book report: Keep Your Greek by C. R. Campbell (2010)

I had all sorts of intentions to re-read my Greek New Testament this year, but it's March and I haven't. I was feeling the guilt when I saw Zondervan was running a blog tour for this book, Keep Your Greek by Constantine R. Campbell, I signed up for a review copy.

When it arrived, I was surprised at how thin it was, less than 100 pages in a medium sized font. When I started reading it, I was surprised that it wasn't entirely written by Campbell, a Greek and New Testament lecturer at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia, but also by commenters on his blog where the essays were originally posted. At first, I thought some of the comments included were extraneous, just page fillers, but themes emerged, including the recommendations of other Zondervan books for the study of Koine Greek, some of which I own already. I am not saying this short book is merely a promotional vehicle for Zondervan's other scholastic products. In fact, I am encouraged to resume reading again in my Greek New Testament. I brought my Greek NT to church the morning I was reading the book and realized I haven't forgotten that much, it helped that our congregation is studying through John's gospel, the most accessible gospel in Greek. Campbell encourages us, first of all, to read, everyday, for 10-20 minutes. I can do that. I remember that regular reading on its own got me into a rhythm of the Bible that helped me through the more demanding reading, like Hebrews. I'm not sure I will pull out my vocabulary cards again, another recommendation, but I am encouraged to resume reading as I think anyone who reads this book will also be.