August, Jared M., ed. A Daily Greek Devotional: 365 Devotions on the Greek New Testament. Bennington, VT: Northeastern Baptist Press, 2023, 371 pgs., $24.99, paperback.
August’s A Daily Greek Devotional is written for any who consider themselves students of the Greek New Testament, from first-semester students to experienced academicians and pastors. Each devotion is intended for academic enrichment and spiritual refreshment, ultimately for the purpose of knowing and loving the God who gave us the New Testament (pg. i). Editor Jared M. August has assembled over three dozen contributors. Those contributors come from a variety of backgrounds. Some work in academia as deans or professors, many of whom are Greek professors. Some are pastors. There is a theological librarian, an associate editor, and a layman who have contributed to this devotional. Most contributors are educated by Baptists or serve in Baptist institutions, but there are also Presbyterian, Congregational, Evangelical Anglican, and non-denominational contributors. The contributors working in academia represent over two dozen colleges and seminaries. The front matter includes a helpful reminder of parsing abbreviations for those who may need some extra help as they use this devotional (pg. iii). The back matter consists of contributor biographies (pg. 367–371).
The devotional works through the entire New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation, over the course of the 365 devotions. Each devotion is one page in length, with many entries using less than the full page. Each devotion covers a brief selection ranging from as little as one verse to three verses of the Greek New Testament. The page-length devotional entry starts with the specific date (e.g., January 13 on pg. 13). Immediately after the date is the Scripture address, followed by a separate paragraph of the Greek text, including versification, capitalization of proper nouns, punctuation, and ellipses when only part of a verse is quoted (e.g., 2 Corinthians 7:6–7a on pg. 86). After the Greek text is a section on context, written by that entry’s contributor. The context sections reference the larger context of the passage or perhaps the entire book of the New Testament. The context sections also sometimes give interpretation options, like the entry on May 22. That devotional covers Philippians 3:20–21. The context section on that page gives the broader context of Phil. 3:17–21 and 3:2–3. Then, in reference to the false teachers Paul writes about in this passage, the context section says, “Some see a change of opponents, while others see a reference to the Jewish false teachers previously condemned, which is more probably the case” (pg. 142). Sometimes, the context section is as brief as one sentence (e.g., March 7 entry on pg. 66), but it can also be as long as a large paragraph (e.g., December 17 entry on pg. 351).
A section on commentary follows the context section, which is also written by the entry’s contributor. The commentary is consistently the longest portion of the devotional entry, even in the briefest examples such as August 11’s entry on John 8:12 (pg. 223). After the commentary, the reader will find parsing and definitions for the rarer words used in the text of the day. Underneath the parsing and definitions, they have a “Further Reading” piece that suggests more Scripture to read to help understand that day’s passage. The recommended reading is usually the broader context of the day’s passage, but many entries recommend alternate Biblical passages on that subject (e.g., July 2’s devotional about 2 Thessalonians 3:6–7, which recommends also reading Acts 18:1–3, pg. 183), or multiple Biblical passages (e.g., November 20’s entry about Jude 5, which recommends reading Jude 5–19, as well as 2 Peter 2:9, pg. 324). Finally, each devotional entry credits its contributor.
Many books are treated at more of a birds-eye view as a natural result of the devotional being limited to a one-year focus. One example is the book of Matthew, covered in three overall sections. Matthew chapters 1 through 7 are covered in seven pages. The first entry for Matthew’s Gospel is on page 1 and it covers Matthew 1:20–21. The second entry is on page 2 and it covers Matthew 2:14–15, and so on. Matthew chapters 8 through 16 are covered over pages 40–49. Matthew chapters 17 through 28 are then covered from page 70 through page 76. Naturally, a 365 day Greek devotional could not cover every verse of every book of the entire New Testament. For example, the book of Jude does not get a devotional for every verse. Jude 3–4 are covered on page 323. Jude 5 gets an entry on page 324. Jude 20–23 are covered on page 325, which concludes the devotional’s use of the book of Jude. These details should not be considered negative criticisms of the devotional. The contextual data and the commentaries are well-written and concise. They reflect excellent scholarly work on the relevant texts. At the same time, the devotional nature of the commentaries get to the point of the quoted text. They are written to get to the spiritual heart of the text so that the reader might know God better and, perhaps, might know oneself better in order to better follow Jesus.
As a devotional, A Daily Greek Devotional hits the mark of leading the reader into a deeper study of God’s Word for the purpose of knowing the Lord better. As a product of Greek scholars intending to provide a devotional, one could not ask for a better primer and refresher at the intersection of devotional thought and Greek exegesis of New Testament passages. This book could be used by students of New Testament Greek at any level for the purpose of a fresh devotional study, requiring the user to know some basics of Greek vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.
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