Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle as they debate the merits of learning Attic Greek versus Koine, review the classic Groton and Finn textbook, and praise Anne Groton’s From Alpha to Omega. Discover the best resources for mastering the Greek language.
Introduction: Crabby, Passable, and Globetrotting
Welcome back to “Vomitorium Central,” listeners! In Episode 184 of the Ad Navseam Podcast, hosts Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle are holding court in the bunker with the arachnids.
The mood is established early: Dr. Noe reveals that the “C” in David C. Noe stands for “Crabby,” while Dr. Winkle admits the “T” in Jeffrey T. Winkle stands for “Passable” (or perhaps “Can’t Spell”). Despite the self-deprecating humor, the hosts are buzzing with travel plans.
Dr. Winkle is preparing to lead 11 impressionable students on a peregrinatio to Greece, visiting sites like Eleusis, Delphi, and the “brackish tang” of Thermopylae. Meanwhile, Dr. Noe is heading to South Africa to lecture on Theodore Beza and the doctrine of justification—and to enjoy the local beef.
But before they jet off, they settle in to tackle a massive question plaguing students of the classical languages: What is the best Greek textbook?.
The Great Debate: Attic vs. Koine
Before reviewing specific books, the hosts address a controversial trend in seminaries and language programs: the shift toward teaching only Koine Greek (New Testament Greek) while ignoring Attic Greek (Classical Greek).
Dr. Noe argues that this pragmatic approach is “backward, wrongheaded, and ultimately destructive”. Here is why the hosts believe students of the Bible must also be students of the classics:
- The Parent Language: Koine is a descendant of Attic. It was the language of Alexander the Great’s empire, simplified from the dialect of Athens. To understand the child, you must understand the parent.
- The “Batter’s Weight”: Dr. Winkle compares learning Attic to a baseball player warming up with a weighted bat. If you master the complexities of Attic, reading the New Testament (which is syntactically simpler) feels effortless by comparison.
- Cultural Context: Theologians like Basil of Caesarea, John Chrysostom, and the Reformers were steeped in the classics. To read the New Testament without understanding the Greco-Roman world is to invite misunderstanding.
- The “Pagan Derivation” Defense: Dr. Noe cites J. Gresham Machen, who used his deep knowledge of classical mythology to prove that the Virgin Birth was not derived from pagan myths. A scholar knowing only Koine could not have made that defense.
Textbook Review #1: Groton and Finn
The first contender in the Battle of the Books is the old-school Groten and Finn (A Selective Course in Introductory Greek).
The Vibe:
Dr. Winkle describes his copy as looking like it was typed by the Unabomber. It is a bare-bones, typewriter-font text that many Gen X classicists (including the hosts) cut their teeth on.
The Verdict:
While it gets the job done, Dr. Noe critiques it for having “too little Greek” in each chapter. It relies heavily on explanation and rote memorization of forms, with insufficient reading practice in the early stages. It takes too long to get students reading extended passages, which can kill enthusiasm.
Textbook Review #2: From Alpha to Omega (Anne Groton)
Next up is the arguably the successor to the previous text: From Alpha to Omega by Anne Groton, published by Hackett.
The Vibe:
This is a polished, modern textbook. It features 50 lessons (designed for a two-semester course) and integrates cultural history, quotes from authors like Pythagoras, and clear logical charts.
The Verdict:
The hosts have high praise for this text.
- Inductive Readings: Lesson 1 includes an 8-line reading adapted from Aesop, allowing students to hear the rhythm of the language immediately, even before they know the grammar.
- Cultural richness: Groton fleshes out the cultural details that the “Unabomber” text left out.
- Rigorous but Clear: It covers complex topics like direct and indirect questions with clarity, though Dr. Winkle notes that waiting until Chapter 47 to introduce mi-verbs is a “kick in the gut” for students.
Overall: A reliable, affordable, and well-structured option for the deductive (grammar-first) learner.
Sponsors
This episode is supported by friends of the Latin language and classical living:
- Hackett Publishing: The publisher of From Alpha to Omega and the gold standard for affordable classical texts.
- The Deal: Visit hackettpublishing.com and use code AN2025 for 20% off and free shipping.
- Ratio Coffee: For those who need to wake up for the gallicinium (the hour the rooster crows).
- The Deal: Visit ratiocoffee.com and use code ANRATIO2025 for $20 off.
- Della Chelpka Art: Beautiful oil paintings for your home gallery.
- The Deal: Use code APELLES (named after antiquity’s greatest painter) for 10% off at dellachelpka.art.
Gustatory Parting Shot
Dr. Winkle digs deep into the patristic tradition for a quote that is technically about food, though perhaps not appetizing. This comes from John Chrysostom (the “Golden-Mouthed”), Homily 48 on the Gospel of Matthew.
“For this reason, perhaps, [food turns] into excrement, that we may not be lovers of luxury.”
A sobering thought for your next feast.
Valete! (And join us next time for Part II, featuring Athenaze and Mastronarde!)
Resources for the Language Learner
- Latin Per Diem: Whether you want to learn Latin or Greek, Dr. Noe offers courses that take you ab initio to advanced reading.
- The Moss Method: A Greek curriculum housed on the site.
- Visit: latinperdiem.com
