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

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

Some historians have even speculated that Jesus spoke Greek and that the Apostles may have originally written the Gospels in that language.  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 the Aramaic sayings were never part of His teachings, but were slang, names, or speech related in some way to childhood.

Some historians have speculated that Jesus taught Greek and that the Gospels were originally written in Greek rather than Aramaic.  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 the Aramaic sayings were never part of His teachings, but were slang, names, or speech related in some way to childhood or emotional utterances.

The powerful Greek language would have been useful to Jesus in teaching.  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 have Greek names (e.g., Andrew and Philip). 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>  For an interesting presentation of the view that Jesus taught in Greek, see: http://www.triumphpro.com/did_jesus_and_the_apostles_speak_greek.htm

The powerful Greek language would have very been useful to Jesus in teaching.  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 have Greek names (e.g., Andrew and Philip). 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>  For an interesting presentation of the view that Jesus taught in Greek, look at website discussing it on the internet.<ref>See, e.g., http://www.triumphpro.com/did_jesus_and_the_apostles_speak_greek.htm</ref>

'''Mystery:  Did Jesus teach in Greek?'''

'''Mystery:  Did Jesus teach in Greek?'''

Regardless of whether Jesus taught in Greek, the oldest manuscripts of the Gospels were written in Greek.  But it is a form of Greek known as “biblical Greek.” Biblical Greek is was a product of the confluence or combination of the Jewish and Greek cultures in Palestine in the 1st century A.D.  Biblical Greek is different from classical Greek that preceded it, and different from Hellenistic Greek that came later.  The New Testament has 550 Greek words that scholars could not find anywhere else, and some of the Greek syntax in the New Testament is odd.  Anti-Christians used these facts to criticize the New Testament and the religion of Christianity, and even mock us.

Regardless of whether Jesus taught in Greek, the oldest manuscripts of the Gospels were written in Greek.  But it is a form of Greek known as "biblical Greek." Biblical Greek is was a product of the confluence or combination of the Jewish and Greek cultures in Palestine in the 1st century A.D.  Biblical Greek is different from classical Greek that preceded it, and different from Hellenistic Greek that came later.  The New Testament has 550 Greek words that scholars could not find anywhere else, and some of the Greek syntax in the New Testament is odd.  Anti-Christians once used these facts to criticize the New Testament and the religion of Christianity, and even mock us.

Then in the 1800s archaeologists discovered Greek papyri manuscripts that had been buried in the hot sand in Egypt, which preserved them beautifully.  These manuscripts included all kinds of literary and legal documents, in Greek.  Nearly all of the unusual New Testament Greek words were found used in ordinary writings in these manuscripts.  After examination of these Egyptian manuscripts, the preeminent German scholar Adolf Deissmann concluded what Christians had known all along:  the New Testament was simply written in the Greek language of the common man in the 1st century A.D.

Then in the 1800s archaeologists discovered Greek papyri manuscripts that had been buried in the hot sand in Egypt, which preserved them beautifully.  These manuscripts included all kinds of literary and legal documents, in Greek.  Nearly all of the unusual New Testament Greek words were found used in ordinary writings in these manuscripts.  After examination of these Egyptian manuscripts, the preeminent German scholar Adolf Deissmann concluded what Christians had known all along:  the New Testament was written in the Greek language of the common man in the 1st century A.D., and there is nothing to criticize about it.

== The Hellenistic Age ==

== The Hellenistic Age ==