LINGUISTIC PUZZLES IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES
During Jesus’ time, four languages were spoken publicly: Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin. I highly doubt I would have survived! In and around Jerusalem (Southern Palestine), Hebrew was the primary language because the Jewish Temple was there, acting as the official center at that time. In Northern Palestine (Galilee), Aramaic was the main language, mainly because
Jewish people settled this area along with many foreigners who had returned from the Babylonian Captivity decades earlier. Samaria, situated between Southern Judea and Northern Galilee and also inhabited by refugees, was primarily composed of such people, who were considered outsiders and not truly Jewish by the more traditional Jewish population. That’s why, during the New Testament times, Samaria was seen as a separate nation from Israel. Since the entire region was occupied by Roman soldiers and “official” laws were issued in Latin, some Jewish individuals also learned Latin.
My main point is that although Hebrew was the “official” language of the Jewish people, especially in religious contexts, many also spoke Aramaic, particularly in Galilee. Additionally, since Greek had become the dominant language in the region after Alexander the Great’s campaigns, it was widely spoken. That’s why the New Testament was written in Greek—to reach a broader audience. As a result, many, if not most, people in the Holy Land spoke more than one language besides their local dialect.
All of this suggests that the writers of the New Testament chose to write in “popular” Greek, known as “koine,” meaning “common,” to reach a broader audience. In reality, it’s not unusual to find a Hebrew or even Aramaic word or two within the Greek texts. Most New Testament scholarship focuses on the Greek texts, which have been preserved, discovered, and copied many times since their original composition. Often (quite frequently, in fact), critical factual and/or theological points depend on obtaining the correct (meaning “most likely”) translation.
Furthermore, numerous copies of all New Testament writings exist, which complicates this task. Additionally, because hundreds of New Testament manuscripts exist, piecing together the text for translation into English, for example, is no small feat. Still, New Testament scholars generally agree that we can trust that the texts we have are very close to their originals. Almost none of the variations in the text are significant.
What puzzles me the most is how ordinary people in New Testament times managed to switch between multiple languages so easily. I have studied several languages to some degree, including both “Koine” and modern Greek, New Testament Greek, German, Spanish, and Finnish. Still, in most cases, I can barely understand them without substantial help. I have walked through foreign markets where it seemed like everyone was speaking a different language – and they might have been – and it was always very confusing for me. Reading and writing are one thing; speaking and listening are quite another.
Koine Greek