Week 10 in Greek

I’m going to do things a little out of order this week for obvious reasons. So here is the rundown of the material we covered the final week.

Chapter 38: The Optative Mood of the Verb

Chapter 39: Contrary to Fact Conditional Sentences and Conspectus of Conditional Sentences

Chapter 40: Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns, and Further Uses of autos

Chapter 41: Voelz’s Fundamental Greek Grammar in 9 weeks.

The last week for me centered around my review of parsing verbs/nouns.  Review of the subjunctive, participles, imperatives, and principal parts. Add in homework for every night made for some long days. Although, I did do a good job of stopping at a decent hour so as to not overstudy and wear myself down. I spent the night before the qualifier relaxing with Linda watching Cougartown. Mindless show to distract me from worrying about the qualifier. After the third episode I got up and went to sleep. Linda thought I was studying, but I felt the need to get a good nights rest.

Woke up around 5:30am. Got dressed and went for a walk around campus. Came home and then got ready and I was out of the door by 6:30am. Armed with only the principal parts flash cards that still was giving me issues to review.  I attempted to get into Wartburg Hall, but evidently it doesn’t open to until 7am.  So, I wound up going to the classroom and reviewed there. Started to feel un-easy so I got up for a walk and by that time Wartburg was open.  I walked in to get a Java update (Greek class joke). Did the head nod to my fellow Greek classmates who were congregating getting that last meal before Go time.

I was one of the guys who took his exam at 7:30a as I thought I would need all the time in the world. I was methodical about taking the exam. I didn’t second guess any answers I selected. I didn’t feel great about the exam, but I felt I passed. Took me roughly 2 hours to complete the exam. I missed chapel and then later found out I didn’t pass the main qualifier. I did score high enough that I was eligible enough to take the re-take written by Dr. Gibbs.

Crushed spirit and physically drained … I really had lost hope.  Like always Pastor Gibbs put his arm around the two of us who would be doing the re-take. Letting us know we were still baptized. 🙂  He also pointed out where we went wrong on the exam. Go figure I had been struggling with participles and I got those correct. It was the subjunctives that killed me along with imperatives and minor things here and there. Gibbs suggested I go for a walk around campus to clear my mind and focus on the material that tripped me up.

I did have Gibbs call Linda to explain. I just wasn’t in a place mentally or emotionally to say to her honey, I may have added on another year to our time at seminary.  Along with the fact the more I talked the more I felt material was slipping out of my head.  I basically had from 11-12:3o to compose myself, put the first qualifier aside, and take care of business.  It is no secret I absolutely fear Gibbs exams. So, my outlook wasn’t good in my mind.

Needless to say, the time had come for the re-take. Much thanks to my classmates for letting me be during the time after finding out I hadn’t passed until the re-take to let me re-focus.  Even bigger thanks goes out to the prayers that went up on my behalf and my fellow Greek student. Couple of guys even walked through the classroom saying, “you’ve got this. Parse parse and Parse somemore.” Time pretty much time stood still during the second exam.  I finished and felt very confident.  As I walked with Gibbs for him to grade our exams. We sat in the Registrar’s office like nervous school girls. Gibbs came out made us smile and handed us our exams. We PASSED.  Almost in tears I shook Gibbs hands. 

There has been a common theme/motto on campus about Life Together and Community this year. Never in my life have I seen it in action than on the day of the qualifier. The support and prayers were so powerful. The collective togetherness of being their for a fellow brother struggling is more than anyone can ask for…

As I appeared in the quad to my anxiously waiting classmates to reveal the wonderful news.  Before I left the Registrar’s office I called my lovely and supportive wife. She was relieved and happy. I began to check my phone and for the classmates that were alreadyon the road home for the break… Surprising enough they never forgot their fellow brothers either checking in via txt messages or phone calls. Life Together at its best.  We’ve all been told those that go through Greek together form a bond that lasts throughout our times at seminary and through our ministries in the parishes.  After experience this myself, I now understand it.

Summary: I PASSED.

What is Next? Greek Readings and Hebrew…

Elementary Hebrew 12 credits: The essentials of Hebrew morphology, syntax, and vocabulary.

Greek Readings:2 credits: Practice in the “art of translation” by appliying fundamental skills in Greek to basic interpretation of biblical texts. Readings selected will lay the foundation for hermeneutics and subsequent courses.

I will attend to keep up the weekly blog. Maybe try and get them out on a weekly basis and not do 3-4 weeks in a night. Thank goodness for a good memory. We have two week break starting on Monday and we return for the Winter quarter the Monday after Thanksgiving.

 

Tags: Concordia Seminary, CSL, ELCE, Formation, Greek, Greek Qualifier, Pastoral Formation, Rev. Jeff Gibbs, Seminarian, Weekly Greek Status