Why Actively Use the Biblical Languages? (Part 2: Arguments and Responses)

An argument: Why change our learning methods if we have learned this way all along, and everyone is doing it like this in seminaries and universities? I do not want to change, and I desire to teach others in the way that I was trained.

A response: I understand that it is easy to continue doing what we were taught. If we discard old methods, we must by necessity add new ones — and learning a new method is tough and time-consuming. Desiring to stay with what is comfortable is completely understandable. However, this is generally said by those who have great grit and passion for the languages — teachers, perhaps, or others with an unusual ability to learn languages. On the other hand, I know many who, on account of the difficulty, quit and never returned to the languages. The difficulty of the method for some is so extreme that they stress out every semester and give up in the end. I do not only desire to see exceptionally gifted Christians excel, but also Christians who do not think they have any special language gifting. Any method that can help the weak language learner enjoy the language more is the method I would desire to use in teaching. My appeal is that we help all people learn the languages — not just the academics and the exceptionally gifted. A good language-learning method could go a long way in helping everyone who desires to study the Scriptures.

An argument: Listening to and speaking the language does not help you focus on grammar and the beautiful order of the God-inspired language. We want to know grammar because we are supposed to exegete the Scripture and draw forth the meaning from authorial intent.

A response: I once taught Latin at a Classical Christian school. A founder well known in the world of classical Christian education argued that speaking Latin was the epitome of progressive educational values and the abandonment of the virtues inherent in classical education. She argued that the "natural method" — learning languages like a child, by the four-fold path of speaking, listening, writing, and reading — is a failure:

The natural method was introduced in the 1960s, about the same time as all of the other modern educational experiments, like "new math," "discovery learning," etc. None of them worked then, and they don't work now. I know. I was taught by the old methods and began teaching under all of the new methods. And I survived to tell the story. — Cheryl Lowe, "The Wrong Way to Teach Latin," memoriapress.com

Because of her pervasive influence in classical Christian education, it saddens me that she was truly misinformed when writing this article. This "natural method" is actually older than the grammar-translation method. Remember from Part 1 that Luther, Calvin, and others would have learned Latin through the "natural method" — they lived hundreds of years before the 1960s, when these so-called "new methods" arose. I do agree with her that grammar is important in any language, whether Latin, English, or Greek and Hebrew. But it seems that the opposite of what she said is true: when you are comfortable enough to read the language with ease and without translation, you can invest more energy into understanding grammar. Many English speakers can explain Greek grammar yet still cannot read the Greek New Testament with ease. Most former Latin students I have met cannot read Cicero, Virgil, Augustine, or Calvin in Latin — but can tell me what a genitive absolute or a deponent verb is. Even after years of study, they have no ability to actually read the language. When one learns according to the "natural method," they begin to comprehend actual texts and understand real stories — and that opens the door to devoting more energy to the harder grammatical points of the language.

Conclusion

A while back, I corresponded with a beloved and deeply knowledgeable biblical language professor at a prominent seminary concerning some of these matters. He relayed that he has encountered arrogant educators who use this "natural method." That grieved my heart and disappointed me. But the existence of uncharitable people who rant about how their method is "far superior" does not make the method itself useless. Our goal as Christians is to know the Scriptures rightly, for in so doing we will know God. God has revealed the glory of his beloved Son, Jesus, through the Greek and Hebrew Scriptures. This method caters strongly to the needs of those who fear they can never learn the biblical languages. It is a help, and it is deeply encouraging. For these reasons, I believe implementing some form of the "natural method" would be greatly beneficial for all believers desiring to learn Greek and Hebrew — and a highly productive use of study time.