Well, perhaps like me you’re a little hesitant to assert “A. T. Robertson is my homeboy,” because we would not want to communicate any disrespect, and from the stories we’ve heard about the way he would summon students to stand up in class and give recitations of the lesson, we might be a little afraid to provoke a test we might not pass!
This is a brilliant photo from JT’s post, however, and I think that A. T. Robertson would be glad to have all of us who are committed to the diligent study of the Greek New Testament for the good of God’s people and the glory of Christ say, “A. T. Robertson is my homeboy.”
Here’s what he wrote in the preface to the third edition of the most important book Broadman and Holman sells, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (you can get the PDF free online, and it comes with BibleWorks, but there is great value in having a print copy you can mark up as you go through it):
“It is gratifying to know that ministers are using it in their studies as one of the regular tools in the shop. In the classroom only selected portions can be covered, but the preacher can use it every day (as many do) in his reading and study of the Greek New Testament. There are many ministers who read the Greek New Testament through once a year, some of it every day, besides the solid, critical study of a Gospel or Epistle with commentary, lexicon and grammar. This is the work that pays one a hundredfold in his preaching” (xvii).
Amen! And may many so give themselves to the assiduous study of the Greek New Testament that they find themselves making daily recourse to Robertson’s grammar. If you do that, my friend, A. T. Robertson will indeed be your homeboy.
Robertson’s prefaces to this grammar are rich with his humility, his love for the Lord, and his recognition of the immensity of the task he attempted.
Thanks to Rod Decker, you can now access Robertson’s inaugural address here at Southern Seminary. JT has some choice quotes from it.
Amen Jim!!
And remember the Septuagint!! Maybe someday Paul DeLargarde or Henry Barclay Swete will be our homeboys :).
On a more serious note, are you aware of any comments that Robertson made on the LXX? I want to find his views on it, but have not seen anything myself. Does his grammar comment on LXX at all?
Blessings,
John,
This fall I started reading straight through the grammar and I’m about 300 pages in. He often refers to the LXX and Swete, but so far I’ve read his section on the history of the language and now I’m still in the section on Accidence, so it reads like Conybeare and Stock. . .
It’s a long book, but he’s pretty focused on NT language, word formation, morphology and such.
Hope this helps!
Jim
I’m really worried about you mate. First you’re wearing FUBU and now using the word homeboy. Hahahaha!