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Linguistics, which means the study of language, is a fascinating aspect of World history.  A language is essential to the progress and survival of a society - the better the language, the more successful the society becomes.  Cultures having only primitive languages could not survive against rival groups having more powerful languages.  Language expresses and communicates ideas, and facilitates the trade that brings wealth to a civilization.  Observe for yourself how difficult it is, if not impossible, to think about and remember an idea without a term to express it.   

Linguistics, which means the study of language, is a fascinating aspect of World history.  A language is essential to the progress and survival of a society - the better the language, the more successful the society becomes.  Cultures having only primitive languages could not survive against rival groups having more powerful languages.  Language expresses and communicates ideas, and facilitates the trade that brings wealth to a civilization.  Observe for yourself how difficult it is, if not impossible, to think about and remember an idea without a term to express it.   

All languages develop based on common and basic aspects of life, such as terms  needed to describe food, animals, daily activities and commerce or trade (like the word "coin").  But much more is needed in language in order to express the intangibles, such as religious concepts.  Christianity could not develop and spread without a language capable of communicating its concepts.  Had Christ come into this world in 2000 or 1000 B.C., would there have been a language powerful enough to express His ideas?  Probably not.  Notice that even Ancient Hebrew lacked vowels, and most non-Hebrew languages were very primitive.   

All languages develop based on common and basic aspects of life, such as terms  needed to describe food, animals, daily activities and commerce or trade (like the word "coin").  But much more is needed in language in order to express the intangibles, such as religious concepts.  Christianity could not develop and spread without a language capable of communicating its concepts.  Had Christ come into this world in 2000 or 1000 B.C., would there have been a language powerful enough to express His ideas?  Probably not.  Notice that Ancient Hebrew lacked vowels, and most non-Hebrew languages were very primitive.   

An example of a concept that Jesus needed to express was the "Holy Spirit."  Almost no language can convey the full meaning of this concept.  The Greek words "pneuma" (wind or breath) and "paraclete" (advocate or one who consoles) are what the Gospel of John uses, and those words capture the guiding, driving force of the Holy Spirit.  The English word "spirit" fails to convey the full meaning of the Greek.  Most languages in the world have smaller vocabularies than English, and thus have even greater difficulty capturing the essence of what we call the "Holy Spirit" and other key concepts of Christianity.

An example of a concept that Jesus needed to express was the "Holy Spirit."  Almost no language can convey the full meaning of this concept.  The Greek words "pneuma" (wind or breath) and "paraclete" (advocate or one who consoles) are what the Gospel of John uses, and those words capture the guiding, driving force of the Holy Spirit.  The English word "spirit" fails to convey the full meaning of the Greek.  Most languages in the world have smaller vocabularies than English, and thus have even greater difficulty capturing the essence of what we call the "Holy Spirit" and other key concepts of Christianity.

=== Did Jesus Preach in Greek? ===

=== Did Jesus Preach in Greek? ===

The traditional view is that Jesus and the Apostles spoke in Aramaic, the colloquial language of that region and time.  Many of Jesus' sayings are quoted directly in Aramaic, including Talitha cum, which means, "Little girl, get up!" (Mark 5:41). Also, Abba ("Father"; Mark 14:36; Gal.4:6; Rom.8:15); Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"; Mark 15:34); Cephas ("Peter"; John 1:42); Mammon ("Wealth"; Matt.6:24, RSV); Raca ("Fool"; Matt. 5:22, RSV).  Linguists can even pinpoint Jesus' dialect to be western Aramaic associated with Galilee, rather than the Aramaic dialect spoken in Jerusalem.  But notice how these Aramaic sayings were not part of His teachings, but were less formal, or names, or even emotional utterances.

The traditional view is that Jesus and the Apostles spoke in Aramaic, the colloquial language of that region and time.  Many of Jesus' sayings are quoted directly in Aramaic, including Talitha cum, which means, "Little girl, get up!" (Mark 5:41). Also, Abba ("Father"; Mark 14:36; Gal.4:6; Rom.8:15); Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"; Mark 15:34); Cephas ("Peter"; John 1:42); Mammon ("Wealth"; Matt.6:24, RSV); Raca ("Fool"; Matt. 5:22, RSV).  Linguists can even pinpoint Jesus' dialect to be western Aramaic associated with Galilee, rather than the Aramaic dialect spoken in Jerusalem.  But notice how these Aramaic sayings were not part of His teachings, but were less formal emotional utterances (or a name).

For teaching purposes, the powerful Greek language would have been useful.  Greek was in common use by Jewish people in Palestine, thanks in part to the conquest by Alexander the Great.  Greek was even widely used in Jewish ossuaries to bury the dead.  Commerce took place often in Greek, and Jesus had been in business as a carpenter.  He surely knew the language.  Several of the key terms, such as Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees as "hypocrites", is derived directly from Greek without any comparable term in Aramaic or Hebrew.  Several of the Apostles had Greek names (e.g., Andrew and Philip), but others, like John, Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas, had Aramaic or Hebrew names. There has been no discovered book in the New Testament written in Aramaic or Hebrew that predates the Greek versions. The Gospel of John even seems to take advantage of the Greek "Socratic method" in repeating questions and then providing the important information as answers to the questions.<ref>For example, John 3:4 states, “How can a man be born again?  Is it even possible?”  (Answer, yes, by the Spirit and water.  John 3:5-8).</ref>  One website provides an interesting presentation of the view that Jesus taught in Greek.<ref>See, e.g., http://www.triumphpro.com/did_jesus_and_the_apostles_speak_greek.htm</ref>

For teaching purposes, the powerful Greek language would have been useful.  Greek was in common use by Jewish people in Palestine, thanks in part to the conquest by Alexander the Great.  Greek was even widely used in Jewish ossuaries to bury the dead.  Commerce took place often in Greek, and Jesus had been in business as a carpenter.  He surely knew the language.  Several of the key terms, such as Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees as "hypocrites", is derived directly from Greek without any comparable term in Aramaic or Hebrew.  Several of the Apostles had Greek names (e.g., Andrew and Philip), but others, like John, Bartholomew, Matthew, and Thomas, had Aramaic or Hebrew names. There has been no discovered book in the New Testament written in Aramaic or Hebrew that predates the Greek versions. The Gospel of John even seems to take advantage of the Greek "Socratic method" in repeating questions and then providing the important information as answers to the questions.<ref>For example, John 3:4 states, “How can a man be born again?  Is it even possible?”  (Answer, yes, by the Spirit and water.  John 3:5-8).</ref>

Here is a comparison of Greek and English:

Here is a comparison of Greek and English:

=== Alexander the Great ===

=== Alexander the Great ===

Alexander the Great had benefited from homeschooling while growing up:  Philip II arranged for Aristotle to tutor him, and as a result Alexander became the greatest military leader of all time. We could say that Alexander was homeschooled by this extraordinary tutor! '''Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), as he is known, came closer to conquering the entire world than anyone else before or since'''.  He mapped out his battles with logical precision and never lost a single one.  He went to sleep at night with Aristotle's marked-up copy of the ''Iliad'', the great work of Greek literature, under his pillow.  He treated his conquered peoples better than Aristotle would have, because Aristotle advised Alexander to treat them like animals.   

Alexander the Great had benefited from homeschooling while growing up:  Philip II arranged for Aristotle to tutor him, and as a result Alexander became the greatest military leader of all time.  '''Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), as he is known, came closer to conquering the entire world than anyone else before or since'''.  He mapped out his battles with logical precision and never lost a single one.  He went to sleep at night with Aristotle's marked-up copy of the ''Iliad'', the great work of Greek literature, under his pillow.  He treated his conquered peoples better than Aristotle would have, because Aristotle advised Alexander to treat them like animals.   

Alexander the Great personally traveled over 22,000 miles with his troops and often knew the foreign terrain better than his enemies who lived there.  He defeated the most feared empires the world had known and expanded the Hellenistic empire from Persia to Egypt to India, before dying from swamp fever (perhaps malaria) at the young age of 33.  The world would never be the same again.

Alexander the Great personally traveled over 22,000 miles with his troops and often knew the foreign terrain better than his enemies who lived there.  He defeated the most feared empires the world had known and expanded the Hellenistic empire from Persia to Egypt to India, before dying from swamp fever (perhaps malaria) at the young age of 33.  The world would never be the same again.

In a mere four years (334-331 B.C.), Alexander conquered the greatest empire in the history of the world so far:  the Persian empire led by Persian king Darius III.  The Persian armies were far superior to Alexander's army, but Alexander was a brilliant, ferocious and unrelenting military leader.  King Darius III even offered half of the Persian empire and even his daughter's hand in marriage to Alexander in exchange for peace.  Alexander refused and proceeded to completely destroy the Persian army -- capturing every one of its empire's vast treasures!  Darius was then assassinated by one of his own guards, and Alexander became ruler of Persia.  Alexander did not stop there.

In a mere four years (334-331 B.C.), Alexander conquered the greatest empire in the history of the world until then:  the Persian empire led by Persian king Darius III.  The Persian armies were far superior to Alexander's army, but Alexander was a brilliant, ferocious and unrelenting military leader.  King Darius III offered half of the Persian empire and even his daughter's hand in marriage to Alexander in exchange for peace.  Alexander refused and proceeded to completely destroy the Persian army -- capturing every one of its empire's vast treasures!  Darius was then assassinated by one of his own guards, and Alexander became ruler of Persia.  Alexander did not stop there.

There are numerous fascinating stories told about Alexander the Great.  Many consider him to have been the finest military leader ever.  Illustrating Alexander's approach, legend tells the story of how Alexander confronted a huge "Gordian knot," a massive tangle of rope wrapped too tightly for anyone to unravel.  Alexander and was told that whoever could unravel the knot would rule the world.  Alexander supposedly drew his sword and sliced the Gordian knot in half, and proceeded on his way.   

There are numerous fascinating stories told about Alexander the Great.  Many consider him to have been the finest military leader ever.  Illustrating Alexander's approach, legend tells the story of how Alexander confronted a huge "Gordian knot," a massive tangle of rope wrapped too tightly for anyone to unravel.  Alexander and was told that whoever could unravel the knot would rule the world.  Alexander supposedly drew his sword and sliced the Gordian knot in half, and proceeded on his way.   

He surrounded himself with a staff of secretaries, philosophers and scientists, yet would also engage in drunken brawls to the point where he accidentally killed a friend who had once saved his life.  Alexander enjoyed battle himself, and would often be wounded by an enemy while leading his own soldiers.  In one conflict, Alexander even used underwater divers to defeat the enemy.  Alexander never lost a single battle, and seemed to have unlimited energy, motivation, and determination.  His work ethic was an inspiration to the world.  His vast influence but premature death at 33 has led to comparisons with Jesus Christ, though obviously they were very different from each other!  Alexander lacked any disciples to carry on after his death, unlike Jesus.

He surrounded himself with a staff of secretaries, philosophers and scientists, yet would also engage in drunken brawls to the point where he accidentally killed a friend who had once saved his life.  Alexander enjoyed battle himself, and would often be wounded by an enemy while leading his own soldiers.  In one conflict, Alexander even used underwater divers to defeat the enemy.  Alexander never lost a single battle, and seemed to have unlimited energy, motivation, and determination.  His work ethic was an inspiration to the world.  His vast influence but premature death at 33 has led to comparisons with Jesus Christ, though obviously they were very different from each other!  And unlike Jesus, Alexander lacked any disciples to carry on after his death.

Alexander's death from a fever in his capital city of Babylon in 323 B.C. marked the end of his empire, but the beginning of the great Hellenistic influence.  Seeds of Greek knowledge had been planted all around the world and were beginning to spring up everywhere.  For centuries these seeds grew and influenced cultures from Persia to Egypt to Rome.

Alexander's death from a fever in his capital city of Babylon in 323 B.C. marked the end of his empire, but the beginning of the great Hellenistic influence.  Seeds of Greek knowledge had been planted all around the world and were beginning to spring up everywhere.  For centuries these seeds grew and influenced cultures from Persia to Egypt to Rome.

Alexander's empire was too vast to survive his death, and his generals murdered the remaining members of his family.  Athens and Sparta again became independent city-states until the Roman empire conquered them.  However, what mattered was that the many thousands of Greeks who traveled with Alexander during his conquests brought their knowledge and culture to all corners of the ancient world except China.  The great ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt, showed its tribute to him by using his name.  Greek-speaking kingdoms had been established in Egypt, Syria and Iran, and the language became popular among the educated for trade in Palestine.  The post-Alexander era is known as the Hellenistic Age (232-146 B.C.)

Alexander's empire was too vast to survive his death, and his generals murdered the remaining members of his family.  But many thousands of Greeks who traveled with Alexander during his conquests brought their knowledge and culture to all corners of the ancient world except China.  The great ancient city of Alexandria, Egypt, showed its tribute to him by using his name.  Athens and Sparta again became independent city-states until the Roman empire conquered them.  Greek-speaking kingdoms were established in Egypt, Syria and Iran, and the Greek language became popular among the educated for trade in Palestine.  The post-Alexander era is known as the Hellenistic Age (232-146 B.C.)

Christianity used the Greek language to evangelize the Hellenistic world in the first century A.D.  The Greek language, culture, and advances in knowledge had prepared people well for Christianity to take root.

Christianity used the Greek language to evangelize the Hellenistic world in the first century A.D.  The Greek language, culture, and advances in knowledge had prepared people well for Christianity.

=== Greek Contributions ===

=== Greek Contributions ===