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Basics of New Testament Syntax, The
The Basics of New Testament Syntax provides concise, up-to-date guidance for intermediate Greek students to do accurate exegesis of biblical texts. Abridged from Greek Grammar Beyond the An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, the popular exegetical Greek grammar for studies in Greek by Daniel B. Wallace, The Basics of New Testament Syntax offers a practical grammar for second-year students.The strengths of this abridgment will become quickly apparent to the � It shows the relevance of syntax for exegesis and is thoroughly cross-referenced to Exegetical Syntax.� It includes an exceptional number of categories useful for intermediate Greek studies.� It is easy to use. Each semantic category is discussed, and a definition and key to identification are provided.� Scores of charts and tables are included to enable the intermediate student to grasp the material quickly.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2000
44 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Daniel B. Wallace
22books63followersWallace was earned his B.A.(1975) from Biola University, and his Th.M. (1979) and Ph.D. (1995) in New Testament studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. He also pursued postdoctoral studies in a variety of places, including in Cambridge at Tyndale House, Christ's College, Clare College, and Westminster College, and in Germany at the Institute for New Testament Textual Research, University of Tübingen, and the Bavarian State Library. Wallace, along with DTS colleague Darrell L. Bock, has been an outspoken critic of the alleged "popular culture" quest to discredit conservative evangelical views of Jesus—including the writings of Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrman.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
November 10, 2022
It’s a Greek grammar. Αναγινώσκε ουδέποτε βιβλιον τουτον πλήρες.
December 3, 2020
I like Wallace, but this book wasn't as helpful as Mounce's (the previous book in the series). I was MUCH more helped by the DVD lectures that are paired with the textbook (although, he gets on tangents a lot on those, haha).
Don't get me wrong, as a reference guide, it's super helpful, but not so much as a textbook. I think the organization and presentation need some serious overhaul for it to be a better textbook. For example, for being a textbook, he needs to devote a whole chapter right at the beginning to English Grammar, there were grammatical concepts my poor Government education didn't prepare me for, and neither did Mounce's book, that he just assumes you know.
Also, there needs to be more continuity between the chapters, if more than one grammatical category has the same syntactical rule, then maybe have a chapter covering common syntactical rules. As I made my way through it, rules would start to sound vaguely familiar, and then I realized it's because three other categories could function syntactically that way.
Don't get me wrong, as a reference guide, it's super helpful, but not so much as a textbook. I think the organization and presentation need some serious overhaul for it to be a better textbook. For example, for being a textbook, he needs to devote a whole chapter right at the beginning to English Grammar, there were grammatical concepts my poor Government education didn't prepare me for, and neither did Mounce's book, that he just assumes you know.
Also, there needs to be more continuity between the chapters, if more than one grammatical category has the same syntactical rule, then maybe have a chapter covering common syntactical rules. As I made my way through it, rules would start to sound vaguely familiar, and then I realized it's because three other categories could function syntactically that way.
July 8, 2020
I thought this was pretty helpful in learning about syntax, but it seems like it relies a lot on you reading it in conjunction with another book or two. I did appreciate it as a textbook, since going through the entirety of "Beyond the Basics" in an 11 week semester would've been rough, but there are definitely spots where more explanation would be very helpful for the intermediate student. Like listing off a few Greek words and ending with etc. without explaining what those terms have in common left me wondering, "What is this category? What do the words have in common? What was supposed to be in the et cetera?" Stuff like that pops up in a few places. So if you have a good teacher to guide you through things, this can be a good resource. I think the longer book is probably better for independent study.
May 18, 2022
The book can be very helpful for cultivating crucial exegetical categories, but getting to them—on account of the formatting of the text and Wallace’s insistence on always speaking in the most technical terms about linguistic concepts that are already nebulous and abstract on their own—can be slow going. However, his Scripture examples, illustrations, and diagrams are very helpful to elaborate. All in all, a helpful resource for any (determined) student of Koine.
I would like to compare this condensed version with its larger, original counterpart at some point in the future. I would assume its formatting would be less cluttered.
I would like to compare this condensed version with its larger, original counterpart at some point in the future. I would assume its formatting would be less cluttered.
April 6, 2024
What can I say? It’s a grammar, so not super enthralling let’s be honest. But as a resource to go to during sermon prep, I could see this being very helpful. Especially liked the constant “key to identification� sections to let you know English phrases to insert in your mind to test if something is an objective genitive or not, or an ingressive imperative or not, etc. The fact that I just used those phrases without looking them up is in itself a vote of confidence for this book to strengthen your Greek grammar skills!
October 21, 2018
Really helpful abridgement
November 27, 2019
Excellent intermediate grammar.
March 11, 2020
Detailed enough to be thorough, but shorter and slimmer than Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, so it can be easily toted around and used as a handbook.
March 16, 2021
3 stars for doing its job, but it was kind of a slog to get through.
May 3, 2023
Was this a fun read? No. But it was a Very helpful reference for Greek Exegesis class after Greek 1 & 2. Would recommend reading the Mounce textbook and videos first.
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April 26, 2025THRILLING. couldn’t put it down
� actually, it was helpful. but I have no clue how to rate/review a syntax book
� actually, it was helpful. but I have no clue how to rate/review a syntax book
June 24, 2013
I have no real standard for rating this book, so it may be a four-star book. I imagine the full version of the book, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, is more useful. Generally, the writing is clear. However, the book would benefit immensely from a glossary of grammatical terms as well as a subject index. It would be much more helpful if additional examples from the New Testament were used... but then it wouldn't be an abridged text, would it?
May 12, 2016
Extremely difficult class, but very rewarding. Great book, although I had to refer to the longer version for clarification and extra examples. Glad to be done with it, but glad to have persevered through this material. I will use what I have learned for the rest of my life as I study the Greek New Testament.
February 25, 2009
It was tough going at times, but learned a ton about NT Greek after I was done. You think you know it, but then pick up a book like this one, and you find you know nothing. Lot's of good exegetical discussions as well.
December 11, 2012
What can one say about a book of Greek grammar? Was it the best read? Probably not. Was it extremely helpful in assisting one in learning the nuances of the Koine Greek language as found in the New Testament? Absolutely. This is a must have book for anyone studying Koine New Testament Greek.
December 18, 2012
My attempt to review Greek this summer (ugh!)
October 11, 2012
In this very humble student's opinion, if you're looking for a way to better understand the proper syntax of New Testament Greek in a clear and simple way, then this book is an amazing tool.
April 9, 2014
A shorter version of his bigger work on this topic. This is a good second level text on biblical Greek grammar.
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March 21, 2025Helpful. Good for reference.
September 16, 2022
Formally/professionally written. Technical, but understandable, not to mention it was simply fascinating as it brought the ancient language of the New Testament to life.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
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