I’m finding my study of Attic Greek also helping a lot to get back into Koine. Shortly after reading some discussions of diglossia in modern Greece, I was reading the Didache, and came across the following conclusive proof-text:
παγὶς Î³á½°Ï Î¸Î±Î½á½±Ï„Î¿Ï… ἡ διγλωσσία
There you have it. Diglossia is a deadly snare :-)
Update: even better:
τέκνον μου, μὴ γίνου … μαθηματικὸς … εκ Î³á½°Ï Ï„Î¿á½»Ï„Ï‰Î½ á¼Ï€á½±Î½Ï„ων εἰδωλολατÏία γεννᾶται
“My child, do not become … a mathematician … for from all that comes idolatry.” Could have used that advice before I went to university!
That’s fantastic!
What, you didn’t hear that? Why do you think I switched to a Chemistry major?
You want Christian puns against higher learning? I gotcha Christian puns against higher learning right here. :-)
Romanus the Melodist, Hymn 49.17:
Οá½ÎºÎ¿á¿¦Î½ á¼Î´ÏŒÎ¸Î· αá½Ï„οῖς πάντων πεÏιγενÎσθαι δι’ ὧν λαλοῦσι γλωσσῶν;
Καὶ τί φιλονεικοῦσιν οἱ ἔξω ληÏοῦντες;
Τί φυσῶσι καὶ βομβεÏουσιν οἱ á¼Î»Î»Î·Î½ÎµÏ‚;
Τί φαντάζονται Ï€Ïὸς ἌÏατον τὸν Ï„ÏισκατάÏατον;
Τί πλανῶνται Ï€Ïὸς Πλάτωνα;
Τί ΔημοσθÎνην στÎÏγουσι τὸν ἀσθενῆ;
Τί μὴ νοοῦσιν á½Î¼Î·Ïον ὄνειÏον á¼€Ïγόν;
Τί ΠυθαγόÏαν θÏυλλοῦσι τὸν δικαίως φιμωθÎντα;
Τί δὲ μὴ Ï€ÏοστÏÎχουσι πιστεÏοντες οἷς á¼Î½ÎµÏ†Î±Î½Î¯ÏƒÎ¸Î·
τὸ πανάγιον πνεῦμα;
Translation left as an exercise, but this hymn gets quoted a lot…