Learn Biblical Greek with Bill Mounce

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BIBLE STUDY GREEK

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STUDY the Greek New Testament

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Option B

BIBLICAL GREEK

Commit to repeated memorization

Review often

READ the Greek New Testament

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Monday /w Mounce blog

Our Calling, Assurance, and οὕτως (2 Peter 1:11)

Monday, March 31, 2025

While we understand that words have a range of meaning; nevertheless, there can be precision in the meaning of a word. Case in point is οὕτως. It’s core meaning is “in this manner, thus, so,” referring back to what was said or forward to what will be said (BDAG 1 and 2). It can also function as a “marker of a relatively high degree, so” and can also mean “without further ado, just, simply” (BDAG 3 and 4). What it does not mean is “and.” This is why I was surprised at the NIV’s translation of οὕτως in 2 Peter 1:11. Let me unpack Peter’s argument.

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We can no longer assume that people trust their Bible and believe what it says about itself. People say that Genesis 1–11 reads more like a myth than history. The God of the Old Testament is a moral monster who commands genocide. Did the biblical writers get it right, or did they slant, massage, or even create the Bible we have today? How can you believe a Bible that’s full of internal contradictions with itself and external contradictions with science and history? Why should we believe the right books are in the Bible? Many books were left out, like the Gospel of Thomas. If you want to learn more about Bill’s new book, Why I Trust the Bible, including issues he was not able to cover in the book, check out BillMounce.com/trust. Why I Trust the Bible is now available at Amazon, ChristianBook, or your favorite bookstore.