Bible Greek Alphabet per LXX +10 Reading Tips
EDITED 10/18/08. This introductory video follows LXX pronunciation. LXX transliterates Hebrew names pan-Bible, so you can tell what Hebrew sounds are aped by what Greek letter(s). Its pronunciation scheme is the more reliable, surely. In LXX,
* Dipthongs are blends of individual letter sounds: I will do a later video on them. So for example, "ai" would be ah+ee, so "kai" rhymes with "sky", "buy", etc. Dipthong "ei" would be eh+ee, so "sei" rhymes with "play", "say", etc.
You get the idea. Other LXX differences are:
* beta is used for beth w/ AND w/o dagesh, so it's both a hard & soft "b";
* delta, too, hard & soft -- used for dalet w/ AND w/o dagesh, and sometimes for tet.
* eta is used for tsere's dipthong-y "a" sound (halfway between "a" & "e");
* gamma, hard & soft, for gimmel w/ AND w/o dagesh;
* omicron, for what the later Massoretes denote as qibbuts, which is a flattened "o" or "u". Omicron is sometimes used for Masoretic seghol, too.
* upsilon is used to imitate the waw alone.
* "ou" is used to translate Masoretic shureq.
* chi is used for kaf, both initial and terminal; and sometimes, het.
Now contrast with this modern Greek pronunciation video, courtesy of someone in a BibleWorks forum. Note well the morphing of very different letters into one sound (eta=iota, i-ending dipthongs made "ee" sounds). Thus we know modern pronunciation is NOT Bible's:
http://apostolicbible.com/seminars/pronunciationseminar.mov
Jonathan Pennington pronounces LXX-style koine Greek on CD, available at Amazon (my copy cost $20).
My pastor taught us the same sounds. A university philologist who dislikes my pastor nonetheless complimented his pronunciation, so I recommend the CD.
Syntax and Grammar: wonderful Youtuber tenneral suggests HPV Nunn's fabulous "Short Syntax of New Testament Greek". Download it here: http://www.textkit.com/learn/ID/141/author_id/62/ . His Attic syntax is not available for download, but is sold at Amazon.
Also I would suggest 'big' Kittle. Little Kittle is bundled with BibleWorks version 7.
Another wonderful source: Perseus at Tufts.