Why do so few professed Christians learn Hebrew, Biblical Greek & Ecclesiastic Latin??

Question

Surely by not reading their (professed) literature via the 'primary' languages, those who are from the first world are experiencing a second-hand 'reading' of the subtleties of their (supposed) Good Book & 'Word' needlessly?

Is it laziness? Arrogance?

Can a westerner who possesses the free time & resources that can make possible 'primary reading' of the 'corpus' really say any thing about the deeper import of the content & not be effectively a parrot of 'hearsay'?

Isn't it a bit 'convenient' that some Christians counter that such a serious commitment of time, money, effort is 'not that important'?

Abdijah raises a point... but surely the knowledge of such a translation (a 'first' translation to what was then a completely new language vis-a-vis the scriptures) is necessary given that many translations were derived subsequently from 'latin translations'...& of course most Christian discourse (versus scripture) was written via Latin for many of the twenty centuries after Jesus...

Folks, this is not a direct survey of YOUR knowledge...I admire anyone who does master even one of these languages...I even admire someone Christian who has 'only' thought about this the languages point & is procrastinating... but the real question is how 'worthy' are the claims of those who say they know the 'Book' & yet only know it 'second hand'...

I think they are of little or no worth... their understanding may be 'absolutely' Christian, but their professions/preaching (via words versus actions) are of dubious value...

How can I take any Christian seriously if she or he debates me & it turns out that I know more about their history than they do?

& David (answerer twenty-something), I am not saying that one cannot understand the content of Christianity on a personal level... just that such a person cannot make wordy pronouncements on Christianity & not look like a fool...

I am, however, aware that I am making some wordy pronouncements of/on a question about Christianity...& feeling a bit awed by the handful of folks who I trust are telling the truth when they say that they DO know 1, 2 or 3 of these languages...

Answer 1

Most people are not gifted in learning languages. They can't even understand their own language.

I agree that it would be far better if we did know at least how to study the original languages of the Bible using exhaustive concordances, lexicons, and interlinears. But in all walks of life, we train up and "hire" scholars and theologians who are expected to be faithful in teaching us.

And I am one of them.
three semester of Ancient and Classical Greek

four years of Koine Greek

two semester of Latin

two years of German

and a few courses in biblical Hebrew.

Answer 2

I study under a Pastor that translates the Bible from the Original languages: Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. I believe that a lot of Christians are not aware that the Kings James Version of the Bible is not translated correctly.
Log on to R.B.Thieme,Jr.,Bible Ministries.com
or Berachah.org.
Peace out.

Answer 3

I have access to Hebrew, Aramaic, & Greek interlinear translations and lexicons, which are a big help in my perusal of Scripture.

There is no need to learn Latin, as no part of the Bible was originally written in that language.

One of the earliest translation from the original languages was into Latin, that of Jerome's Vulgate.

Answer 4

I can't say that it is arrogance that causes fewer people to learn the language. But I could input the fact that people don't carry a sensible, genuine love and desire of the word.

I would also say that there are many individuals that are afraid of learning more about who they profess they are. This point derives from the point that most people understand that they are judged according to their knowledge. From that i feel it is more a reaction of being convicted.

Answer 5

One does not need to study in Hebrew, Greek, or Latin to understand God. That is why our Bible has been translated. I suppose the reason people do not go to the original language is a matter of time, money, and effort. Those, like myself, who teach the Bible do go to great lengths to understand it.

Answer 6

If I had the time and money I would. In the mean time I use a concordance & lexicon. It drives me crazy when people claim to be Christian can't tell people why they are Christian! Everyone has a story and we are supposed to share it with the world how we came to Jesus.

Answer 7

I would love to learn Hebrew, Biblical Greek, and Ecclesiastic Latin! I enjoy listening to prayers and songs in these languages. I doubt I will ever have enough time to learn them all but they are simply harder to learn. I am still learning German!! I think in our Western Society we are only taught to learn English and that is just plain wrong. As we are multi-cultural, we also should be multi-lingual. It is important.

Answer 8

I do not a lot of use for Hebrew, Greek and Latin in my daily conversation. I am having a tough time with French.

Answer 9

unfortunately, the average modern protestant christian is taught that through faith and grace alone they will be saved. Ths makes all of the work of learning anything kind of useless. These people are what the Unkown Philosopher referred to as "men of the stream," or walking through the Forest of Errors." He taught that each of us should do the work for ourselves in order to better understand what grace and faith really were.

Answer 10

To me, it would seem quite odd that God would hide His truths to all except those that sat at a study table for say, twenty-five years. Remember, those that seek Him will find Him. That statement should help clarify ones path of study.