b. Greek

- Kohlenberger, III, John. R, Edward W. Goodrick, James A. Swanson. The Greek-English Concordance to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI:Zondervan, 1997.

1152pp. An exhaustive concordance, this book lists every appearance of every Greek word in alphabetical order. Words are coded with both Strong’s numbers and the Goodrick-Kohlenberger numbering system.

3. Lexicon / Dictionary

A lexicon lists in alphabetical order the words in the Bible together with their meaning(s). (Remember that an exhaustive English concordance has hyper-concise Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek dictionaries in the back.)

- Abbott-Smith, G. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark Ltd, 1937; first paperback edition 1999.

512pp. Contains many references of specific appearances, and includes Septuagint counterparts.

- Bauer, W., F. W. Danker, W. F. Arndt, and F. W. Gingrich. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3d ed. Chicago, 1999.

This third edition, 1999, is abbreviated BDAG. The first edition, 1957, is abbreviated BAG (Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich). The second edition, 1979, is abbreviated BAGD (Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich-Danker).

4. Theological wordbook

- Zemek, George J. A Biblical Theology of the Doctrines of Sovereign Grace: Exegetical Considerations of Key Anthropological, Hamartiological, and Soteriological Terms and Motifs. N.p., 2002.

277pp. Zemek provides a thorough, contextual, lexical-theological discussion of the key biblical words involving man, sin, and salvation in both the Old and New Testaments. Some of the words include: man, body, soul, spirit, flesh, heart, mind, sin, transgression, save, life, grace, atonement, propitiation, election, regeneration, adoption, justification, faith, repentance, conversion, discipleship, sanctification, etc. (Many Hebrew and Greek terms are discussed which stand behind one English word; e.g., “man.”) There are also several helpful appendices. Aramaic script (for the Hebrew language) and Greek script are used, but are also

17

transliterated. Spilling over with Scripture references and heavily footnoted, this work provides more substance than any other two-thirds of an inch on one’s bookshelf could provide. It is incomparably substantive while also accessible.

5. Vocabulary guide

a. Stand-alone vocabulary guides often use word frequency concept or word group approach

- Trenchard, Warren C. Complete Vocabulary Guide to the Greek New Testament, rev. ed. Grand Rapids: MI, Zondervan, 1998.

340pp. This is a very thorough vocabulary guide. The five parts to the book are: Cognate Word Groups, Frequency List of Words, Principal Parts of Verbs, Proper Words, and Other Lists (which includes many unusual words grouped by category).

b. Grammars often contain vocabulary lists

c. Flashcards

(Benefit of hard copy cards, writing words, mnemonic devices, arrangement of homophones and easily confused words)

d. Internet resources and flashcard software/apps

6. Grammar

- Mounce, William D. Basics of Biblical Greek. 3d ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009.

448pp. This is a standard first-year Greek grammar.

7. Intermediate grammar/syntax

- Black, David Alan. It’s Still Greek to Me: An Easy-to-Understand Guide to Intermediate Greek. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998.

191pp. Like a bite-size, more digestible version of Daniel Wallace’s syntax, this is about as user-friendly as a Greek grammar/syntax can get. Black scales back the magnitude for this approachable little book; he incorporates humor, writes with a fresh style, and begins each grammaticalconcept by laying out the English analogue. (This is not a highly technical work, but provides a bridge from first-year studies to Wallace’s work.)

18

- Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.

827pp. This hefty volume adds substantially to Mounce’s grammar. It is very thorough and filled with textual examples. This is a standard second-year Greek grammar. Using it as a reference work can help nuance one’s exegesis.

8. Diagramming

- Kantenwein, Lee L. Diagrammatical Analysis. Fourth revised edition. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, 1979.

111pp. Tremendously helpful for someone new to, or brushing up on, line diagramming. Kantenwein walks through the whole procedure, including many examples of diagrammed Scripture.

9. General linguistics and learning the biblical languages (relevant to both Hebrewand Greek)

- Silzer, Peter J. and Thomas J. Finley. How Biblical Languages Work: A Student’sGuide to Learning Greek and Hebrew. 2d ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2004.

288pp. From the back cover: “An ideal supplement to first-year Hebrew and Greek grammars, this practical guide makes learning the biblical languages a less daunting task. By introducing students to characteristics and functions of all human languages, experienced linguists . . . [Silzer and Finley] create the basis from which to describe the major features of Hebrew and Greek: how the sounds are pronounced, how words are put together, how phrases and clauses are structured, how words convey meaning, and how languages change.”

10. Electronic resources (software and Internet)

- www.billmounce.com

19

A qualified church elder must meet Paul’s aspirational qualification.

“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer[episkopēs1], it is a fine work he desires to do” (1 Tim 3:1). Three elements in thisstatement indicate a qualification of aspiring with strong desire:

a. “if” (eí)

This conjunction introduces a conditional statement. “If any man . . . .”Contingency lies in whether or not the man ‘does’ the two verbs thatfollow (“aspires” and “desires”).

Both aspiration and desire are necessary components of the calling tochurch eldership. These twin necessities may be illustrated as follows: ayoung man may have the desire for the work and title of ‘physician.’ But ifhe fritters away his time with diversions and never undertakes thenecessary preparation, he will never, and should never, be a physician.Likewise, if he vigorously pursues medical school and the rigors ofresidency, but he doesn’t really desire to be a physician, he shouldn’tpursue it.

b. “aspires” (orégetai)

The church elder must be one who “aspires” (orégetai) to the work ofchurch oversight. Here it means ‘to reach/stretch oneself out to’something. A qualified church elder’s aspiration means he will undertakethe necessary preparation to be fully qualified, tested, proven, andaffirmed.

c. “desires” (epithumei)

Paul now comments on what he just wrote: the work of church oversightwhich a man aspires to “is a fine work he desires to do” (kalou érgouepithumei). The two verbs the man does are “aspires” and “desires.” Bothare used similarly—to indicate the man’s desirous pursuit of biblicalchurch oversight. Here, essentially in apposition, Paul writes that an elder“desires” (epithumei) church oversight.

(1) The strength of the desire

Stronger than thélō (wish/want/desire), epithuméō indicatesstrongly desiring. For example:

- “many prophets and righteous men desired [epethúmēsan]to see what” the disciples saw (Matt 13:17).

- Lazarus was “longing [epithumōn] to be fed with thecrumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table”

1 Noun, ‘oversight.’ The phrase “the office of overseer” (NASB) renders the single word, episkopēs.

(Luke 16:21).

- “And He said to the disciples, ‘The days will come whenyou will long [epithumēsete] to see one of the days of theSon of Man, and you will not see it’” (Luke 17:22).

- “things [of the gospel] into which angels long[epithumousin] to look” (1 Pet 1:12)

- “And we desire [epithumoumen] that each one of youshow the same diligence so as to realize the full assuranceof hope until the end” (Heb 6:11)

To be qualified for eldership, a man must aspire with strong desireto the work of church oversight.

(2) The goodness of the desire

This desire is for “a fine [or good] work” (1 Tim 3:1) and not adesire driven by human ambition. The desire for personal gainbelongs to an altogether different category of men—“men ofdepraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose thatgodliness is a means of gain” (1 Tim 6:5).

This desire is:

- voluntary (1 Pet 5:2)

- “according to the will of God” (1 Pet 5:2)

- eager (1 Pet 5:2)

- to set an example to the flock (1 Pet 5:3)

This desire is not:

- an external compulsion (1 Pet 5:2)

- “for sordid gain” (1 Pet 5:2)

- to be domineering (1 Pet 5:3)

- for preeminence (cf. 3 John 1:9)

- found in many (cf. Jas 3:1)2

2 This text refers to teachers, but by it we understand that even fewer men should become elders because all eldersare teachers, but not all teachers are elders.

A qualified church elder must be characterized by having a well-ordered life (kósmion, 1 Tim3:2).

A well-ordered life is the practical result of being temperate and sensible.

The commonly-rendered “respectable” (NASB, ESV, NIV, NRSV) is aninference, not a translation. Paul’s term, kósmion, indicates a well-orderedlife.

Men are considered respectable for different reasons. Respectability mayfollow from having a well-ordered life, but respectability is semanticallyforeign to kósmion.

An adjectival verbal form is used in Matthew 12:44 and Luke 11:25 of ahouse “put in order” (kekosmēménon). A verbal form is used in Matthew25:7 for the those who “trimmed” (ekósmēsan) lamps.

Believers recognize the elder as having exemplary orderliness, a lifeworthy of imitating (cf. 1 Cor 11:1; Heb 13:7).