My Advice to Students — What Does Doug Moo Regret? It May Surprise You!

If you’ve made it through your first semester in an M.Div. or Ph.D. program, you know that one thing dominated your entrance into advanced biblical studies: Languages!

Whether biblical Greek and Hebrew, ancient Latin, or modern German, languages form an important bedrock to your program. What you may not fully realize it, they will continue to play a pivotal role in your on-going professional journey, whether in the academy or the church.

I’m learning that now as a pastor, regretting not taking my study of Greek and Hebrew more seriously as I work through the text for Sunday morning sermons. Surprisingly Doug Moo, author of An Introduction to the New Testament, has similar regrets.

“As I look back on my academic time,” Moo says, “the one thing that I regret is that I did not spend more time early on really getting my languages down.”

You wouldn’t think the chairman of the Committee on Bible Translation and this widely published New Testament Wheaton professor would have such a regret, but he does. Moo wishes he’d spent more time early on nailing this important aspect of his academic life, particularly his German.

If you are struggling with learning the languages in your own program take heart, but also watch the video below to better understand why Moo carries this regret and how it’s impacted his academic life.

-Jeremy Bouma, Th.M. (@bouma)

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"My Advice to Students" is a weekly video series designed to advise and guide students who are studying for a future of ministry in the Church, whether in the academy or in congregations. In these specially curated videos, leading scholars of biblical studies share their seasoned wisdom to help you navigate this important season of preparation.

(Can't see the video? Watch it, here</a>)