Because "command" of the languages takes a certain intellectual bent and a LOT of work. That simply is not feasible for the average pastor.Originally posted by Charles Meadows:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Disagree - I think a pastor should at elast have a minimal command of the biblical languages. Why would someone not want that?
Basic familiarity of the languages is good and SHOULD be a part of the M Div degree. But "command" is simply not feasible. </font>[/QUOTE]Step back in time and ask that of the average pastor with a college degree. It was not unusual for a person who graduated from a secular college to have a handle on Greek and possibly some other languages. One of the leaders of the JW church in Germany came to Christ by studying the Greek NT with the skills he learned as a student when he was required to take Greek as a requirement for graduation from a secular university in Germany.