Voice and Mood (Essentials of Biblical Greek Grammar)

A Linguistic Approach

David L. Mathewson, Stanley Porter Part of Essentials of Biblical Greek Grammar Series Release Date: 10/26/21

Overview

A recognized expert in Greek grammar examines two features of the Greek verb: voice and mood. Drawing on his years of teaching experience at a leading seminary, David Mathewson examines these two important topics in Greek grammar in light of modern linguistics and offers fresh insights. The book is illustrated with examples from the Greek New Testament, making it an ideal textbook for the intermediate Greek classroom. This is the first volume in a new series on Greek grammar edited by Stanley E. Porter.

Endorsements

"It's difficult to write a grammar that both is accessible for students in the classroom and makes a genuine advancement in the linguistic study of biblical Greek. David Mathewson nevertheless has written a superb textbook on Greek voice and mood that accomplishes these tasks. Voice and Mood brings the reader up to speed on the latest developments in the active, middle, and passive voices and offers a working model for voice as a function of agency and causality. It also frames verbal mood as the assertion, projection, or directive that the author makes for the reader regarding a clause's portrayal of reality. The result is a welcome debut volume in a new series on the essentials of biblical Greek grammar. It offers a simpler taxonomy of semantic categories for voice and mood, replete with examples, and explains why traditional classifications like deponency should be jettisoned. Students and biblical interpreters alike will appreciate the numerous exegetical insights that can be gleaned from a study of voice and mood. Bravo! I'll be using this textbook for my own Greek language and exegesis courses."

Max J. Lee, professor of New Testament, North Park Theological Seminary

"Until a little over a century ago, the value of a book was directly related to how old (how tried and true) its wisdom was. Now, unless people stress how new a book's contents are, prospective buyers will ask, Why bother? In the field of the role of verbs in the Greek grammar of the New Testament, there is definitely an old and a new wisdom. Mathewson judiciously blends the best of each and produces a remarkably user-friendly synthesis of the two. An excellent inaugural volume for this new series, which may just establish itself as tried and true as well!"

Craig L. Blomberg, distinguished professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

"This is an excellent treatment of Greek voice and mood that strikes a useful balance. On the one hand, it is more informative than Greek grammars regarding these relatively neglected topics. On the other hand, it is more accessible and broadly conceived than typical academic monographs. Interested students will benefit greatly from Mathewson's linguistic approach to these two important topics for the study of Greek."

Constantine R. Campbell, author of Advances in the Study of Greek: New Insights for Reading the New Testament