"Nationally Mandated" Continuation of Teaching.
"Nationally mandated obligation" characterizes the improvement and not the abolition of the Ancient Greek language in schools, the Metropolitan of Syros Mr. Dorotheos II.
The Metropolitan speaks of "self-feeding language, perpetually self-produced, where, despite its labyrinthine syntax, her meticulous grammar and excruciating spelling, it is a unique and irreplaceable utility tool for rendering thoughts, terms and concepts of the human intellect, of science, of art, but also of everyday life", ….
in his article published in the newspaper "Demokratia".
in his article published in the newspaper "Demokratia".
He notes that "Every word of hers is a carrier of our centuries-old national tradition, it is part of our national memory…”
Mr.. Dorotheos B’ emphasizes how it is "scientifically established that only those who know the ancient roots of the Greek language can today express themselves correctly and satisfactorily, using its modern form".
Read the entire article of the Metropolitan of Syros, as published in the newspaper "Demokratia".
"If the human race can boast of having created something worthy, this is the immortal Greek language."
This finding was not made by a Greek "nationalist", but the English historian Gibbon, which can be considered anything but biased in favor of the Greeks.
And this is because the Greek language is a self-sustaining language, perpetually self-produced, where, despite its labyrinthine syntax, her meticulous grammar and excruciating spelling, constitutes unique and irreplaceable utility tool for rendering thoughts, terms and concepts of the human intellect, of science, of art, but also of everyday life.
Every word of it is a carrier of our centuries-old national tradition, it is part of our national memory, integral element of our national identity.
Alive, constantly evolving, to the individual needs with flexibility and adaptability, open to changes and influences, with a unique ability to assimilate foreign words and formulas, the Greek language is one and indivisible, from the beginnings of history to the present day!
Is, after all, scientifically established that only those who know the ancient roots of the Greek language can today express themselves correctly and satisfactorily, using its modern form.
No one can claim, sure, that the reintroduction of the teaching of the Ancient Greek Language in schools brought the expected results.
And this is because her teaching remained in the form and did not care about the substance! It focused on a light teaching and enforced memorization of formulas, rules and exceptions.
Our children are taught Anciently, but they don't learn to think in Greek, as they remain on the rough surface of grammar and syntax, without penetrating the ancient Greek way of thinking and reflection!
All the students of B’ High school are taught "Antigone", but no one unites the revolutionary messages of this particular tragedy against the arbitrariness of power and the supremacy of morality over violence.
Who, is it?, experienced in all its moral glory the verse "I was born not to share hate, but love"; Who embodied the moral of the heroine condemned to death, who dares to proclaim before the king that “you cannot, a mortal, to exceed the unwritten laws of the gods";
All the students of G’ High school are taught the "Epitaph" of Pericles, but no one embraces the meaning of true democracy, not only as a state, but mainly as a way of life.
How distant for today's teenager are the orator's findings that "only we do not consider the one who does not participate in the commons to be peaceful, but a useless citizen" or that "our relations with the State are governed by freedom, while in our private lives we behave without disturbing each other";
But, to draw the conclusion from these assumptions that the ancient Greek language is a dead language and therefore’ this teaching is unnecessary, is needed, if nothing else, at least a large dose of ignorance, ignorance and irresponsibility.
The teaching of Ancient Greek in modern Greek Education may be suffering, our nationally imposed obligation is to improve it and not to abolish it.
Why, adds the Nobel laureate of the Aegean poet, «language is a carrier of ethos which, if you disobey him, you will be punished».