A Biblical Languages minor sounds like an excellent idea. At any rate, I think so.

However, Blake Schaper’s opinion piece (“Tongues of fire: Hillsdale needs a Biblical Languages minor”; Sept. 11) in support of the idea does, alas, get some basic facts wrong. Biblical Greek is not grouped with “other Greek dialects” when we teach it at Hillsdale. We teach it in the beginning sequence of Greek instruction alongside one other ancient Greek dialect, the Attic Greek of classical Athens. The “grammar and spelling” of Attic Greek and New Testament Greek do not, in fact, “differ greatly” from one another. They are extremely similar, especially in spelling. Which is not surprising, as Attic Greek was the predominant influence on the koine Greek spoken in the Roman period.

It’s true enough that advanced students who go on to read the likes of Homer have to become familiar with the challenges of other dialects, and since it’s all ancient Greek, studying Attic and New Testament Greek prepares them for that. But as far as biblical Greek goes, you are reading New Testament Greek after three semesters of initial Greek instruction, and often much sooner.

It’s true that you can also read Plato, but I don’t know that I would call that a bad thing.

Gavin Weaire is a professor of classics.