Learn to read Ancient Greek
The Greek in this course is Koine, the everyday Greek of the eastern Mediterranean after Alexander. It is the language of the New Testament and of letters people sent home from Roman Egypt.
Start reading Ancient Greek
Free, no account. Your first line takes about three minutes.
What Ancient Greek is like
Koine is a good way in. The sentences are often short, the vocabulary repeats, and many of the stories are ones you may already know. The Gospels make up most of the course, and two real letters on papyrus let you hear how people spoke at home.
The alphabet takes an afternoon. Urling has a short script course that teaches it before you need it, and you can skip that if you already read Greek letters. This course is not Attic Greek, so Plato and Homer will still take further study.
How Urling teaches it
- You start with a real line from a real text, in your first few minutes.
- Each lesson teaches the words that unlock more of a text you want to read.
- Short exercises rebuild real sentences, and words you miss come back later.
- Grammar comes as short notes when you meet it, not as a wall of tables first.
Famous texts to start with
- John 1:1–5 in the original GreekThe opening of the Gospel of John in Koine Greek with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and beginner notes.
- A boy's furious letter to his fatherA real letter in Greek on papyrus from Roman Egypt, from a boy called Theon whose father left him at home, with translation and notes.
- The Lord's Prayer in Ancient GreekThe Lord's Prayer in the original Greek of Matthew 6:9-13, line by line, with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and notes for beginners.
- The Beatitudes in Ancient GreekThe Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in the original Greek of Matthew 5:1-12, with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and notes.
- Hilarion's letter to his wife, from 1 BCA real private letter from Roman Egypt, tender and shocking at once, in the original Greek with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and notes.
- John 3:16 in the original GreekJohn 3:16 in the original Greek, in context, with Nicodemus and the wedding at Cana: John 2-3 line by line, with translation, word-by-word glosses and notes.
- The Prodigal Son in Ancient GreekThe parable of the Prodigal Son, Luke 15:11-32, in the original Greek, line by line, with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and notes.
- The Nativity in Ancient Greek (Luke 2)The Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20 in the original Greek, line by line, with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and notes for beginners.
- The Magnificat in Ancient GreekThe Magnificat, Mary's song from Luke 1, in the original Greek, line by line, with an English translation, word-by-word glosses and notes.
New to the grammar? Read the short guide to Ancient Greek grammar.
The letters
The small marks on Greek vowels show accent and breathing. You can read for meaning long before you need to master them.
Also in the course
The course has 29 texts in all, including:
- The Prologue & First Disciples (John 1:1–51)
- The Woman at the Well (John 4)
- Feeding the 5,000 & Bread of Life (John 6)
- Healing the Man Born Blind (John 9)
- The Good Shepherd & Raising of Lazarus (John 10–11)
- The Good Samaritan & Mary and Martha (Luke 10)
- Infancy, Baptism & Temptation (Matthew 1:18–4:25)
- Full Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:13–7:29)
- Miracles of Healing & Calming the Storm (Matthew 8–9)
- Parables of the Kingdom (Matthew 13)
- Nazareth Synagogue & Sermon on the Plain (Luke 4–6)
- The Sower, Gerasene Demoniac & Jairus's Daughter (Luke 7–8)
Start reading Ancient Greek
Free, no account. Your first line takes about three minutes.