What Language(s) Did Jesus Speak and Why Does It Matter?

markdroberts.com ^ | February 2004 (updated 2/2007) | Mark D. Roberts

[Nikas777]

What Language(s) Did Jesus Speak and Why Does It Matter?

by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts February 2004 (updated 2/2007)

Copyright © 2004 by Mark D. Roberts Note: You may download this resource at no cost, for personal use or for use in a Christian ministry, as long as you are not publishing it for sale. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due. For all other uses, please contact me at mark@markdroberts.com. Thank you.

Part 1: Introduction

Although responses to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ movie varied widely, every viewer was struck by the fact that not one word of English was spoken in the film. All dialogue was in one of two ancient languages, Aramaic or Latin. Without the English subtitles, most of us wouldn't have been able to understand a word in The Passion of the Christ .

I expect that many people who aw this movie wondered about its odd languages. What is Aramaic, anyway? Was this really the primary language of Jesus? Didn't he speak Hebrew? And, since the New Testament gospels were written in Greek, is there any reason to believe that Jesus also spoke Greek?

These questions are not merely matters of intellectual curiosity, however. Knowing something about the language (or languages) of Jesus will do much more than help you win a game of Trivial Pursuit. In fact this knowledge opens up new windows of understanding into the world and ministry of Jesus.

In my next few posts I will address the questions: What language(s) did Jesus speak and why does it matter? But before I begin to address these questions, I want to begin by saying something that seems so obvious that it doesn't need to be said. Are you ready? Jesus didn't speak English.

[Stat-boy]

“Are you ready? Jesus didn’t speak English.”

Anybody see My Fair Lady or Pygmalion? I always laugh at the Higgens line, and I find myself to be one of the very few in the theater who is laughing at that time.

“”Remember that you are a human being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech: that your native language is the language of Shakespeare and Milton and The Bible; and don’t sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon.”

— Henry Higgins

[Nikas777]

I personally believe that concentrating on matters like this, takes away from the message of WHAT He spoke and not HOW He spoke it.

Then view this as a discussion on history over theology as I do.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Ahem, evangelicals and Protestants (generally believing in the divine inspiration of the original gospel manuscripts) talk about the GREEK not the Latin for “rock.”

[houeto]

he missed two He’s.

[Nikas777]

Scholars thing that the New testament was not translated that it was written in Greek from the start in some cases by fluent speakers in other cases by someone who spoke Greek as badly Ricky Ricardo spoke English. Sorry, for the imagery. I don’t know how but scholars can detect in the word choices someone struggling to find the correct word in Greek from Aramaic.

[colorado tanker]

Very interesting. Thanks!

[Nikas777]

Google "Julius Caesar Kai sy, teknon?" for sources. Here is one http://www.calvin.edu/weblogs/language/comments/hit_the_links/ The famous event that occurred on the Ides of March is of course the assassination of Julius Caesar, and the linguistic event associated with this is the utterance of Caesar’s final words: Et tu, Brute! “You too, Brutus!”. In fact, it may well be that Caesar never uttered these words. As I mentioned in my discussion of The Passion, upper class Romans all knew Greek well. Speeches in the Senate were made in Latin, but ordinary conversation, especially among intimates such as Caesar and Brutus, is believed often to have been in Greek. If Caesar actually said what is attributed to him, the words he used may well have been: καὶ σὺ τέκνον [kai sy, teknon].

[Nikas777]

Fair point.

[Patrick1]

I don’t mean to say that the Bible was translated into Greek but much of it was written in Greek, though not all, Hebrews in the New Testament and all of the Torah (Old Testament).

My point is that the issue we have now is the translation from the original languages into English. Which has nothing to do with what language Jesus spoke.

[Nikas777]

Understood.

[colorado tanker]

I'm trying to remember how it was handled in the series “Rome.” I think he just said it in English, as all the dialog was in English.

[mdmathis6]

Latin,Aramaic and Greek...since Greek was the international “working language” at the time...

We know Christ spoke at least latin or greek because he was able to speak with Roman soldiers, telling them to be “content with their wages” and of course held a conversation with Pilate as well as healing the centurian’s servant.

[lawdave]

The message is clear in whatever language

The larger message is clear perhaps. But I have participated in a lot of threads where it was plain that the message wasn't clear at all.If it was we would all have the same understanding

[massgopguy]

I is a J in Aramaic. Ask Indiana Jones.

[lawdave]

talk about the GREEK not the Latin for “rock.”

I concede the point, but it doesn't change the argument. My Catholicism was showing a little on that one.

[Nikas777]

That was a good bloody show (they changed some history around but the street level history looked authentic enough).

[BibChr]

Plus, Jesus grew up in Galilee, an area with a heavy Gentile presence; and many of His little turns of phrase wouldn’t have been possible in Aramaic.

So, if you want to go with what we have over against what we don’t have... go, Greek.

[mdmathis6]

Except when Christ states that he was “alpha and omega”, he himself translates the meaning as “first and last”. It dovetails real nicely with John Chapter 1....”In the beginning was the word(logos)....”

Christ was around at the beginning and he’ll be around at the end...and he’ll be around always!

[Nikas777]

All good points.

[Nikas777]

Yes to all you aid but I am wondering if he is saying exactly what you said but in such a way that is prophetic on a dual level?

Please understand I was only speculating and basing this on my own thinking. Your description is the correct one per scholars and theologians.