This book shows students how to read beyond the New Testament and why it matters. It covers the Septuagint, the Apostolic Fathers, the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, and Greek historians and biographers, philosophers and rhetoricians, and poets and playwrights.

"This is the book I wish I'd had when I was teaching Greek to university and seminary students. It beckons the new generation into a kind of intellectual maturity: understanding not only the New Testament but also the world in which it was birthed. A gift that will keep on giving."
--N. T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham; University of St. Andrews (emeritus); Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

"Makes a compelling case that going beyond the Greek New Testament is one of the best ways to gain proficiency and the motivation to continue one's Greek journey well beyond seminary studies. As I read this book, I felt the excitement that I had when I first started reading Greek texts. I wish that this book had been available then! It will certainly be a valuable resource now."
--Dana M. Harris, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"Anyone who picks up this book will have an exceptional resource for improving their Greek. It should be a standard textbook for any advanced Greek class."
--Elizabeth E. Shively, St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews

"A phenomenal way to introduce students both to more advanced Greek readings and to significant ancient texts that are outside the Greek New Testament. Serious students will come away with an increased ability to read Greek and with a wealth of insight about the ancient world."
--Joshua W. Jipp, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"Fills an important niche in Greek studies. Botner eases the way into secular Greek for those previously exposed primarily to New Testament Greek. He skillfully opens up the broader Greek world for an audience that will surely profit from learning about the social and linguistic environment in which the New Testament was composed."
--J. S. Rundin, University of California, Davis