After many, many years of effort, Ben Kantor has announced that his major contribution to Ancient Greek phonology is finally coming to publication. Eerdmans is publishing both his full 900 page analysis and also a brief 144 page guide to pronunciation of post-classical Greek.

I have been antiipating his work for many years and am pleased to see it soon coming to fruition. In fact, it has been many years since I too the time to request a book from a publisher for review, but perhaps we are over due for doing it again. The Short guide is already available on Amazon for preorder (here). I do not yet see a listing for the larger, comprehensive volume.

He announced the forthcoming publications on Twitter just this morning (note that KoineGreek.com is Ben’s excellent site vs. our url, Koine-Greek.com, I know: it’s complicated):

After years of research and work, documenting spelling variants in ≈4500 inscriptions & papyri, I'm excited to see these two books coming!https://t.co/xE5KDbKpu2

Big one is about 900 pages so you get ALL data & analysis

Short one is 144 pages for a concise pedagogical guide pic.twitter.com/CH2XBw6gRc

— KoineGreek.com (@KoineGreekcom) February 14, 2023

Many congratulations are in order for Ben’s efforts. This is an exciting achievement that I cannot wait to get my hands on.

Here are some details from the publisher for each:

The pronunciation of New Testament Greek: Judeo-Palestinian Greek phonology and orthography from Alexander to Islam by Benjamin Kantor

What did the apostles’ Greek sound like?

How would New Testament Greek have been pronounced? Often students are taught Erasmian pronunciation, which does not even reproduce Erasmus’s own pronunciation faithfully, let alone that of the New Testament authors. In his new book, Benjamin Kantor breaks a path toward an authentic pronunciation of Koine Greek at the time of the New Testament.

The first comprehensive phonological and orthographic study of Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek surveys thousands of inscriptions and papyri to determine its historical pronunciation. Benjamin Kantor covers his cutting-edge methodology, the chosen sources, and their context before explaining the pronunciation of each Greek phoneme individually. Written for interested students and specialists alike, this guide includes both explicatory footnotes for novices and technical analysis for veterans.

Table of Contents

1. Phonology of Koine Greek in Modern Scholarship 
2. How Do We Know How Koine Greek Was Pronounced? 
3. Language and Society in Judea-Palestine 
4. The Authors of the Inscriptions and Documents 
5. How to Read (the Phonology Section of) This Book 
6. Judeo-Palestinian Koine in Time and Space 
7. Phonology: Consonants 
8. Phonology: Vowels and Diphthongs 
9. Accents: Regions, Registers, and Demographics 
10. Conclusions: Nature of Judeo-Palestinian Koine

A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek by Benjamin Kantor

What did the apostles’ Greek sound like?

How should New Testament Greek be pronounced in our classrooms? Often students are taught Erasmian pronunciation, which does not even reproduce Erasmus’s own pronunciation faithfully, let alone that of the New Testament authors. But if we want to process the language of the New Testament the same way its original authors and readers did, we should use their pronunciation. In his new book, Benjamin Kantor breaks a path toward an authentic pronunciation of Koine Greek at the time of the New Testament, seeking to improve students’ reading proficiency.

A Short Guide to the Pronunciation of New Testament Greek distills Kantor’s new monograph, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek, with an eye toward practical instruction. The first comprehensive phonological and orthographic study of Judeo-Palestinian Koine Greek, The Pronunciation of New Testament Greek surveys thousands of inscriptions and papyri to determine historical pronunciation. A Short Guide gives students an overview of the basics of phonology before explaining the pronunciation of each Greek letter and phoneme individually. Perfect for classroom use, this guide explains Kantor’s cutting-edge research accessibly and includes sample texts for reading practice.

Table of Contents

List of Symbols and Abbreviations
So You Want to Read (Pronounce) Biblical Greek
1. How Has Greek Been Pronounced in the Classroom since Erasmus?
2. How Do We Know How Koine Greek Was Pronounced?
3. Do I Need to Be a Linguist?
4. How Was Koine Greek Pronounced Historically?
5. How Should Greek Be Pronounced in the Classroom Tomorrow?
Appendix: Practice Reading (Transcribed Texts)
Selected Bibliography