| SIMPLIFIED GREEK & SIMPLIFIED HEBREW SEMINARS With regards to the simplified biblical language courses, over my thirty years of being in the ministry, I have observed that there is a great need for pastors and serious Bible students to have a basic working knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. After teaching Greek and Hebrew for Fuller Theological Seminary’s extension school in Colorado Springs for ten years, I came to realize that for the vast majority of busy pastors and lay people, there is very little time available for the necessary hours to learn the complete grammars of Greek and Hebrew on a seminary or Bible college level. Thus, the Lord led me to write a simplified Greek and a simplified Hebrew grammar. These grammars bypass the necessity of having to learn the full grammars of the biblical languages in order to be able to use and understand Hebrew and Greek. Instead, they enable the student to know how to effectively use the available study tools for each of those languages, which are the Greek and Hebrew interlinear English Bibles, the Greek and Hebrew Analytical Lexicons and the Greek and Hebrew Lexicons. Many pastors are able to read and pronounce some Greek and Hebrew words, and they have some familiarity with the various tenses in Greek and Hebrew. However, they do not understand how those tenses and nuances actually impact the interpretation and bring to life the Living and Abiding Word of God! Please understand, however, that apart from the Holy Spirit bringing life to God’s Word, no amount of Greek and Hebrew will help ANYBODY! In addition, the illumination that the Holy Spirit gives comes only through prayer, fasting, daily surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus and abiding in God’s Word. When those elements are there then the Greek and Hebrew tools you learn how to use for your study can open up a cornucopia of truth whereby you may feed and nurture your flock with the richness of God’s Word. I have had the privilege of teaching both these seminars several times, and it has been a great joy for me to see those who have taken them to begin to utilize the training and understanding they have received in order to feed their flocks, or to share with others on an individual basis a greater dimension of truth God has opened up to them through the Greek and Hebrew. The following is an example of how this course will enable you to use and apply the above named language tools. Let’s say you are reading in I John 1:7: But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. You see the word "cleanses" and you want to find out just what that means syntactically and in practical application. Your first step is to look in your Interlinear Greek/English New Testament, and you will find the following entry (the Greek is transliterated into italics): kai to haima Iesou tou huiou autou and the blood of Jesus the son of Him katharizei hemas apo pases hamartias. cleanses us from all sin. The next step will be to look up the word katharizei, in the Analytical Greek Lexicon (you will be able to read the Greek word itself). There you will find the following entry: katharizei, 3 pers. sg. pres. act. indic. . . . . katharizo Not only will you be able to read and correctly pronounce the Greek word, but also you will also completely understand what the above means. The "3 pers." is referring to the person performing the action; thus, it is the third person singular, which in this case is referring to the "blood" of Christ as the agent. The word "pres." refers to the present tense, which you will know indicates continuous action. The word "act." means the "blood" is actively performing this action, and the word "indic." means the action of "cleansing" is an actual, not potential occurrence in a believer’s life. The Greek word katharizo is merely pointing out the root word, which in turn leads us to the next step, the Greek Lexicon. In this next step, you go to the Greek-English Lexicon, and there you will find the full, in depth meaning of the word. You will learn how to read this as well and see what meaning best fits the context. After you find the most appropriate meaning (which is "cleanse and purify"), you then put it all together. That which is being stated is that for the believer in Christ, the blood of Jesus is "continually cleansing/purifying" him from "all sin," both sins of omission and commission. This "cleansing/purifying" includes God’s loving discipline and correction of His children through repentance and brokenness which causes them to "share His holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). The same is true for the Hebrew. You are reading in Psalm 23, and you come to verse three: "He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake." You want to look up the phrase, "He guides me." Your first step will be to look in the Hebrew-English Interlinear Bible (you read Hebrew from right to left, and the Hebrew is also transliterated into italics): yancheni yishobeb naphshi He guides me He restores My soul shemo lemaan bemagele-tsedeq His name for the sake of in the tracks of righteousness Once again, you will be able to read the Hebrew words and pronounce them correctly. You will now look up in the Hebrew Analytical Lexicon the Hebrew word yancheni. There you will find the following entry: yancheni Hiph. fut. 3 pers. sing. masc. with suff. 1 pers. sing. nachah You will know what all of these things mean, the same as with the Greek. Without going through all the steps as above with the Greek, you will know that the Hiph. is the Hiphil verb stem, and it emphasizes "causative action," that is, action that someone else causes to happen. You will also know that the root verb is nachah, and that means "to guide or lead," and, therefore, this passage is stating that God is actively causing me, His child, to be guided and led in the "paths of righteousness for His name’s sake." He in turn does this in me by the indwelling Holy Spirit in my life because I am His child. If this is of interest to you, and you would like to pursue this approach toward learning and using the biblical languages, then please let me know. The course for each language will consist of 24 hours of class time. Here too, I have taught these classes in two format: 1) A week long intensive, beginning on a Sunday afternoon or evening and going through the following Saturday. 2) An eight to fifteen week course, meeting one night a week for a 1 1⁄2 up to a 3-hour session each night. This latter option is entirely tied to each pastor’s personal preference as to the needs of his congregation. I will be happy to work within your time constraints and needs for your particular situation The cost for the language seminars is $100.00 per student, which includes my textbook and the class tuition. The cost for the other books will be about $70.00 per student (this includes an interlinear Greek/English or Hebrew/English Bible, a Greek or Hebrew Analytical Lexicon and a Greek or Hebrew Lexicon). Thus, at your location, the total cost would be approximately $170.00 per student. For those students who may have a financial hardship, I will be more than happy to work something out with them. Janie and I would be honored to serve you in any way we can. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, and may the Lord continue to bless you in every way. Thanks for your consideration of and prayers for us. Sincerely in Christ, Justin T. Alfred Contact Information Address: Justin T. Alfred, 39778 Daphne Dr., Murrieta, CA 92563-6538 Phone: (800) 219-2390 Cell: (951) 834-4814 Fax: (951) 696-7140 E-Mail: jtamin@aol.com
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