Biblical Languages: Reference Grammars and Introductions (19 vols.)

Combined with his Johannine Vocabulary, E. A. Abbott’s Johannine Grammar is the most thorough assessment of the language of the Johannine literature ever written. The book covers the Gospel of John, the First, Second, and Third Epistles of John and Revelation in so much detail that it could be considered a technical commentary as well as a grammar. Grammarians and commentators have often observed that the Johannine writings contain more difficulties than the rest of the Greek New Testament, and Abbot’s Johannine Grammar provides valuable assistance.

Abbot’s Johannine Vocabulary discusses in great detail the ways in which words used in the Johannine writings differ from the uses in the rest of the New Testament. This volume includes a special chapter on synonyms, such as John’s use of key theological terms like “faith” and “authority.” Unlike Abbot’s companion volume, Johannine Grammar, his Vocabulary is very accessible for English-only studies.

While Frederick Field’s Notes contain many grammatical observations, they are structured more like a commentary than a grammar. The book is organized by Bible verse notes attached to individual words and phrases. Field’s Notes are packed with references to textual criticism, early translation—especially Syriac and Latin—and interact with the writings of the early church fathers and classical Greek and Latin authors. In an age of increasing specialization among academics, the very breadth of Field’s Notes guarantees it a useful place in the exegete’s toolkit.

Westcott and Hort’s Introduction is one of the most important, ground-breaking books in New Testament Studies. It spells out the techniques of modern text criticism (the science of examining manuscript evidence to try to determine the original text) and influenced every modern edition of the Greek New Testament published since. The first section of the book outlines the principles of text criticism, and the second section, Notes on Selected Readings, applies these principles to hundreds of passages in the New Testament—in essence making a critical apparatus or textual commentary on important passages. In the Logos Bible Software edition, the application section will show in the Exegetical Guide with other critical apparatuses.

Thackery’s Grammar is the most significant reference grammar ever published of the Septuagint in the English language. In this volume, he investigates the variety of linguistic and literary styles in the Septuagint, examines the extent of Semitic influence on the written and spoken Greek, as well as the dating of the translation and the evidence and extent of classical Greek in the Septuagint.

Conybeare and Stock’s Grammar is divided into two sections. The first presents a short grammar, focusing particularly on the features that distinguish the Greek of the Septuagint from both Classical Greek or New Testament Greek. The second section is a selection of readings complete with grammatical and lexical notes to help the reader gain fluency in reading the Septuagint through guided practice.

H.B. Swete, editor of the shorter Cambridge Septuagint, has provided in this Introduction a vast amount of information about the Greek translation of the Old Testament (also known as the LXX). Chapters cover the different versions and their manuscripts in detail, survey the contents and organization of the books and discuss their relationship to the Hebrew Bible, and demonstrate the importance of the LXX in later writings, such as the New Testament, the Church Fathers and other Christian writings. There are also extended discussions about the language of the Septuagint.

Smyth’s Grammar is the most thorough one-volume reference grammar of Classical Greek available in the English language. In it, he sets forth the essential forms of Attic Greek and the other dialects which appear in classical literature, and devotes extensive attention to the formation of words and particles. He also outlines the principles of Greek syntax and the basics of Greek morphology.

In Greek, like many languages, the verb is where a lot of the nuance—the linguistic heavy lifting—is done. Verbal theory is where the hottest debates in Greek studies are. Goodwin was one of the main actors in the debate about the nature of the Greek verb, and his Syntax is a vital part of the discussion. Indeed, Wallace’s Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics dedicates an entire section to the lively dialogue between Goodwin and Gildersleeve.

Homer’s famous Iliad and Odyssey represent some of the oldest Greek literature known to us. Thus, anyone who wants to get a feel for how Greek developed over time starts with Homer. Since Homer’s Greek is several hundred years earlier than the golden age of Attic Greek, a special grammar is required to describe its features. Monro’s Homeric Grammar has long been the standard reference work in the field. Like Shakespeare is to English readers, Homer was never far from the Greek consciousness, and a study of Homer can—in addition to being enjoyable for its own sake—be useful for understanding Greek literature from later periods as well.

Verbal theory is where the big debates about how languages function occur, and Hebrew is no exception. Driver’s Treatise is a seminal work on how the Hebrew verb functions.

Roughly a third of the Hebrew Bible is poetry, and yet many Hebrew grammars focus entirely on Hebrew prose. Gray’s Forms of Hebrew Poetry details the types of parallelism found in Hebrew poetry, along with chapters on rhythm and meter, providing a useful guide for exegesis and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible.

The accents, or cantillation marks, in the Hebrew Bible are used in synagogues today to help cantors chants the Hebrew Bible. However, it has been proposed that these marks give valuable clues as to the structure of the Hebrew sentences. Certain accents join words closely together, while other accents cue the reader that two words are not to be joined tightly in a phrase. Wickes’ Treatises outline a grammar of Hebrew accents, teaching the student of the Hebrew Bible how to use the accents to gain a better understanding of the syntax of the sentence.

This thorough reference grammar by Gildersleeve includes treatments of phonology, morphology, syntax, and prosody, and includes a section on meter and poetry.

Allen and Greenough’s Grammar is considered one of the best reference grammars of Latin. This Grammar treats parts of speech, morphology, syntax, and prosody.

In Bennett’s Grammar, the essential facts of Latin are presented. Each chapter treats a separate part of speech, and contains numerous examples and illustrations. This volume also contains a chapter on Latin prosody, as well as a fascinating introduction to the Indo-European family of languages.

This is the most complete reference grammar of Syriac in the English language. It is cited hundreds of times by various Hebrew reference grammars already available from Logos, making it a useful tool for comparative Semitics as well as studying the Syriac Bible and Syriac Church Fathers.

One of the most important Syriac reference tools ever published, this edition of R. Payne Smith’s Compendious Syriac Dictionary includes English translations—not the original Latin translations—of Syriac, as well as the meaning of phrases. It is sorted alphabetically; not by root.

Nestle’s Syriac Grammar is more concise than Nöldeke’s, but it provides a bibliography of books about and in Syriac, as well as a glossary and a chrestomathy (a graded reader to help students ease into reading Syriac texts), providing everything the Semiticist needs to begin exploring Syriac.