So I’m about two-thirds through my second and more careful reading of the Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek and I finally feel like things are making sense. I’m currently working through chapter 41 on indirect statements, making sure I can translate (most of) the text samples, understand new concepts presented, etc. The Koine of the NT now seems pretty straightforward, and I’ve been building additional vocabulary by reading select parts of the LXX.
So maybe it’s time I started thinking about tackling some “real” Greek, eh?
I bought A Loeb Classical Library Reader (https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674996168) and have been browsing through it trying to decide what Classical Greek author(s) I should try reading, and I’m leaning towards either Xenophon’s Anabasis or Thucydides’s History. From the samples in this book, the Greek of both of these authors seems fairly accessible to me, though I still have a lot of vocabulary to build for reading these works.
What do the experienced people on this forum suggest that I try reading, the Anabasis or the History? Or some other Classical author/work? And what’s the reasoning behind your recommendation?
Thucydides’ Greek is considerably more challenging than Xenophon’s, more intellectually demanding and stylistically less uniform. If you can read Thucydides you can read anything. So you should probably read the Anabasis first.
Sounds good. Is there a reasonably-priced print edition of the Anabasis of the Greek original? I prefer reading print books over using a computer screen to save my eyes.
I thought maybe I might buy a Loeb edition of Anabasis with its Greek and facing English translation but I’m having trouble finding one. I also found a thread here from some years back recommending OCTs over Loebs, but I can’t seem to find an OCT of Anabasis either.
I’d recommend Mather & Hewitt’s “Xenophon’s Anabasis: Books I-IV”. The notes will help you understand the Greek in a way that a translation won’t. I’d suggest buying a used hardbound edition because it lies flat more easily. It should be easy to find a used copy.
@markcmueller - Thanks but I’d prefer a version that doesn’t includes helps like vocabulary and historical and grammatical notes. I’d rather wrestle with the text using my copies of CGCG and CGL to see how much I can understand on my own.
