BIBLE CAMP
Come read the Bible. In Greek.
Greek Summer is here. The Ancient Language Institute is moving from the internet to the physical world, in partnership with 3Crosses Church. Come join us in August 2024, for a 5-day Ancient Greek immersion camp, led by some of ALI’s great Ancient Greek teachers.
We will be reading, speaking, laughing, praying, and writing in Greek at 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley, CA from Aug. 19 – Aug. 23.
Bible Camp is designed for advanced beginner – early advanced Greek students who want to improve their Greek proficiency and read the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament with ease and enjoyment.
No matter what form of Ancient Greek you are primarily interested in, the immersive learning experience of Bible Camp will aid you in your path towards proficiency. Bible Camp presents a life-changing opportunity to study Greek immersively under the Direct Method, which the Ancient Language Institute uses with hundreds of students online and in-person every year.
While we will be primarily focusing on Biblical texts, we will also be learning how the study of other Ancient Greek texts can enrich your reading of the Bible. But most of all, we’ll be reading and speaking – a ton – in Ancient Greek! Make your summer Greek.
The ideal Bible Camp participant already has experience with Koine or other forms of Ancient Greek at the level of ALI’s G101, or equivalent at another institution. If you are interested in attending but do not have prior Greek experience, we will ask you to complete the Ancient Language Institute’s Ancient Greek 101 course in the summer of 2024.
What You Need to Know
We can accept a maximum of 30 students. Applications are already rolling in, and will be evaluated in the order they are received. We will close applications when all seats have been filled.
- Cost: $500
- Covers tuition for Bible Camp
- Covers coffee in the morning and lunches during the day
- Location: 3Crosses Church, 20600 John Dr., Castro Valley, CA 94546
- Bible Camp is a “commuter” event – we will not be providing housing to participants
- Dates: August 19th, 2024 – August 23rd, 2024
- Event time: 9am – 5pm, each day Monday-Friday
- Requirements (what we’re looking for in applicants):
- Advanced beginner – early advanced student of Greek
- Willingness to spend at least 4 hours on homework before Bible Camp begins
- Positive, enthusiastic attitude excited for an immersive, spoken Greek experience
Teachers
Leo Hunt, our Latin & Greek Fellow, was born in Portugal of American parents, and can lay claim to being a lifelong learner of languages both modern and ancient. A desire to become intimately acquainted with the roots of western civilization drove him to obtain a B.A. in Classical Studies from Seton Hall University and an M.A. in Greek and Latin from the Catholic University of America, where he was also awakened with the desire to know intimately the worlds of the fathers and doctors of the Church, with a special focus on Maximus the Confessor.
While an ongoing and avid student of ancient Greek language and literature in all their successive phases, as well as the modern Greek idiom alongside other modern European languages, Leo became acquainted in recent years with the growing movement for spoken Latin and ancient Greek, and pedagogy based upon active use and comprehensible input. He has made his own the mission to reform the teaching of the classical languages along these exciting lines, and to do his part to unveil past ages directly for an ever-growing community of students and scholars.
Katherine L. Bradshaw, our Greek & Latin Fellow, has an irrepressible enthusiasm for connecting students with enduring ideas from the ancient past. That passion drives her teaching of Latin, ancient Greek, and Classics, whether the setting is a public school in Washington, DC, a classical Christian school in Virginia, a classroom at a university, ancient Roman ruins in Italy, or a video conference in cyberspace. Whatever the venue, Katherine guides students on the path to engaging with ancient authors directly, without a translator. On that journey, she encourages her students – ranging from adult learners to elementary schoolers – to explore, examine, and enjoy the ancient world’s resonance in their own lives.
Katherine has an M.A. in Classics from the University of Maryland, as well as an M.A. in English from the George Washington University. She is happiest when discussing shared aspects of the human experience, particularly if the conversation turns to Latin poetry, Latin and ancient Greek biography, food in the Greco-Roman world, ancient Christianity, or Shakespeare. In addition to highlighting links across time and space, Katherine can be found speaking Latin and ancient Greek at various immersion workshops, knitting for charity, or training for Spartan obstacle course races.
Jarred Sutton, our Teaching Intern & Administrative Assistant, was born and raised in Northern California. He has a bachelor’s degree in Ministerial Leadership from Southeastern University where he gained a love for Biblical Studies and a desire to read the biblical authors in their own words. He began studying Ancient Greek and Latin with ALI, and developed a voracious appetite to learn all that the Ancient Greek and Latin authors have left us.
He is now involved with the administration side of the Ancient Language Institute while also learning how to use the natural method in teaching.
With special thanks to the sponsors of Bible Camp 2024
3Crosses Church
3Crosses Church, led by Dr. Danny Strange, is based in Castro Valley, California. At 3Crosses, everything we do is about life transformation through following Christ. Our hope and mission is to transform the East Bay with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Timeline and Application Process
Apply (Mar. 12 – Aug. 12th): Use the application form on the Bible Camp page (below) to apply to join us. We will require a refundable $100 deposit at the time of application. If you are accepted, this deposit will be applied to your tuition balance. If you are not accepted, the deposit will be fully refunded to you.
Acceptance (Mar. 12 – Aug. 12th): Once we review your application, we will let you know via email whether you’ve been accepted. If you are accepted, we will also send you an invoice for the balance (minus the $100 already paid). To secure your spot at Bible Camp, you will need to pay that invoice. Once you do, your spot is secure.
Balance due (Aug. 15th): Your entire balance is due August 15th. Additionally, if at any point you need to withdraw from Bible Camp, you may do that for a full refund before August 15th. Beginning August 15th, we will no longer be able to issue refunds.
Arrival (Aug. 19th): You are welcome to come to the 3Crosses campus at 8am on Monday, August 19th. We will be there to welcome you on campus at that time. The opening session of Bible Camp will begin at 9am that day, so please arrive by then.
Bible Camp (Aug. 19 – Aug. 23): Greek! The Bible! Greek! The Bible!
Departure (Aug. 23): The final session of Bible Camp will conclude at 5pm on Aug. 23rd.
FAQs
Not at all! We’re assuming students will come with all sorts of different backgrounds in Greek. If you’ve studied Greek grammar before but never used the language actively, that’s fine! Students in this situation often make rapid progress once they’re exposed to an immersive approach to learning the language. We will ask all participants to complete a homework assignment before Bible Camp. It should take about 2 hours. Additionally, all participants are welcome to enroll in ALI’s Introduction to Ancient Greek mini-course in early August.
Bible Camp probably isn’t for you. We have a limited number of spots, and we want to reserve them for advanced beginner – early advanced students who want to learn to read the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament with ease and enjoyment.
We are very ecumenical when it comes to pronunciation. Our teachers use a variety of different pronunciations, and we don’t require students to pick a particular one. Some of our teachers use Attic reconstructions, some use a modified Erasmian, some use Lucian, and some use other historical reconstructions. If there is a pronunciation you are particularly interested in practicing, our teachers will be happy to help you do so. For the most part, we just want to make sure all of our students and teachers can understand each other when they’re speaking in Greek.
That’s up to your college. We aren’t accredited and do not offer degrees. However, many undergraduate and graduate institutions have honored our classes for course credit. If this is something you’re interested in, we suggest reaching out to a professor or administrator at your home institution to see if they would be receptive. If they are, let us know and we’d be happy to help and provide anything you need to arrange for this.
Nope – if you’ve studied Greek elsewhere, we’d love to have you.
There are no hotel rooms that have been booked for this event. If you are local to the area, you will need to commute to 3Crosses each day. If you want to come from out of town, you are more than welcome to do so, but you will need to arrange your own lodging.
That’s really hard to say. Everybody comes in at a different level, with different experiences, and with different aptitudes. We can’t guarantee a particular outcome for you, but we can guarantee that over the course of the 5 days we’re together, that we’ll do everything we can to help you grow in your Greek proficiency.
