understanding and application of the Bible? What can you gain from reading a passage in Greek that you cannot gain from an English translation?

The need to know why you are studying Greek, particularly in relation to the ultimate purpose of strengthening your walk with the Lord, never fades into the background. With that purpose in mind, we have edited and contributed to Devotions on the Greek New Testament to help students (and professors) keep their study of Greek a deeply Spiritual experience.

The book includes fifty-two short devotions drawn from select passages throughout the Greek New Testament. A diverse group of authors, all experts in the area of New Testament Greek exegesis, offer a varied collection of devotions. Some insights focus on particular words and their role in the passage, while others highlight background studies or provide a theological reading of the passage. Some contributions diagram the passage, others trace important literary patterns such as chiasms, and still others draw attention to the connections between the Old and New Testaments. Each devotion draws students into translating a short passage and understanding why this or that insight matters greatly for our life and ministry.

We hope that Devotions will help motivate you to endure in your Greek studies. Alongside first-class grammars, vocabulary guides, and handbooks on exegesis, this short collection of devotions will go a long way toward keeping you in the game. One of the most formidable tasks teachers face in a Facebook and Twitter world is keeping student interest and motivation high. In this book, you will find a friend and ally in this important task.

The often-quoted dictum printed in the preface to Johannes Albrecht Bengel’s 1734 edition of the Greek New Testament remains as true today as it was then: Apply yourself totally to the text; apply the text totally to yourself. We offer this small contribution to this larger kingdom purpose of knowing and loving our Lord Jesus Christ.

J. Scott Duvall and Verlyn D. Verbrugge,

editors and contributors

Scott Duvall actually proposed this book on Greek devotions about seven years ago. At that time Zondervan was building its library of basic Greek resources for first and second year Greek, and Zondervan is proud of the authors who have written so many resources that have become the standard in colleges and seminaries. But at that time, we did not focus on students keeping their Greek as they left their schools to become pastors and teachers.

That time has come. When I asked Scott if he might now be able to undertake this project, he was in the middle of several significant writing projects. So I suggested that perhaps as editor at Zondervan, I could partner with him on helping with the busy work of contacting scholars to submit contributions. I could not ask for a better working relationship with an author/scholar to put together this set of devotions, and we are thankful to God that this book has now been published.

Verlyn D. Verbrugge

I was pleasantly surprised when Verlyn suggested that Zondervan was interested in revisiting the book on Greek devotions. Working with Verlyn has been an honor and a privilege. His linguistic expertise is top-tier and he uses his gifts as a scholar/pastor to draw people closer to Christ. He has done more than his fair share of work on the project, including contacting potential authors, giving careful editorial attention to the contributions, and coordinating much of the work. In short, the book would not have been published apart from Verlyn’s significant involvement. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to coedit this small volume with Verlyn Verbrugge, a servant of Christ whom I greatly respect.

J. Scott Duvall

Learning from Joseph’s Righteousness

MATTHEW 1:19

Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν δειγματίσαι, ἐβουλήθη λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν.

What does biblical righteousness look like in practice? When confronted with what appeared to be a clear case of unfaithfulness on the part of his betrothed, Joseph decides to divorce her quietly. Matthew 1:19 indicates two key factors (besides the presumption of Mary’s guilt) that help us understand his plan for dealing with the issue. These two factors are indicated in two participles that appear between the opening reference to Joseph as Mary’s husband and the final clause, which contains the main verb and tells us his decision.

The relevant participles could be translated being righteous [δίκαιος ὢν] and not wanting [μὴ θέλων] to make an example of her. But these participles can be understood in more than one way, and the English translation just given does not offer the same variety of interpretations as the Greek. Most interpreters take both participles to be causal — Joseph acted as he did because he was righteous and did not want to make a public example of Mary by denouncing her as an immoral woman. Some, however, argue that since both Roman law and Jewish tradition were clear that righteousness required the public denouncement of unfaithfulness, lest the innocent party be guilty of condoning or covering up sin in the community, the first participle should be taken as concessive (i.e., despite being righteous and because he was unwilling to make an example of her, he decided . . .).

One’s perception of the logical relationship between the nature of righteousness and Joseph’s plan depends to a great extent on one’s understanding of the nature of righteousness. While it is true that Roman and Jewish legal traditions required the exposure of sexual unfaithfulness, the text clearly presents Joseph both as righteous and unwilling to subject Mary to public denouncement. The present participle indicates not that he had been righteous but thought of acting unrighteously in this instance, but rather that he was righteous even as he decided on his plan of action. The only question is whether his decision was unexpected in the light of his righteousness (if the participle is taken to be concessive) or was a direct result of his righteousness (if it is taken to be causal). I suggest that while the parallel participles would tend to suggest that both should be taken as causal, the question is one that will be clarified as readers make their way through the rest of the gospel.

The gospel of Matthew seeks to transform our understanding of the true nature of righteousness in light of its redefinition by Jesus and by Matthew’s telling of his story. In this gospel it becomes clear that for Jesus (and Matthew), mercy and compassion are not at odds with righteousness, but are crucial marks of righteousness, just as they are in the Old Testament. Jesus demands not the same righteousness as the scribes and Pharisees but a greater righteousness (5:20), one that will lead his disciples to show mercy to the least of his brothers (25:34 – 40). Jesus emphasized the theme of Hosea 6:6: God prefers mercy over sacrifice (Matt. 9:13; 12:7), and he demonstrated what that preference looks like by befriending tax collectors and sinners. His sacrifice on the cross is about extending mercy to us sinners rather than leaving us to our own destruction.

By the time we finish Matthew’s gospel, it is clear that even if Joseph’s plan seemed unexpected according to traditional perceptions of righteousness, it was what one would expect in the light of the transformed understanding of righteousness taught and modeled by Jesus himself. It was that kind of righteousness that led Joseph to think and act as he did.

Roy E. Ciampa

Extending Jesus

MATTHEW 4:23; 9:35; 10:1, 7

Καὶ περιῆγεν ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ, διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ.

Καὶ περιῆγεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὰς πόλεις πάσας καὶ τὰς κώμας, διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν.

Καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς δώδεκα μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν πνευμάτων ἀκαθάρτων ὥστε ἐκβάλλειν αὐτὰ καὶ θεραπεύειν πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν. . . . πορευόμενοι δὲ κηρύσσετε λέγοντες ὅτι Ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Matthew did not divide up his gospel into verses or chapters, nor did any of his contemporaries divide up their writings. Sometimes ancient authors indicated sections by using repetition. Our texts repeat three different verbs (διδάσκω, κηρύσσω, and θεραπεύω) and several distinctive nouns that together reveal how we should read Matthew 4:23 – 11:1. We must pay attention to these verbs and nouns.

In 4:23 notice how Matthew describes the mission of Jesus with three present participles designed to make vivid before our eyes what Jesus is doing:

διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ

κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ

θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ

Notice, then, how 9:35 closes with an almost exact repetition of that description of his mission:

διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν καὶ

κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ

θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν.

Finally, notice the astounding move made next in 10:1, 7: the twelve missioners of Jesus are sent out to do the very same things minus one: teaching.

θεραπεύειν πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν

πορευόμενοι δὲ κηρύσσετε λέγοντες

Observation of these Greek texts leads us to several important strategies for reading Matthew 4:23 – 11:1. First, Jesus’ mission in 4:23 is threefold: he teaches in synagogues, he preaches the good news of the kingdom, and he heals people.

Second, since 9:35 again describes Jesus’ threefold mission, we can argue that chapters 5 – 7 describe Jesus’ mission of teaching (imparting information) and preaching (announcing good news) and chapters 8 – 9 his mission of healing (Jesus heals ten times in those two chapters). Even if we were to argue that the healing chapters are also about preaching, the point remains the same: Jesus’ mission is threefold.

Third, Matthew’s language and repetition of verbs and nouns in 10:1, 7 reveal that Matthew wants his readers to see that what Jesus did in chapters 5 – 9 is what he wants his followers to do (9:36 – 11:1 comprising the mission discourse). They are to heal people of every disease and sickness, as did Jesus, and they are to preach the good

Reviews for Devotions on the Greek New Testament

[deusvitae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A devotional work designed to feature one devotional a week for a year regarding specific details within the New Testament in Greek which provides encouragement and benefit to readers.The book features a variety of authors who are experts in understanding the Greek New Testament. Verses are provided in Greek and the authors generally point out particularities in the Greek text which are difficult if not impossible to render coherently in an English translation. In this way the reader gets the benefit of understanding nuances in the Greek text not present in English.The book requires at least an elementary understanding of Greek syntax and grammar. Most of the points made have value, but as is usual in such a field, one may at times have reason to question whether the syntax or grammar is really attempting to convey what it is being suggested or whether it is a case of wanting the grammar or syntax to be more specific than it really is. Nevertheless, a profitable devotional for consideration.*--galley received as part of early review program