BIBLE CAMP
Come read the Bible. In Greek.
For the first time, the Ancient Language Institute is moving from the internet to the physical world. Come join us in August 2023, for a 10-day Ancient Greek immersion camp, led by some of the best Ancient Greek teachers from around the world.
We will be reading, speaking, laughing, singing, and writing in Greek on the beautiful Eugene campus of the University of Oregon from Aug. 14 – Aug. 25.
Bible Camp is designed for late 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 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!
The ideal Bible Camp participant already has some experience with Koine or Ancient Greek, so that he or she is at least familiar with some basic concepts and vocabulary. 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 beforehand, as a minimum requirement (or equivalent). There is still enough time to take G101 over the summer in preparation for Bible Camp – registration closes April 15th.
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: $1,500 ($1,800 for single occupancy room)
- Covers tuition for Bible Camp, lodging for eleven nights, three meals/day while you’re here, and pickup and drop-off at the Eugene Airport (EUG)
- Location: University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
- Dates: August 14th, 2023 – August 25th, 2023
- Check-in: Beginning Aug. 14th (4pm)
- Check-out: Must be completed Aug. 25th (12pm)
- Requirements (what we’re looking for in applicants):
- Late beginner – early advanced student of Greek
- Minimum age of 18
- Positive, enthusiastic attitude excited for an immersive, spoken Greek experience
Teachers
Michael Kopf, our Ancient Greek & Latin Fellow, was born and raised in Upper Austria. He has studied and lived in Munich, Vienna, and Jerusalem. Since receiving his MA in Ancient Philology from the Polis Institute in 2015, he has taught Latin and Greek to middle-schoolers, high-schoolers, graduate students, as well as independent learners in immersion and in more conventional settings. His special interests include ancient grammatical texts as well as the use of poetry in language teaching. In 2020, he and his wife decided to resettle in rural Austria from where they both teach classical languages in different capacities.
Joanna Thornhill, our Ancient Greek & Latin Fellow, was born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, California. She studies Liberal Arts at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a great passion for ancient languages and has taken part in Latin and Greek courses at a variety of institutions, including spending several summers at the Accademia Vivarium Novum. She has taught a variety of students Greek and Latin both in individual and group settings. Outside of her studies, she can be found snowboarding down the slopes in the Santa Fe mountains.
You can find her on Twitter here: @JThornhill51
Vladimir Chiurlea, our Ancient Greek & Latin Fellow, was born in the wild city of Bucharest, Romania. While completing his BA in Byzantine Music, he caught the fever of Ancient Greek and is yet to recover. When he is not teaching and reading Ancient Greek, he is roaming the streets and parks of Romania spreading the contagion of Greek poetry. He has experience teaching Ancient Greek to total beginners and advanced students both online and in-person.
Hi! My name is Oliver Whetstone, an Ancient Greek and Latin Fellow at ALI and I am excited to teach you an ancient language! I recently completed my undergraduate degree in Classics and Philosophy at Harvard University in 2018, and an MSt in Ancient Philosophy at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford in 2020, where I specialized in Ancient Logic. After graduating, I taught Ancient Greek for Jesus and Harris Manchester Colleges, Oxford, and co-founded Oxford Latinitas, a society of Oxford academics dedicated to reviving Latin and Greek in scholarly use, before moving on to the Ancient Language Institute. Currently, I am back in NYC, working on founding a similar society at Princeton University.
MORE BIBLE CAMP TEACHERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
Timeline and Application Process
Apply (Dec. 1 – July 7): 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.
Video Interview (Jan. 1 – July 14): If we move you on to the next stage of the application process, we will schedule a video interview with you, so we can learn more about you and your Greek interest and experience, and so you can ask some questions about Bible Camp.
Acceptance (Jan. 1 – July 14): Shortly after the video interview, we will let you know via email whether you’ve been accepted. If you are accepted, we will also send you an invoice for 50% of the cost (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 (July 14): Your entire balance is due July 14. Additionally, if at any point you need to withdraw from Bible Camp, you may do that for a full refund before July 14. Beginning July 14, we will no longer be able to issue refunds.
Travel notification due (Aug. 1): We will send out an “orientation” email in July to provide some more helpful logistical info, which will include a questionnaire about your travel arrangements, so that we can make sure we know when you’re due to arrive in Eugene. Please fill this out and return it to us by August 1.
Arrival (Aug. 14): You are welcome to check into your room at the University of Oregon on August 14th beginning at 4:00pm. We will be there to welcome you on campus at that time. The opening session of Bible Camp will begin at 7:30pm that day, so please arrive before then.
Bible Camp (Aug. 14 – Aug. 25): Greek! The Bible! Greek! The Bible!
Departure (Aug. 25): The last session of Bible Camp will be at 9:00am-10:30am on Aug. 25th. You are welcome to depart immediately after that; we will provide shuttle service to the Eugene Airport. You will need to check out of your room by 12:00pm that day – you don’t have to go home then, but you can’t stay here.
FAQs
Bible Camp is meant to help late beginner – early advanced students improve their Greek. If you’ve never studied Greek before, you’re welcome to apply, but we will also require you to sign-up and complete Greek 101 at the Ancient Language Institute in advance of Bible Camp (or an equivalent class elsewhere), so that when you arrive in Eugene, you’re not starting from scratch.
We run Ancient Greek 101 every term, so you’ll need to (at least) have completed either the Spring 2023 (Jan. – Apr.) course, or the Summer 2023 (May – Aug.) course. Read more about ALI’s Greek classes here.
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.
Bible Camp probably isn’t for you. We have a limited number of spots, and we want to reserve them for late beginner – early advanced students who want to able to read the Septuagint and the Greek New Testament with ease and enjoyment.
Well, it depends what you mean! Bible Camp is not run by a church and we’re not trying to make converts to Christianity. However, we will spend a lot of time reading the Bible. We’ll also be reciting Greek prayers and singing Greek songs with religious content. If doing that would make you feel uncomfortable, then Bible Camp is not for you. However, we don’t require teachers or students to believe in or practice any particular religion.
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 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.
Eugene has a small international airport (EUG). Flying into EUG is ideal, and if you do, we will pick you up and shuttle you to the camp location (University of Oregon). There is also an Amtrak train station in Eugene where we can pick you up and shuttle you to the university.
Portland, OR is 100 miles (160 km) from Eugene, and has a much bigger airport (PDX). It may be easier for you to arrange a flight into PDX. If you do that, getting to Eugene is your responsibility – we cannot come pick you up in Portland or in any other city.
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.
We will be staying in a very comfortable, up-to-date residence hall on the beautiful University of Oregon campus. You have the option of sharing a room with another camp participant, or paying extra for a single room. Three meals per day will also be covered, which will be served in a very nice dining facility on campus. Everything you need will be within walking distance.
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 10 days we’re together, that we’ll do everything we can to help you grow in your Greek proficiency.
The minimum age for Bible Camp participants is 18 years old. This is due to our agreement with our host, the University of Oregon.
