What Language Did Jesus Speak?

What Language Did Jesus Speak?

Most biblical scholars say that in the Bible, Jesus Christ spoke in Aramaic. Mel Gibson also used Aramaic in the film ‘Passion of the Christ.’ However, not all words of the Aramaic language could be found in the first century. (What Language Did Jesus Speak)

The language Jesus used in his home must have been Aramaic. But it is important to note that the province of Palestine, while an integral part of the Roman Empire at the time Jesus set foot on earth, was also under the rule of various Greek empires starting with Alexander the Great. 

Because of this, Greek was widely used and was the main language of markets and trade. Jesus could easily have used a version of the Greek known as koine.

In addition, he could at least have some knowledge of Latin which was the primary language of law and government in the Roman Empire.

In Which Language Did Jesus Speak?

Tom de Castella says that many languages ​​are spoken in the places where Jesus lived, so the question is which language he knew. There has also been a dispute between Benjamin Netanyahu and Pope Francis on this issue once.

Netanyahu told the pope at a public meeting in Jerusalem, “Jesus lived here, and he spoke Hebrew Language.” The pope interrupted him and said, “Aramaic Language.“

Netanyahu responded by saying, “He spoke Aramaic, but knew Hebrew.“

What Language Did Jesus Speak According To Biblical Scholars?

“Both the Pope and the Israeli prime minister are right,” says Dr. Sebastian Brock, a retired Aramaic reader at the University of Oxford. But Netanyahu needs to clarify.

Hebrew was the language of scholars and scriptures, but the everyday language of Jesus Christ must have been Aramaic.“

Most biblical scholars say that in the Bible, Jesus Christ spoke in Aramaic Language.

Mel Gibson also used Aramaic language in the film ‘Passion of the Christ. However, not all words of the Aramaic language could be found in the first century. Many of the words in its script are from the Aramaic language used in later centuries.

Arabic did not reach Palestine until later, but Greek and Latin were common languages ​​at the time of Christ.

What Language Was The Bible Written In?

God had commanded Moses to write the first recorded biblical text, “And the Lord said to Moses, Write these words; For according to these words I make a covenant with you and with Israel” (Exodus 34:27). And Moses wrote in his native language, called Hebrew. 

Aramaic is one of the groups of languages ​​known as the Jewish languages ​​spoken in that part of the world called Mesopotamia. His alphabet had 22 letters, all consonants.

During the thousand years after its creation, almost the entire Old Testament was written in Hebrew. But some chapters in the prophecies of Ezra and Daniel and a verse in Jeremiah were written in a language called Aramaic. 

This language became very popular in the ancient world and, in fact, displaced many other languages. Even Aramaic became the common language spoken in Israel during Jesus’ time and was probably spoken day today. Gospel writers also used some Aramaic words in the New Testament.

The New Testament was written in Greek. Greek was the language of scholars during the years of the New Testament’s creation, from AD 50 to 100. Many Jews could no longer even read Hebrew. 

Therefore, the Old Testament was translated from Aramaic into Greek around 300 BCE, and it was completed around 200 BCE. Gradually this Greek translation of the Old Testament, called the Septuagint, was widely accepted and even used in many synagogues.

The Christian New Testament books are widely written in some Greek, even though some authors often included translations of Hebrew and Aramaic texts. koine Greek was the popular form of Greek, which emerged in post-classical antiquity (c. 300 BC – 300 AD), and marks the third period in the history of the Greek language.

FAQ What Language Did Jesus Speak?