A Handbook of New Testament Greek Grammar by: Peter Frick

A Handbook of New Testament Greek Grammar
Peter Frick
ISBN 978-0973902655
Laodamia Press

I have had the pleasure and privilege of taking a number of courses from Dr. Peter Frick, at St. Paul's United Church College at the University of Waterloo. I have seen this book go through many transformations and different drafts and editions, as it was used in class with hundreds of students. I first encountered the book in 2001 in the course it was written to support. Since that time I have gone back and worked on my New Testament Greek on a number of different occasions. I have even worked for Dr. Frick as a research assistant, and helped develop the web-based version of this course.

I have used about 15 different New Testament Greek textbooks over the last decade or so. Having a dual form of dyslexia, learning languages has always presented difficulties for me. When working on NT Greek I have used all the tools I could find - books, audio books, and Study Aids and Study Guides galore. The book I always come back to is Dr. Frick's.

Dr. Frick's approach seems to me to be the most logical and practical, such that by the end of the book you will have the 500 most occurring words in the Greek New Testament in your vocabulary. The next largest advantage is that by the time you are halfway through the book, you will have enough vocabulary to read entire passages in the Greek New Testament. Dr. Frick accomplishes this by introducing the reader to both verb and noun forms of the roots of words. What this means is that you will encounter words for which you know the root as either a verb or noun form, and recognize it, and can put 2 and 2 together and recognize prefix or suffix that is the other form as noun or verb with the root and determine the meaning of the word. This is one of the most encouraging results of Dr. Frick's method. As you progress through the chapters and the lessons in the book, you are able to read more and more of the New Testament and writings contemporary to it.

Another great strength of the book is its appendixes that have extensive samples of writings from the time of the New Testament, and Study Guides and Aids. The book also provides answer keys to working through each chapter.

This book will be of great benefit to a casual self-taught scholar wishing to read the New Testament in the original Greek, or to the serious academic scholar beginning his or her adventures in New Testament Greek Studies. I even know a classics major who took this course rather than the Classical Greek because of the speed at which he would expand his vocabulary in this course versus the Classical Greek course. Now after many years of revision in class, testing the material term after term it is finally published for the general public. This book will always be a treasured resource on my bookshelf. If you pick it up I am sure you will find it invaluable to your biblical studies as well.

(First Published in Imprint 2008-02-22.)

Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Windows Vista Client for Enterprise Support Technicians MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) E

Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Windows Vista Client for Enterprise Support Technicians MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) Exam 70-622
Owen Fowler
Wiley
ISBN 9780470115916
Lab Manual
ISBN 9780470111642
Coursepack
9780470069592

The material in this book is full of screen shots, hit and tip boxes, colour-coded charts and more. Each chapter begins with the objective matrix for the chapter, then outlines the new terms or key terms introduced in the chapters. After that comes the substance of the chapter, then a Summary Skills Matrix which reviews what you should have learned and what you should be able to do having completed the specific chapter. Then there is a knowledge assessment section with fill-in-the-blank, T/F and then some in-depth answer questions. Finally, there are some case scenarios to apply your knowledge, all of which should help you either when learning in a classroom environment or in self- study.

Fowler writes in an easily-accessible manner. His balance of technical and lay terminology will help the new learner, but provide enough insight for the more advanced student to not be bored. This book is a good resource for anyone wishing to expand his knowledge of Vista in an enterprise situation or preparing to write a certification exam.

This book is designed to be a training tool for the new Microsoft Certified IT Professional certification. Specifically written as a Microsoft Official Academic Course, it is designed to give you all the tools to pass the certification exam 70-622. This book is very accessible. It is a pity that Fowler has given up his career in technical writing for his books are good tools for students learning the trade.

Catholic Blog Awards 2008!

Catholic Blog Awards 2008! Nomination's are now open go and nominate your favorite blogs. It was much harder for me to pick this year. In part my blog reading had been reduced to about a quarter of what it was when I was off work. So with that being said here are my pick's this year are:

Best Overall Catholic Blog
Daily Eudemon Always interesting and informative, especially Friday's Brews you can use.

Best Designed Catholic Blog
A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars Great look and feel, nice design and layout.

Best Written Catholic Blog
Daily Eudemon Nothing more need be said.

Best New Catholic Blog
A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars Ebeth's writings are always a pleasure and often a challenge.

Best Individual Catholic Blog
Some Have Hats Profession writer, and blogger par excellence.

Best Group Blog
Catholic Dads great group of guys just trying to keep it real and figure it all out.

Best Blog by Clergy/Religious/Seminarian
The Adventures of a Techie Nun

Funniest Catholic Blog
Five Feet of Fury I miss Relapsed Catholic buy 5 Feet has a wider audience and broader voice.

Smartest Catholic Blog
The Carioni's Adopt friends who are blogging the journey to adoption, and being very vulnerable about fertility issues, faith, hope dreams and the desire to have a family.

Most Informative & Insightful Catholic Blog
Five Feet of Fury

Best Apologetic Blog
Canadian Opus Dei

Best Political/Social Commentary Catholic Blog
Tomorrow's Trust Social commentary on the state of Catholic schools, here at home in Ontario, across Canada and around the globe.

Best Insider News Catholic Blog
Tomorrow's Trust

Most Spiritual Blog
Real Life Rosary James thanks for being the man you are are sharing your journey with us.

My last year's Nominations are poster here and the winners last year are here. There are a number of missed voices this year. a lot of blogs I miss reading that have gone dormant, or been pulled by the author. Jeff Vehige can still be found at Thursday Night Gumbo but I miss his theological blog and his science fiction one, I've had to watch 3 of his blogs go the way of the dodo. Rosary Knight who wrote at Souther Catholic, disappeared also. Catholic Rage Monkey and others are just to name a few of the blogs that have said goodbye this year. This years crop for the blog awards might be less because of the voices that went silent this past year. But enough with the mourning, go and nominate your favorite blogs and vote when the time comes.

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Why do people read fantasy? What is it within this genre that engages both adult and child readers alike? In part the answer lies within the world of myth making. In the creation of a story there is a dream like quality not only in its imaginative style but also in the sense that it contains wish fulfillment. That is to say what we dream of is what we hope for. When the reader engages in novels of fantasy such as The Never Ending Story and The Last Unicorn we are moved into another world. This takes place literally in Michael Ende's work but it happens as an experience to the reader. Thus the novel is as much about the interaction of the reader and story, the imagination process as it is about a trip to Fantastica. In part when a reader picks up the story he/she is hoping that they will encounter an "And they lived happily ever after" tale. This may seem childish but it betrays and portrays a deep human belief in the power of hope healing, restoration and the triumph of good over evil.

In evaluating the endings of the two works there are a few preliminary questions that need to be investigated. The questions in question are as follows. What is the purpose of story? If we know the purpose of story then we can begin to inspect the endings. Yet we also have to look at the purpose of the specific genre. Once we have studied story, genre and purpose of endings then we can look at The Last Unicorn, and The Neverending Story. Then scrutinize the endings of the two works in comparison with each other, and with the intent of their genre of Fantasy. If the purpose of Fantasy is to provide hope, then the endings of these stories will be evaluated upon that criterion.

The intent of story is to provide hope. It is to entertain, and challenge the reader to see anew the world around them. Madeline L'Engle sums it up this way: "We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home, but not quite knowing what or where home is. We glimpse it sometimes in our dreams, or as we turn a corner, and suddenly there is a strange, sweet familiarity that vanishes almost as soon as it comes.

In literature the longing for home is found in the many stories of paradise, of the forgotten place where we once belonged." This longing is filled, first through fantasy, then in life as we experience the recovery of that which was lost or that we were seeking for. Thus the intent is to help us to see our place in the order of the universe, in part through the renewal of hope. This hope is renewed through truth. Again L'Engle states: "I am using myth in its ancient meaning - That which was true, that which is true, that which will be true, that strange truth which is as elusive as home." As such, story as truth, helps to ground us in the real. For each person this is accomplished through different genres of literature. Then an analysis of this role in fantasy is now in order.

To look at the purpose of story in the genre of Fantasy or as Tolkien would say Fairy-Story. Lets pursue to J.R. R. Tolkien and his essay "On fairy-Stories", in it he states "But fairy-stories offer also, in peculiar degree or mode, these things: Fantasy, Recovery, Escape, Consolation, all things of which Children have, as a rule, less need than older people." In order for a story to be good fantasy according to Tolkien, we must have some or all of these elements. Fantasy as a type is so popular, because it gives us hope. Good often triumphs over evil, the princess is rescued, the dragon defeated. Through these victories we regain hope and discover the strength within to continue on in our quests. Since this hope is the target, the end of the story must establish that purpose in the heart and mind of the reader.

If it is to be an effective ending it must meet the sentiment echoed by Tolkien a story that provides recovery and consolation. However the ending is just the conclusion of the text we have. If like Bastian muses in The Neverending Story, "I wonder, what's in a book while it's closed. Oh, I know it's full of letters printed on paper, but all the same, something must be happening, because as soon as I open it, there's a whole story with people I don't know yet and all kinds of adventures and deeds and battles." Then the story is going on weather it is being read or not. Yet the story also continues past the ending, and must leave that option open to the reader. For a reader can become friends with the characters in the story. Then the story does not end at the finish of the written record of the book. Madeleine L'Engle stated "One day at dinner I looked up and said, 'Meg just got married', my family looked at me bewildered for a moment, and then realized I was speaking of one of the characters from my books." For her the characters continue to live and grow and develop, outside of the written chronicles she has penned about them. The same can be true for a reader, the stories can continue, and new adventures develop for the characters that we have encountered. The stories continue both within our minds, and within our hearts. Then if this is the case, the ending must work to fit these requirements. It must meet Tolkien's requirements of consolation and recovery. It should also allow for the possibility of the story continuing on, or at least the characters continuing on. And it must also fit the goal of the specific work. With that in mind an examination of the two works will be our next task.

To discuss the ending of a book called The Neverending Story is an unusual task. For in fact the book has two endings in the text, both of which, leave open the story for further adventures. The first is when Bastian leaves Fantastica, and returns to the attic in the school. But in the end, the end of his stay in the secondary world, the story continues for Atreyu has the task on finishing the stories Bastian has begun through his time in that realm, so that Bastian can return home. The second is the ending of our text, where Mr Coreander states:
"'Bastian Balthazar Bux,' he grumbles. 'If I'm not mistaken, you will show many others the way to Fantastica, and they will bring us the Water of life.'
Mr Coreander was not mistaken.
But that's another story and shall be told another time."
Both of these endings help to meet the criteria discussed earlier. We have recovery, in that Bastian has recovered himself, he has returned to the primary world, and it is new and fresh and alive to him in a way that it never was before. If the intent of fantasy is escape and diversion, then Bastian has avoided it becoming a prison. Through that recovery, we have consolation, in that Atreyu will continue the stories in Fantastica, and Bastian will continue to make up stories in the primary world. We also the restoration of both the primary and secondary world, through the actions of Bastian in Fantastica, both worlds have been righted again. As well we have the possibility of more, more adventures in both worlds. This book in it's ending is very reminiscent of C.S. Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, in both it and our story, we have an adult who has also passed into a secondary world, and who believes the child(ren) about there adventures. "And that is the end of adventures of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right it was only the beginning of the adventures in Narnia.". Like Coreander's prediction above, the story continues, yet the tales ends. This technique works in that we have resolution, without closing off the story or the characters. The didactic and the ludic purposes are fulfilled, we have been taught a moral lesson, yet had a fun adventure in working out the moral lesson. That lesson being that Ontogenetic, the process of self-growth or understanding of an individual, development cannot come about by wishing, but through transformation and growth through work and experience.

The Last Unicorn, however, on the other hand ends very differently. Yet it also meets many of our outlined criteria for how a story should end specifically a fantasy story. In this selection, we have endings for many of our characters. The Unicorns are friend from the sea, and the red bull. Lir has become king, with a kingdom to heal and restore. He also has a princess in need of rescuing seeking his aid. Molly and Schmedrick are off on further adventures together, after both becoming more than they were before. Each of our characters comes into their full self in this work, in the concluding sections. Our Unicorn knows that others of her race exist, and that they are free again. Schmedrick becomes a magician of great power, with control over that power at last. Lir becomes a true hero, who has both lost, but has the possibility of restitution. Each of these main characters has changed and transformed, each has grown and each has suffered. Though both endings comply with the afore mentioned criteria. They both have Ontogenetic development of the characters. Both also have restoration and elements of recovery and consolation. Yet they differ in how they approach it. In The Neverending Story, the primary and secondary worlds are kept distinct, and though Bastian and we the readers go back and forth between the two, there is resolution in both. In The Last Unicorn the line between the two worlds is blurred and never made distinct, in fact there are instances of anachronistic events or elements, that leave the story hanging but the covering does not fit. As seen by when Schmedrick is offered tacos by Cully. The Unicorn has been mortal, and as such is changed and not fully a Unicorn any more. Her ending is the least satisfactory of any in this study. Also in The Last Unicorn Schmedrick and Molly head off together for further adventures, but those adventures remain in the fantasy world. With The Neverending Story, Bastian and his father begin the adventure of journeying or life quest together back in the primary world.

In the movie The Power of One, Yule Pete says to the PK, "To the people myth is stronger than love, stronger than hate, it gives them reason to do what they would never do." This is true of both of our works, yet in different ways. For Schmedrick is aware that he is in a story, and through he would break the rules of structure and form the tale does not allow him to, as seen by: "Tell that to Lir," he replied cheerfully. "Was it I who said that order was all? Was it I who said that she must challenge the Red Bull because it will be more proper and precise that way? I have no concern for regulated rescues and official happy endings. That's Lir." Even though he talks about breaking the mold or form of story and specifically Fairy Story, the story does not allow him, or any of the other characters to do so. They must all live up to the myth. As well in Bastian, he has traveled through the land of myths and been changed for life, but he returns to the primary world to use what he learnt in Fantastica to be a source of healing to the primary world.

In the genre of Fairy Story or Fantasy are the elements of imagination, hope, and restoration. According to Tolkien these elements include: consolation, fantasy, recovery and escape, then we can say that the stories as story work. It can also be said that in both of our stories we are left with further adventures yet to be recorded, our characters are alive, vital and real to the readers. Both stories provide us with hope, that good can win in the end, and that we to can grow and change, as we have seen in the characters. As such I would state that both of these works has met our criteria for story, for fantasy and for an ending that does work and fit the genre. Or in other words "They lived happily ever after".

Endnotes

1. Madeleine L'Engle, The Rock of Higher: Story as Truth: Wheaton: Shaw, 1993. p.24
2. Madeleine L'Engle, The Rock of Higher: Story as Truth: Wheaton: Shaw, 1993. p.24
3. J.R.R. Tolkien, 'On Fairy Story', In Tree and Leaf, London: Harper Collins, 2001. p. 46
4. Michael Ende, The Neverending Story, New York, Puffin 1997. p. 16
5. Madeleine L'Engle, 53rd Weekend, (Lecture Notes) London, June 6th 1997 Talk #1
6. Michael Ende, The Neverending Story, New York, Puffin 1997. p. 445
7. C.S. Lewis, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, New York, Collier, 1970 p.186
8. The Power of One, Warner brothers Home Video, 1992
9. Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn, Markham, ROC Fantasy, 1991. p.181

Bibliography

Beagle, Peter S. The Last Unicorn, Markham
ROC Fantasy, 1991.

Tolkien, J.R.R. 'On Fairy Story', In Tree and Leaf, London:
Harper Collins, 2001.

Ende, Michael. The Neverending Story, Toronto
Puffin, 1983.

L'Engle, Madeleine The Rock that is Higher: Story as Truth, Wheaton
Shaw, 1993.

53rd Weekend Tape 1, Talk #1,audiotapes of lectures given at London,ON.
June 6th 1997 (Audio Tape)

Lewis, C.S. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, New York
Collier, 1970.

Kamen, Robert Mark screenplay. Avildsen, John G. director.
The Power of One,
Warner Brothers, video 1992

(First written for ENGL 208A Forms of Fantasy - Spring term 2001)

My Own Kind of Freedom by: Steven Brust

My Own Kind of Freedom
(A Firefly Novel)
Steven Brust
Creative Commons
http://dreamcafe.com/firefly.html

What do you get when you cross a great TV series and movie (Firefly) and an amazing author (Steven K.Z. Brust)? You get a fabulous story that leaves you salivating for more. I have been a longtime Steven Brust fan and was introduced to Firefly just over a year ago. Both are among my all-time favorite works of science fiction or fantasy. What makes it even better is that Steven Brust is giving away the book on his website. You can download it and read it for free, and what student could not use some free entertainment.

Brust always writes in a fun, easy-flowing fashion. His books are usually a delight to read. This one took me by absolute surprise; he captured the spirit and the essence of the TV series and its characters, and brings them back to life in a new adventure. His style of telling the story from a number of first-person perspectives and from different points in time draws you in, and once you are captured you do not want to get out. My only regret is that the book is not much longer than it is and I can only hope it will be the first of many.

This book takes a reader into a Universe they are familiar with through both the TV series Firefly and the movie Serenity. So as a reader you have expectations of how things will progress, how characters will respond. Brust does not let you down. In your mind's eye you see the events taking place and because Brust is such a skilled writer, nothing appears to be out of place; it is exactly how you would image it. While reading this book it was like having a magnificent film going on in my imagination.

All that is missing from it is some great cover art to whet your appetite. There is an old saying that you get what you pay for, but that is not always the case. That is definitely not the case with this free book. So go to his website and download what should be a number of hours of free entertainment.

(First published in Imprint 2008-02-15)

Books by Steven Brust:
Vlad Taltos Publishing Order:

Jhereg (1983)
Yendi (1984)
Teckla (1987)
Taltos (1988)
Phoenix (1990)
Athyra (1993)
Orca (1996)
Dragon (1998)
Issola (2001)
Dzur (2006)
Jhegaala (2008)
Iorich (2010)
Tiassa (2011)
Hawk (2014)
Vallista (2017)

Tsalmoth (2023)
Lyorn (2024)
...

Vlad Taltos: Chronological Order:
Taltos (1988)
Dragon, main chapters (1998)
Yendi (1984)

Tsalmoth (2023)
Dragon, interludes (1998)
Tiassa, section 1 (2011)
Jhereg (1983)
Teckla (1987)
Phoenix (1990)
Jhegaala (2008)
Athyra (1993)
Orca (1996)
Issola (2001)
Dzur (2006)
Tiassa, section 2 (2011)
Iorich (2010)
Tiassa, section 3 (2011)
Hawk (2014)
Vallista (2017)

Lyorn (2024)
...

The Khaavren Romances:

The Phoenix Guards (1991)

Five Hundred Years After (1994)

The Viscount of Adrilankha, published in three volumes:

The Paths of the Dead (2002)

The Lord of Castle Black (2003)

Sethra Lavode (2004)

Other Books:

Brokedown Palace (1986)

To Reign in Hell (1984)

The Sun, the Moon & the Stars (1987)

Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grille (1990)

Agyar (1993)

My Own Kind of Freedom (2008)
Good Guys (2018)

Co Written:

The Gypsy (1992) with Megan Lindholm

Freedom & Necessity (1997) with Emma Bull

Incrementalist (with Skyler White):

The Incrementalists

The Skill of our Hands

Incrementalist Short Stories

Fireworks in the Rain - Steven Brust

Strongest Conjuration - Skyler White

Short Stories:

An Act of Contrition - Liavek (1985)

An Act of Trust - Liavek: The Players of Luck (1986)

A Dream of Passion - in the convention chapbook for Ad Astra (1986)

An Act of Mercy - Liavek: Wizard's Row (1987, with Megan Lindholm)

An Act of Love - Liavek: Spells of Binding (1988, with Gregory Frost and Megan Lindholm)

Csucskári - Excerpt from The Sun, The Moon, and the Stars in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: First Annual Collection (1988)

A Hot Night at Cheeky's - Liavek: Festival Week (1990)

Looking Forward: Excerpt from Athyra in Amazing Stories, March (1993)

Attention Shoppers - Xanadu (1993)

Abduction from the Harem - in Timewalker Issue 14 (October 1996)

Drift - Space Opera (1996)

Valóság and Élet - in Sandman: Book of Dreams (1996)

Calling Pittsburgh - in Lord of the Fantastic: Stories in Honor of Roger Zelazny (1998)

When the Bow Breaks - The Essential Bordertown (1998)

The Man From Shemhaza - in Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune (2004), reprinted in Year's Best Fantasy 5 (2005)

Klava with Honey - Eeriecon Convention Chapbook #4 (2005)

Chapter One - in Eeriecon Convention Chapbook #6 (2007)

The Desecrator - on tor.com (2011)

Fireworks in the Rain - on tor.com (2013)

The Church's Most Powerful Novenas by: Michael Dubruiel

The Church's Most Powerful Novenas
Michael Dubruiel
Our Sunday Visitor
ISBN 9781592760978

This is a small prayer book full of big-time punch. I always find it hard to review prayer books. Either you like them or you don't, which is like most books, but unlike fiction or theology it is a much more personal reaction. That being said, this is a great book. I wish there were a hard cover edition so it could take more of a beating.

Michael Dubrueil does an amazing job in just over 350 pages of giving solid teaching on Novenas - both the history of Novenas, and how to endure in praying Novenas. He also instructs the reader in ways of encountering God, the reasons to pray Novenas and gives a personal account of some of the prayers he has used and God's care and provision for him.

With over 30 Novenas highlighted in the book and Appendices to the prayers common to Novenas, and the shrines associated with Novenas in the book, Michael covers the whole gambit of Novenas. The specific Novenas in the book are categorized as Novenas to:

1. Christ and the Holy Spirit
2. The Blessed Virgin Mary
3. Relatives of Jesus
4. Particular Saints
5. American Saints
6. Holy Souls
7. A Quick Novena

This collection of Novenas and prayers said over nine days will be a source of light, hope and encouragement in your life. Thank you Michael for this treasury.

Books by Michael's Dubruiel:

John Paul II's Biblical Way of the Cross - with Amy Welborn
A Pocket Guide to Confession - 2009 Review

A Pocket Guide to Confession - 2025 Review
A Pocket Guide to the Mass
The How-to Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
The Church's Most Powerful Novenas
How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist
Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries - with Amy Welborn
The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life 
Praying the Rosary: With the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, & Glorious Mysteries - with Amy Welborn
Praying in the Presence of Our Lord with Fulton J. Sheen

The Biblical Way of the Cross - with Amy Welborn 

...

Meme Booked by 3 - February 2008 - Book Memories

Meme Booked by 3 - February From Shelly's Bookshelf!

Book Memories

1. Do you associate reading particular books with the places you read them or events of the time you read them?

Yes for Some.

• Lord of the Rings - Under my covers because I was suppose to be in bed and could not put it down.
• Jacob the Baker by Noah benShea it was the first book I read to my now wife, while driving to a conference together.
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho in Starbuck's in chapters after getting laid off from a job I loved. Read by the fire place every day for weeks.
  

2. Do you remember the books you read or do they fade quickly? Or do you remember some better than others? How about remember details like character names, not just overall plot?

I tend to remember the book I read because in my journal I write a 1 page summary review of the book after I finish it. That is actually how I got into publishing book reviews, I was already writing them so I thought why not try and publish them. In I have published about 150 book reviews in 6 publications over the last 3 years as a result. Some books I remember nearly exactly, and can often quote word for word books I have read 2 or 3 times.

3. Have you ever forgotten you've read/own a book and borrowed/bought it again?

Yes, but it was almost 18 years in between and the edition was different. I was part way through A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin for a children's lit course a few years back when I realized I had read it years ago. That is one of the reason's I started writing my 1 page reviews to help set the books. In a similar fashion I was about three quarters of the way through Byzantium by: Stephen R. Lawhead when I realized I knew the story and the actual person it was about.

Answer in the comments or leave a link to your answers, please. I'm looking forward to seeing what you list. You can also see my complete list of books read by year here, favorite books each year here and favorite authors here.