Pocket Dictionary: For the Study of New Testament Greek

by
Matthew S. DeMoss

Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2001, 138 pages.

The stated goal of the Pocket Dictionary is to define the “third language that’s neither Greek nor recognizable English—the technical vocabulary of grammarians, lexicographers, linguists and Greek instructors.” To that end, DeMoss defines more than 1,700 terms related to multiple fields of study including grammar, textual criticism, exegetical method and New Testament criticism.

This book is helpful with it’s concise definitions and easy to understand cross-referencing system. Many of the cross-references are helpful and thorough. A natural criticism of any dictionary of technical terms would be its glossing over certain distinctions that a specific term may denote. DeMoss preempts this criticism by stating in the preface his intent to define the terms as comprehensible as possible for the students’ understanding of the basic meaning, noting where semantic overlaps occur through the cross-referencing system.

The eight-page “Abbreviations, Expressions and Sigla” is a worthy section. Unfortunately, common abbreviations for Greek reference works are lacking, such as BAGD (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, Danker) or BDB (Brown, Driver, Briggs).

Overall this is a useful tool for the beginning student of New Testament Greek.

Todd Lingren
Biblical Studies Foundation