I am friend-rich and I know it. Some of my best friends live in Israel. One of them is the provost at the Israel College of the Bible. I taught a Greek class for him during Covid. The ICB is the only evangelical Hebrew-speaking seminary in the world. They offer courses online and in person ranging from certificate programs to advanced courses for pastors and ministry leaders. Messianic Jewish and Arabic leaders study side by side.
Well, today I received an email from my provost friend that had me crying tears of joy. It read, in part, "The first Hebrew textbook to learn New Testament Greek is done!" He sent me this picture of the cover with an assurance that a printed copy of the book is coming in the mail.
I don't even know how to thank the Lord. Life, they say, goes through periods. Mine just went through an exclamation point. I could not be more grateful. The title literally reads Learn to Read the Greek of the Septuagint and the New Testament. Hopefully the book will be adopted not only in Bible schools but also in the Bible departments of Israeli universities.
For 5 decades I have cultivated a love for the New Testament and have pursued an understanding of it. My purpose in writing all my books on Greek is to help others do the same. My interest in Greek can be traced in large part to the teaching ministry of Dr. Harry Sturz of Biola University, who was my instructor for two years then my colleague in the Greek Department for many years thereafter.
Thanks to what I learned from this man of God and humble Greek scholar, I finally discovered how to engage in a meaningful and reliable process of searching the Scriptures and teaching them to others. More important, the study of Greek has transformed my own life. For me, teaching Greek has been a dream come true. Harry Sturz's creative mind and skillful hands were of inestimable value in assisting me as I have honed my classroom and writing skills. Little did he know when he hired me to teach Greek at Biola in 1976 that I would go on to write a beginning Greek grammar and that this book would one day become available not only in English but in Spanish, Chinese, and Modern Israeli Hebrew. My gratitude to him -- and to the Lord -- knows no bounds.
May your journey through the Bible never end, my friend. May your walk with the Lord continue to deepen as you grow in knowledge and discernment. And may God's word, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, transform lives all around the world, including Israel.