A user asked the following questions:
I am wondering how Biblical Greek and Attic Greek differ if you can learn Attic and read the Bible in Greek when you are done. Are Attic and Koine similar enough that it doesn’t matter?
On another note, how early is it appropriate for a child to learn Latin. My 8th grader will start Henle next fall. I started going through it myself starting a week ago. I got through lesson 1 and it is not difficult thus far. (I know it is only one lesson.) I am wondering how soon my youngers could start on Henle. I’m a little afraid of Lingua Latina as I don’t know Latin and can’t afford a teacher. I understand it is all Latin and no English. How much better is Lingua Latina? As in, should I put myself through Henle with my oldest son and then tackle Lingua Latina for the younger ones later when I feel more confident in my skills. Is it really that much better than Henle? I like the method of instruction in Henle I thus far, but am not overly tied to it as I am not catholic and could do without all of the praying to Mary business. Can the Visual Latin videos be used in conjunction with Henle or would it not work very well?
I appreciate your website. It is very informative.
Here is my reply:
Hi!
Glad to hear the site is helpful!
As for Biblical Greek and Attic Greek, there are differences, but they are really not all that drastic. Without going into too much detail, Attic Greek is a bit more challenging than Biblical Greek. Anyone who makes it through Attic Greek will be able to read the New Testament in Greek. In fact, New Testament Greek will be a bit of a relief.
That said, I do not recommend the Greek class for children. It is tough. Upper high school, college, and adult students will make it through, but, even then it will be tough. If a student has studied Latin, though, it will be so much easier. The grammars of both languages are similar.
I would teach Spanish to the younger crowd if I could. Let them learn Spanish (or another modern language) until they are in middle school, or high school, then put them into Latin. Latin is challenging. If they never get to Latin, at least they will know Spanish!
As for Henle versus Lingua Latina…
If you are going to do it yourself (and it sounds as if you have to), go with Henle. The English instruction in the book will help you. When you are about halfway through Henle Latin, start reading Lingua Latina. Treat it like a novel, or a reader. Just read it. Perhaps you could instruct from Henle. That would get the boring grammar out of the way. Then, for fun, you could read Lingua Latina.
Let me know if you need more help!
Dwane
