I am pleased to share with you today, the news that my newest book τὰ πρῶτα ἴχνη: The First Steps to Learning Koine Greek is now available. This book also has over 60 companion videos, which is essentially one companion video per lesson in the book. This is a great resource for those just getting into Greek, especially youngsters. Homeschoolers and lower schools teaching ancient languages will find this to be a fruitful resource alike. You can see a few samples below and can purchase the book HERE or HERE.
Hello friends, I am pleased today to announce the release of my newest book, co-authored with Dr. Fred Long, titled Speak Koine Greek: A Conversational Phrasebook. Speak Koine Greek contains over 240 sayings, expressions, phrases, idioms, and figures of speech from ancient (Koine) Greek. This work has been strategically arranged into simple categories (Getting in the Conversation, Staying in the Conversation, Ending the Conversation) with each entry ordered alphabetically by English glosses and followed by both a phrase that is similar or comparable in Koine as well as a source citation. Speak Koine Greek is a user-friendly compilation of expressions meant to help learners progress in fluency and knowledge of Koine while having fun doing so. You can purchase the book on Amazon.com HERE or HERE. As a further add-on, companion audio files for this book are available for purchase and download at the GlossaHouse website HERE.
Here are a couple of blurbs from the back cover:
"Michael Halcomb and Fred Long treat us to a smorgasbord of Koine Greek expressions for conversation. By learning how to speak in the language of the New Testament, which is what this book helps us do, one's reading ability of the Greek Bible can grow exponentially. I commend this book to students, teachers, or anyone interested in learning to converse in Koine Greek."
Wyatt Graham Ph.D. Candidate, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“As a busy Church planter I am always looking for fun and fresh ways to sharpen my understanding of Ancient Greek. This book does just that, helping the reader to speak, and so to think, Greek.”
Chad Graham D.Min. Candidate, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
I'm pleased to announce today that my newest book, Ποῦ Οἱ Σταφυλῖνοι Εἰσιν; (Where Are The Carrots?) is on sale for $7.65 HERE at Amazon.com. Ποῦ Οἱ Σταφυλῖνοι Εἰσιν; is a short story written in Koine Greek by Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb and some of his family members. The story revolves around two horses and their missing carrots. Where did the carrots go? Did someone take them? Read and/or listen this fun tale to find out!
This is the first story in the new διήγημα ἐν τῇ Κοινή διαλέκτῳ (A Story in Koine) series, which is part of the "Conversational Track" in GlossaHouse's "AGROS" curriculum suite. In addition to the print version of the book a listen-along audio file is also available for purchase below. The audio file contains a 6-year old female child reading the story and also an adult male reading the story.
In addition, there is a watch-along video (in an animated flip-book/page-turn style) of the book available for purchase below. Purchase the audio and video files together an save (see below)!
The print version of the book is sold separately from audio/video companion files.
Here's a humorous little video, playing off of the popular "Hitler freakout" meme that's been floating around for a while, about the demise of the Erasmian pronunciation. Enjoy and then check out the Conversational Koine Institute.
Today I'm pleased to announce that registration for the Greek 1 class (Fall 2013) with the Conversational Koine Institue is now open to all. Check out the flyer below for more details. You can get more details on classes HERE and inquire about or register for classes HERE. Feel free to download (but not modify), print and/or share the flyer with others.
Dear friends, I am pleased today to announce the release of my sixth book which is titled 800 Words and Images: A New Testament Greek Vocabulary Builder. Along with audio companion files, this work was printed in color with GlossaHouse and is perfect for anyone wanting to build their New Testament Greek vocabulary. The book has received a number of good reviews already, including one from Bill Mounce, who says the following:
"All language teachers know that a key to learning vocabulary is to use as many of our senses as possible. 800 Words and Images succeeds at using visual and auditory as well as semantic grouping to help students master their Koine vocabulary. I heartily salute this project."
You can get your print copy HERE right now. The audio files are available HERE. A digital version for Kindle is in the works and I'll post on it when it becomes available. But if you would, keep reading and let me go ahead and share a little bit more about the book. Here's the aim of 800 Words and Images:
An essential aspect of successfully navigating any foreign language is vocabulary acquisition. Acquiring the ability to comprehend, recall, and use vocabulary takes time and practice. As a vocabulary-building resource, 800 Words and Images is strategically arranged to assist students in gaining competency and fluency in Koine Greek. Divided into ten sections, this work links together nearly eight hundred words from the New Testament with helpful visuals. In addition, audio files for each section have been created so that students can listen while interacting with the book. Research from the fields of cognitive linguistics, neurosciences, and mental representation theory show that when images and sounds are combined in the process of vocabulary learning, retention is dramatically increased. 800 Words and Images utilizes this research for the purpose of helping and encouraging Koine Greek students. All learners, whether autodidacts or participants in a classroom, can use this work to bolster their New Testament Greek vocabularies. Dr. Richard Heyduck and several students also had great things to say about the book:
"Whether you're a beginner or a long time student of New Testament Greek, you will recognize the need to build and maintain a strong vocabulary base. In this work Michael Halcomb has given us a tool to do exactly that. Since this book is image based, it works well for multiple ages and does not require initial English fluency."
Richard Heyduck, Ph.D. - Wiley College
"Michael Halcomb has created just what you need to dramatically improve your ability to read the New Testament in its original language. Utilizing images and audio together with lists of vocabulary organized into semantic domains, this holistic resource will increase the fruitfulness of your studies by engaging multiple senses at once. Halcomb's method immerses students of biblical Greek into the language of the New Testament like never before."
Matt O'Reilly, Ph.D. Candidate - University of Gloucestershire
"800 Words and Images implements recent linguistic research, which suggests that vocabulary retention is substantially increased with the coupling of the visual and auditory senses. If 'A picture is worth a thousand words,' then Halcomb has captured that each word is worth a picture. This first-of-its-kind work will help any Greek student (beginner or advanced) build and retain vocabulary."
Hello everyone, I wanted to share the news with you today that a new biblical/theological and ancient languages publisher, GlossaHouse, has officially launched its website. GlossaHouse states that it has the "vision of creating innovative Greek resources to help students and researchers advance in the language." Right now, the focus is Greek resources, particularly the AGROS series, but GlossaHouse is open to publishing resources for other languages. You can read about GlossaHouse, its current resources, and get in touch with the publisher at www.GlossaHouse.com. In addition, I'd like to mention that GlossaHouse has started the first ever Ancient Greek Honor Society, which is known as ΓΡΚ (Gamma Rho Kappa). Again, check this and more out at www.GlossaHouse.com.
Today, I am very pleased to announce the formal partnership between Asbury Theological Seminary & the Conversational Koine Institute. The partnership is built around the development of a Greek Certificate Program. This means that those who participate in and complete the Conversational Koine Institute's curriculum and "opt in" for the "Greek Certificate Track" can receive an official certificate from CKI and ATS. In addition to all of the learning, there are several added benefits such as the possibility of receiving "Advanced Standing" for acceptance into one of Asbury's Masters Degree programs. You can find out more about the Greek Certificate Program HERE and via the flyer below.
Today the Conversational Koine Institute launched its "Bring CKI To You" initiative. Essentially, this initiative allows individuals, groups, or institutions to bring the Conversational Koine Institute to them. Put differently, you no longer have to wait until the next semester begins or until the next immersion workshop occurs to "Get Greek!" CKI can work with you and your calendar. You can learn more about the initiative by click HERE.
Check out this silly comic short that I recently made. Oh, and if you want to learn biblical Greek / Koine Greek online, then the Conversational Koine Institute is the place to do it. Check out the website and register for upcoming events and classes at www.ConversationalKoine.com.
Today, my local city/county newspaper published a very nice, full-page interview about the Conversational Koine Institute. The online version, which I assume most of you will read, seems small in comparison to the actual print version but in my view both are very nice and I'm thankful to have had this opportunity. You can check out the online interview HERE (photo taken from the newspaper's website). Thanks again, to the Jessamine Journal for sharing this.
Dear readers and lovers of Greek, I want to share with you a limited-time opportunity. At the end of June CKI is host the first ever online weekend immersion workshop for Koine Greek taught by myself and Jordan Day. Currently we only have 3-4 spots left open. You can learn Greek online right from the comfort of your home or wherever you may happen to be at that moment. All you need is an internet connection and a webcam and you're good to go. Again, check out the flyer below. If you want to register, please click HERE. Availability is on a first come, first serve basis. Hope to see you there!
On the heels of yesterday's release of my fifth book, ἡ ὁδός: The Path to Learning Greek, I am happy to announce today that the Kindle version is now available. You can get it by clicking HERE. You can get the print version by clicking HERE. Also, you can now get the audio to read/listen along with ἡ ὁδός by going to the GlossaHouse website HERE and scrolling to the bottom of the page to the relevant purchase link.
Today I am pleased to announce the release of my latest book, co-authored with my friend Jordan Day, titled ἡ ὁδός: The Path To Learning Greek. This book is an illustrated guide (all "in color"!) meant to help students on their journey toward learning and becoming fluent in ancient Koine Greek. It contains vocabulary terms that are immediately useful in daily life, a feature which helps ancient Greek come alive for learners. The illustrations are fun and the audio companion files (which can be purchased separately) also add the helpful dimension of sound; together these things engage a variety of senses, which assist students in internalizing the language more effectively. ἡ ὁδός: The Path to Learning Greek can function as a textbook or supplement to any ancient Greek class, Koine or Classical. You can see a sample below and get your copy on Amazon.com HERE or via one of Amazon's distributors HERE. You can get the audio via the GlossaHouse website (set to launch June 1st!) or, in the meantime, by contacting me by clicking HERE.
Check out what folks are saying about ἡ ὁδός:
“Wouldn't it be great to become fluent in Koine Greek, so that you could read and enjoy the New Testament in its original language? ἡ ὁδός, by Halcomb and Day, is a great way to start your journey toward that goal. Chock-full of everyday vocabulary that makes ancient Greek come alive, ἡ ὁδός will provide you with essential tools to help you immerse yourself in the language of the Greek Bible. I will be recommending this work to all my students.”
-Daniel R. Streett, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Greek and New Testament, Criswell College
“I have never reviewed a more fun book since I began reviewing books. ἡ ὁδός is extremely well done, accomplishes its purpose, and should be a fine supplement to any ancient Greek class, Koine or Classical.”
-N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Instructor of Classics, The American Academy
“A book such as ἡ ὁδός, making effective use of visual helps to internalize Ancient Greek, is long overdue. Lively, engaging, well-executed and conceived, this Rosetta-stone like resource will find a receptive audience hungry for creative alternatives for learning Ancient Greek. Learners at any level will benefit from the simplicity of the sentences reinforced by the pictures. The Greek is both authentic and well-structured for learning Greek as a Living Language. κύδος ὑμῖν.”
Hello friends. I was recently interviewed, along with several others, about some of the keys or "secrets" to learning a foreign language. Of course, much more was said during the course of the interview but they extracted a nice little chunk that fit the article's theme. You can check out the interview, which is titled "Expert Secrets for Learning Foreign Languages" HERE.
Hello readers, I just wanted to let you all know that the Kindle version of my latest book A Handbook of Ancient Greek Grammatical Terms is now available. You can get it HERE. If digital books are not your thing you can also pick up the printed version HERE or HERE.
Hello friends! I am pleased today to announce the release of my newest publication. The book is titled A Handbook of Ancient Greek Grammatical Terms: Greek-English and English-Greek. This work is part of the "AGROS" series that is being produced by GlossaHouse, which is an up-and-coming Greek language/linguistics publisher (website to be launched soon). The Handbook of Ancient Greek Grammatical Terms contains over 600 terms and is two-directional. Arranged in two parts, this means that you can search in the first part of the book by Greek terms and in the second part by English terms. Each entry contains ancient/primary sources where terms are attested. In addition, each entry also contains glosses and a brief note or example or explanation of what the grammatical term means or how it functions. For anyone interested in Greek and/or English grammar, especially ancient Greek grammar, this book is for you. The volume is 208pp. and is now on sale for $16.41. You can purchase the book through one of Amazon's distributors by clicking HERE. The book is also available on the main Amazon HERE. A digital (Kindle) version is also in the works.
Have you ever tried to learn Greek but just couldn't get it? Did you feel confused and alone? Well, then you can probably relate to the guy in this video. But...consider this your invitation to overcome! That's right, the Conversational Koine Institute extends an invitation for you to join the party, to come and learn ancient biblical / Koine Greek in a fun way and in an enjoyable atmosphere. Now you can learn to speak biblical / Koine Greek New classes begin soon (Tuesday, May 14th) but there's still a little bit of time to register. You can do so by clicking the following link: Register for the upcoming online Greek class with the Conversational Koine Institute. Have questions first? Click the link and shoot me an email. I'd be glad to hear from ya!
Can you relate to Frank? Well then you're not alone. In fact there are a plethora of folks who can relate.
Indeed, for the many students who go through college or seminary taking Greek classes can seem daunting. Part of the reason for that is because they've seen so many others do it and have little to no payoff. Indeed, most of the pastors and preachers I know are incapable of engaging the Greek New Testament in any meaningful way. Sure, they might own an interlinear that they crack open every now and then but ultimately that doesn't really add up to anything substantive. In short, most preachers simply do not keep their Greek but rather they lose it. Keeping up with one's biblical languages seems like an impossible task for many. The weekly demands of the pastorate or the daily demands of family life and/or other types of jobs become reasons not to maintain the languages. Well, the Conversational Koine Institute can offer a remedy to that. How?
One of the great things about our online Greek classes is that they only require 1 hour a week. There is NO homework either. Yes, you read that correctly: 1 hour per week. That's right 1 hour out of 168 hours (= the # of hours in a week) using the Conversational Koine Institute's approach will help you not only "keep" your Greek but make it much more robust. In turn, this means that those seminary or college classes you took and the money you spent on them will not be for naught; they might actually keep paying dividends.
So, in addition to NO homework and only 1 hour per week, what else is so great about the Conversational Koine Institute? Well, I could offer many items here but let me just give three. First, you can do this all right from the comfort of your home, office or anywhere in the world. All you need is a computer and internet connection. Second, the cost is highly affordable. While college and seminary classes cost you thousands of dollars, you can take a class with CKI right now* for under $50. Third, CKI has connected with people from around the world. The Conversational Koine Institute has connected with students all over the United States, Canada, Russia, Brazil, India and more. This brings a very nice diversity to the classroom and allows you to build relationships with others. For more information check out the video above (if you haven't already) and then head on over to the Conversational Koine Institute (click HERE) where you can sign up for a class or event.
Do you have a busy schedule? Do you wish there was a way that you could spend more time in texts like the Bible? Do you wish that you could learn ancient Greek so that you could engage texts like the Greek New Testament more responsibility? Or are you one of those folks who took ancient Greek years ago but somewhere along the way "lost it"? Well, the Conversational Koine Institute has an answer for you! Now you can learn Greek online from the comfort of your home. You can begin to learn biblical Greek by investing just one hour per week. Even more, you can learn biblical Greek online with others from all around the world. All you need is a computer and internet connection and you're ready to go. Whether you're a beginner or someone who's studied Greek in the past you can take Greek classes online and "Get Greek!" Check out the following animated video for more details and then visit ConversationalKoine.com when you're done.
