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just HOW Important is Knowing Greek/hebrew To A Pastor?
- Thread starter Yeshua1
- Start date
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
Can he be? Sure! God can use anyone at anytime in anyway.
But can they be a better expositor/teacher of God's Word with at least a knowledge of greek and hebrew? Absolutely!
But can they be a better expositor/teacher of God's Word with at least a knowledge of greek and hebrew? Absolutely!
I agree. Too many pastors have shown that God is able to use them effectively without a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. There are many tools and commentaries that such a pastor could reference as well. But I think that a working knowledge of the languages would certainly be a great benefit.
This is from a layman's perspective:
For the most part, I entirely agree with the above comments.
PERSONAL STORY: From c. 1969 to c. 1972, I was a member of Faith Baptist Church of Sellersville [Bucks County], PA. The pastor at that time was Pastor David C. Auckland.
Pastor Auckland was a died-in-the-wool expository preacher [EX: He usually preached a series of three different expository messages per week--one on Sunday Morning, another one on Sunday Evening, and another one on Wednesday Evening.].
It's safe to say that I [as a new "babe in Christ"] probably learned more about what God's Word is all about during the time I spent under his ministry than in any other three-year period of my 47+ years in God's family up until, say, c. 2009.
Pastor Auckland was the type of pastor who knew Greek very well, but never preached as a "Greek 'Scholar'" to those of us who were sitting in the pews. IOW, when he felt that telling us something from the Greek might clarify a passage for us, he'd say, "Now, this is what this word/passage in the Greek says:......"
In fact, it was rumored that, while he preached to us in English, he also had his Greek NT opened up alongside his English Bible!!
[Whether or not that rumor was true or not I cannot confirm. However, I do know that, sometime after I left Faith Baptist Sellersville to move to TN in August, 1972, Pastor Auckland went on to serve as an adjunct professor of Greek at a Bible college. {Pastor David Auckland went home to the Lord sometime in the 1990's. At present, Faith BC is pastored by his son, Paul Auckland.}.]
For the most part, I entirely agree with the above comments.
PERSONAL STORY: From c. 1969 to c. 1972, I was a member of Faith Baptist Church of Sellersville [Bucks County], PA. The pastor at that time was Pastor David C. Auckland.
Pastor Auckland was a died-in-the-wool expository preacher [EX: He usually preached a series of three different expository messages per week--one on Sunday Morning, another one on Sunday Evening, and another one on Wednesday Evening.].
It's safe to say that I [as a new "babe in Christ"] probably learned more about what God's Word is all about during the time I spent under his ministry than in any other three-year period of my 47+ years in God's family up until, say, c. 2009.
Pastor Auckland was the type of pastor who knew Greek very well, but never preached as a "Greek 'Scholar'" to those of us who were sitting in the pews. IOW, when he felt that telling us something from the Greek might clarify a passage for us, he'd say, "Now, this is what this word/passage in the Greek says:......"
In fact, it was rumored that, while he preached to us in English, he also had his Greek NT opened up alongside his English Bible!!
[Whether or not that rumor was true or not I cannot confirm. However, I do know that, sometime after I left Faith Baptist Sellersville to move to TN in August, 1972, Pastor Auckland went on to serve as an adjunct professor of Greek at a Bible college. {Pastor David Auckland went home to the Lord sometime in the 1990's. At present, Faith BC is pastored by his son, Paul Auckland.}.]
North Carolina Tentmaker
New Member
Here is a better question.
Why would any pastor not want at least a working knowledge of language tools?
It's really not that difficult to get a basic understanding. Many courses are available and study guides can be purchased without great expense.
Why would any pastor not want at least a working knowledge of language tools?
It's really not that difficult to get a basic understanding. Many courses are available and study guides can be purchased without great expense.
When you translate God's Word (actual WORDS) with all their fullness, meaning, nuances, grammar into a receptor language, there is always a "loss".
So Sunday I am preaching on Matt 28. Why would I not carefully examine every Word that God breathed to be sure I can to my best to communicate His Word to people in 2013 English?
4-5 years of Greek 2 of Hebrew and 2 of Latin would be minimal recommendation for ANYONE who want to faithfully translate and proclaim God's Word today.
(Example: How many sermons have you heard on the imperative of the great commission? "Go". Have fun with that. It is NOT an imperative; it's not even a verb!! It is an aorist participle that services as an adjective.
The only "verb" in the whole commission is "disciple". "Having gone, therefore, [make] DISCIPLE all ethnicities . . "
So Sunday I am preaching on Matt 28. Why would I not carefully examine every Word that God breathed to be sure I can to my best to communicate His Word to people in 2013 English?
4-5 years of Greek 2 of Hebrew and 2 of Latin would be minimal recommendation for ANYONE who want to faithfully translate and proclaim God's Word today.
(Example: How many sermons have you heard on the imperative of the great commission? "Go". Have fun with that. It is NOT an imperative; it's not even a verb!! It is an aorist participle that services as an adjective.
The only "verb" in the whole commission is "disciple". "Having gone, therefore, [make] DISCIPLE all ethnicities . . "
Strongs is "generic". Not a real lexicon of in-depth meaning of words, roots, etc. Add Vines/Wuest, AT Robertson - word studies at least.
I stand on the shoulders of giants - great commentaries. When preaching on Philippians (my next series - starts Oct 13) I have 15 different commentaries + those that are part of "sets" where I have all the volumes (like Calvin, MacArthur, Lenski)
What I do first is take the text - what God said - and translate it carefully. Then "expand" it into 2013 English. See the grammatical outline of the context and verses. Write down all I am thinking as related to the words, text.
Only then do I open a commentary. I am amazed at the depth (and diversity) of opinion and insight on each verse in these commentaries. Whole 'nuther slant on looking at it in some. Practical application or illustrations in others. Then compile on the Greek skeleton and base line - sort of putting flesh on the bones.
It takes me 20 hours for every 50 minute sermon (people want me to preach an hour but the service is already 2.5 hours long and it is simply too much for them to handle more). Takes about 10 hours for a 50 minute "lesson" (like a Bible study on Wednesday or SS lesson which we do in the afternoon after a bag lunch for those staying). There is my 40-hour week in my study.
Been doing it since 1970 and don't know any other way. The great fear I have is to MISS something God wanted my dear people to know and I got on a hobby-horse and twisted a passage to promo MY thoughts.
I stand on the shoulders of giants - great commentaries. When preaching on Philippians (my next series - starts Oct 13) I have 15 different commentaries + those that are part of "sets" where I have all the volumes (like Calvin, MacArthur, Lenski)
What I do first is take the text - what God said - and translate it carefully. Then "expand" it into 2013 English. See the grammatical outline of the context and verses. Write down all I am thinking as related to the words, text.
Only then do I open a commentary. I am amazed at the depth (and diversity) of opinion and insight on each verse in these commentaries. Whole 'nuther slant on looking at it in some. Practical application or illustrations in others. Then compile on the Greek skeleton and base line - sort of putting flesh on the bones.
It takes me 20 hours for every 50 minute sermon (people want me to preach an hour but the service is already 2.5 hours long and it is simply too much for them to handle more). Takes about 10 hours for a 50 minute "lesson" (like a Bible study on Wednesday or SS lesson which we do in the afternoon after a bag lunch for those staying). There is my 40-hour week in my study.
Been doing it since 1970 and don't know any other way. The great fear I have is to MISS something God wanted my dear people to know and I got on a hobby-horse and twisted a passage to promo MY thoughts.
How important is knowing anatomy for a medical doctor?
I would tend to see this as though called as either translators, textual 'experts", Seminary teachers, theologians should have a high amount of original language training and skill, butthink that the "common" pastor would do well to know the basic grammar for the greek/hebrew, and know how to access and use Lexicons, word dictionaries, commentaries etc!