[B-Greek] Biblical Greek is a Living Language in the Orthodox Tradition

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Feb 5 16:52:46 EST 2008


Here's another of those messages that slipped through the cracks; I  
got it as a "bounce" -- it evidently didn't go properly through  
incoming channels.

From: Nikolaos Adamou <nikolaos.adamou at hotmail.com>
Date: February 5, 2008 1:57:33 PM EST
To: <b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Biblical Greek is a Living Language in the Orthodox Tradition


The use of Biblical Greek in the Greek orthodox tradition, in  
Byzantine chants, and original text is very much a live characteristic  
among modern Greeks.  I will give an example.  Few years ago, the late  
Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos, asked in an encyclical form, that  
the Gospel will be read in modern Greek rather the original Biblical  
Greek.  This direction was not accepted by the people.  Biblical Greek  
still is a very comfortable language to church goers in the Greek  
Orthodox Church.
Although, in the US we do face difficulties dealing with Biblical  
Greek in the seminary, and several of its ordained graduates feel very  
uncomfortable and foreign in our traditional language.
I have to confess, if I have to write something official in Greek, I  
still feel more comfortable in "kathareuousa" rather than the current  
language.
The fact that I do not speak to my children or my Greek Language  
students in the way that the Gospel is written, or the way that I  
write official documents, does not make these forms of language "dead".
The poetic tonality of the ecclesiastical Greek, particularly the book  
of Psalms, the way that traditionally Apostolic and Gospel readings  
are chanted in services underline this living tradition that we carry  
through centuries.
To me, Biblical Greek has this living characteristic, like the  
unlocked secretes of Parthenon's marbles.
This is something that those of us who live in America, we have to  
pass with reference to our children and all those who were born  
outside of the motherland.

Nikolaos Adamou, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business Management
BMCC / CUNY



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