Through a cooperative agreement between Erskine College and Erskine Seminary, College students have the option of studying Biblical Hebrew or Biblical Greek at the Seminary and receiving College credit for those courses. Students who successfully complete the fourth semester of one of these two languages may count that language to fulfill the College language requirement, instead of taking four semesters of French, German, or Spanish.
Why should a college student consider studying Greek or Hebrew?
Greek and Hebrew, the languages in which the Bible was written, will be of interest to students who are planning to go to seminary after graduating from college. Students may take four semesters of Greek or Hebrew to fulfill the college language requirement, or they may take two semesters of a Biblical language to get a start on that language for their seminary studies.
In addition to its value as the language of the New Testament, Greek has also significantly shaped the beginnings of Western philosophy and culture, and it will be of interest to history, philosophy, or religion majors for that reason.
Recognize that like Greek and Hebrew are also considerably more challenging than French, Spanish, or German. In Greek, the challenge comes from the complexity of the language. Hebrew, in contrast, is a relatively simple language, but it is challenging because it is so very different from English.
Students with questions about Greek should contact Dr. J. Hering (hering@erskine.edu), and students with questions about Hebrew should contact Dr. Terry Eves (eves@erskine.edu).
