Greetings.
I discovered this forum while trying to find ways to learn Latin and Greek.
I am a pastor of a small church with an interest in Greek and Roman History. I am hoping to turn it into a ph.D., but I have a lot of prep work to do including learning Latin and getting my Greek back up to speed.
My question at this point is what to do first? Any suggestions?
My question at this point is what to do first? Any suggestions?
Hmmm. I’d consider learning them both at the same time (paying attention to the differences you find). If you learn two similar languages in parallel, it doesn’t take twice as long as learning one.
Latin grammar - Try D’ooge.
Greek grammar - You had best await the judgement of the Graeculi before choosing a grammar for yourself.
I would say in general the secrets to learning ancient languages are:
(a) know the inflections like the face of your own mother.
(b) read widely
(c) when you read make sure you understand why particular forms and constructions are used. Don’t say “Oh it’s a Latin idiom” until you’ve exhausted all other possibilities.
with an interest in Greek and Roman History.
Good man!
Be sure to come and ask us if you see anything interesting, or difficult. I’d say the board could do with a little more traffic - discimus docendo
Welcome here!
You indicate that you have some Greek already, so I would start with review on that before I would start working on Latin. Latin is just as beautiful so if you are a greek lover you will like it. 
klewlis
You indicate that you have some Greek already
I had some Greek in Bible College – 2 years, but it was for the purpose of translating the New Testament. Loved it.
I have already made plans to review my Greek knowledge there, but I think Classical may be a little different. My real interest is Latin because I have and interest in the Roman Republic. But it frustrates my when I read about it because I don’t get the Latin phrases they throw in or even some of the names – I guess some of them are a riot.
I chose the a name Markus Regulus because I liked his legend of keeping his word – even to his enemies which caused his death. Even if that part is just a legend, I liked the story.
Thanx for the advice.
Thanx for the advice.
I have about 5 hours a week to spend, If I schedule it right. I was thinking 2 hours on Latin, 2 on Classical Greek and the 1 hour to review my Koine. I think this way I can start learning both languages and get my NT Greek back on par. Plus I like the idea of learning the languages at the same time to see their development.
I am learning this for future work, but I have plenty of time.
How about pace, Is there such a thing as learning too much at once?
How long has it been since you studied Koine? You might be able to tackle a more intense introduction to Classical without as much strain as it would cause to an absolute beginner.
How about pace, Is there such a thing as learning too much at once?
I would say there is no such thing as learning too much at once. Studying too much at once is a bigger problem. Just make sure to review previous lessons regularly. I’m not sure I need to say this, but if you go back a few lessons and find you have fogotten most of it already, then drop the pace.
The usual result of going to fast for me (and I suspect it’s similar for most poeple) is that new lessons seem increasingly impossible, and I’m forced to slow down naturally.
annis,
How long has it been since you studied Koine?
Roughly about 9 years, but I use that knowledge about every week or so for word studies for sermons and teaching, but it is very rusty on the grammar part. 
I hear you about the review part, It is the same way for everything else I study. Maybe I could add a little to the Classical Greek and Latin.
Thanx.
I think studying with a Classical textbook would refresh a lot of the Koine grammar for you. They’re not radically different, and it might make sense to spend those three hours with one textbook—especially if you’ve kept up with some of the NT vocabulary. A good NT Grammar could explain the differences as you encounter them.
I am learning this for future work, but I have plenty of time.
There is a lot to be said for starting with Homer—even more emphatically for you, since you have plenty of time, and you’re interested in a doctorate.
Professor William Harris has some good things to say about this on his website (see “On Reading Homer” and “Homeric Prolegomena”), along with other helpful materials:
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/SubIndex/classics.gr.html
Clyde Pharr’s “Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners” is probably the best place to start, and it’s available for free downloading here at wonderful Textkit. It includes an essay that he wrote championing Homer as a starting place. Plus, lots of people here use it, and they are very helpful. Of course, Homer would be even further removed from the Koine dialect; but having finished Pharr’s book, you could trace the development into the Attic tragedians and prose writers, and then further into the Koine. It would be the best way to understand the evolution of the language, and probably easier than moving backwards from Koine to Attic to Homer (I assume you’d have to come to him sometime in your doctoral studies–?).
I don’t have much Latin, but I would be interested to hear what others have to say about a Greek/Latin comparative grammar. It makes sense that learning both Latin and Greek at the same time would save time, and I’ll bet that it would be even more effective if you associated the relationship between the languages with a single physical page from a book. Association plays a huge role in all types of learning.
Thanx for the advice. Maybe I will just skip the review Koine until I get there. Maybe 3 hours on Latin becasue I don’t know anything there.
Welcome!!!