The Greek Alphabet (Α–Θ) | Beginning Greek for Christians
Study the Bible long enough, and you will come to realize the importance of knowing
the original languages of the scriptures.
While translations of the Bible are entirely sufficient to bring someone to a knowledge
of the essential truths of the Christian faith, certain issues necessitate the ability to
accurately interact with the text as it was originally composed.
Moreover, it’s important to remember that while the concepts and ideas of scripture
can be passed on through translation, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was recorded
by the biblical authors in Hebrew and Greek.
I have found that hearing and reciting the words of scripture in their original language
to be an incredibly intimate experience in my walk with the Lord.
If you have come to this video with this same desire in your heart – to better know Christ
and His revelation – let me congratulate you.
You are embarking on what I believe will be an incredibly fruitful journey in your faith.
For us native English speakers, most will find Greek easier to get a grasp of in comparison
to Hebrew.
A knowledge of Greek will give you access to the New Testament in its original composition.
It will also give you access to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament
(the oldest translation of the Hebrew Bible, often cited by the New Testament authors),
as well as many works of the early Church fathers.
English is a descendant of Greek; as such, many rules and structures that you are already
familiar with from English will apply in your study of Greek.
Like English, Greek is read from left to right, whereas Hebrew is read from right to left.
A number of Greek letters also bear a resemblance to their English equivalents.
Being a long standing language, Greek has taken on slightly different forms over the
centuries.
It is still spoken today in its modern form.
For our purposes though, we will be focusing on the more ancient forms of Greek – classical
and koine (common) Greek.
Classical Greek is the form of Greek used by Homer.
It is typical of most Greek works from pre-Christian times.
The primary form of Greek of interest to students of the New Testament is koine Greek.
Where classical Greek represents Greek in its formality, koine is a form of Greek used
by the common people in the Hellenistic-Roman world.
This is the form of Greek used by the writers of the New Testament.
The place to begin your study of ancient Greek is with the Greek alphabet.
Α/α (alpha) Β/β (beta)
Γ/γ (gamma) Δ/δ (delta)
Ε/ε (epsilon) Ζ/ζ (zeta)
Η/η (eta) Θ/θ (theta)
Ι/ι (iota) Κ/κ (kappa)
Λ/λ (lambda) Μ/μ (mu)
Ν/ν (nu) Ξ/ξ (xi)
Ο/ο (omicron) Π/π (pi)
Ρ/ρ (rho) Σ/σ/ς (sigma)
Τ/τ (tau) Υ/υ (upsilon)
Φ/φ (phi) Χ/χ (chi)
Ψ/ψ (psi) Ω/ω (omega)
In fact, the word alphabet actually derives from the first two Greek letters: Α/α and
Β/β.
Α/α corresponds to the English letter A/a, and makes a short “a” sound (as in, “father).
Β/β corresponds to B/b and makes the same sound, as in “Bob”.
These two letters should help you see the relationship English has to Greek.
Also like English, you will notice that every letter has both upper and lower case forms.
Combining the sounds of Greek letters is also relatively intuitive for English speakers
once those sounds are learned.
The next letter is Γ/γ.
This is the equivalent of the English G/g.
For the similarities that Greek has with English, it also has notable differences – this is
one of them.
Where the English alphabet is A,B,C… the Greek alphabet is Α,Β,Γ… (effectively:
A,B,G…).
The capital form of gamma looks like an upside-down L. The lower case form looks similar to a
lower case y. Gamma makes a hard “G” sound (as in, “go”), not to be confused with
the soft “G” sound as in, “gentle.”
The fourth letter of the Greek alphabet is Δ/δ, corresponding to D/d, both in sound
(as in, “dog”) and in its location within the alphabet.
Capital Δ is a triangle, while its lower case form looks somewhat similar to the lower
case d.
If you’re familiar with a river’s delta, this is the triangular shape made as it empties
into the ocean, from which this letter derive’s its name.
Δ/δ is followed by Ε/ε, the first of two letters that are the equivalent of E/e. Ε/ε
makes a short “e” sound (as in, “bed”).
Its capital form is basically identical to the English E, whereas the lower case form
resembles a backwards 3.
As in English with the letter E, Ε/ε sits in the fifth spot of the Greek alphabet.
However, Ζ/ζ is a departure from what English speakers are used to.
This letter, both by its name and its capital form, is easy to identify as the equivalent
of Z/z.
Rather than being at the end of the alphabet though, it is rather early.
For the native English speaker, pronouncing this letter as you would Z is appropriate.
The second letter corresponding to E is next – Η/η.
Where Ε/ε exclusively represents the short “e,” Η/η exclusively represents the
long “e” in translation, though in pronunciation, it sounds like the “ey” combination in,
“hey.”
This letter may present some confusion for English speakers, as its sound doesn’t resemble
the look of the letters we’re used to.
Capital Η looks the same as H; its lower case form looks somewhat like a lower case
n, with a curve that drops below the line.
Θ/θ marks the first third of the Greek alphabet.
It is the first letter we encounter who’s sound represents a combination of English
letters.
This letter, as you may have guessed, makes a “th” sound – as in, “the,” or,
“theater.”
Its capital and lower case forms look similar to each other.
Depending on one’s handwriting, it can be difficult to tell which case an author is
using.
Though it looks somewhat like an English O/o, it’s sound is not to be confused.
In the next video, we will look at the second third of the Greek alphabet; letters Ι/ι
– Π/π.
For a further study of Greek, I recommend “Greek 101: Learning an Ancient Language”
from The Great Courses and “Basics of Biblical Greek” by Zondervan Academic.
You will find links to both of these courses in the description.