What language did Jesus and Pilate use?

[NotWorthy]

I’m still confused on why this is an issue. I was listening to Steve Kellmeyer last night, who is an expert on ancient Israel and early Church history. He claimed that Greek was known by the common folk and Latin was basically used for higher courts and law gatherings.

What do we know?

1. There is a reason the Jews themselves authorized the Septuagint (Hebrew Scriptures into Greek).
2. Most of the Old Testament references in the New Testament are references to the Greek Septuagint. Why would that be, unless the people were speaking in Greek?
3. Paul wrote all his Epistles in Greek, even the Epistle to the Romans (what one would consider the heart of the Latin language speaking people).
4. All the Gospels were written in Greek (except for Matthew which was written in Aramaic and Greek).

Am I still missing something here?

 

[GEddie]

We don’t know for certain which language Christ used at the Last Supper.

But wouldn’t it have been more significant if He had spoken Hebrew, since that was His worship language? Just a thought.

HE probably did use Hebrew in the Cenaculum, since this was a Jewish Passover banquet (although the form changed) and as such an item of Jewish liturgy.

That doesn’t mean HE didn’t use Greek at other times. ICXC NIKA

 

[GEddie]

I’m still confused on why this is an issue.

Well, people just want to figure out what we can about our LORD’s life, given we are denied to know HIM as a physical human being.

I was listening to Steve Kellmeyer last night, who is an expert on ancient Israel and early Church history. He claimed that Greek was known by the common folk and Latin was basically used for higher courts and law gatherings.

What do we know?

1. There is a reason the Jews themselves authorized the Septuagint (Hebrew Scriptures into Greek).
2. Most of the Old Testament references in the New Testament are references to the Greek Septuagint. Why would that be, unless the people were speaking in Greek?
3. Paul wrote all his Epistles in Greek, even the Epistle to the Romans (what one would consider the heart of the Latin language speaking people).
4. All the Gospels were written in Greek (except for Matthew which was written in Aramaic and Greek).

Am I still missing something here?

 

[steve53]

Paul was half-Greek, moved to Jerusalem early in life from the Syrian-Greek town of Tarsus, and returned to the Greek world to evangelize. He knew Greek and would have written his letters in Greek. Likewise, the early Christian writers were centered in the Greek world, and not Jerusalem.

At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, the Syrian Greeks and the Jews were bitter enemies, with frequent clashes in the countryside. It is doubtful that the Jews of the Second Temple period would have embraced the Greek culture to the point of bothering to learn its language, or speak it, or use it for the writing down important information. The Greeks were pagans who worshiped many gods. The Jews, on the other hand, not only worshiped the one true God, but were God’s chosen people. Latin had to be learned, as the Temple Priests were beholden to the Roman Empire for their powers.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

I was considering the meeting of Jesus with Pontius Pilate and wondered what language they used. The dialogue sounds too brisk to have been uttered through an interpreter, so we are left with Latin, which humanly Jesus probably did not know, or Aramaic, probably unintelligible to Pilate, or Greek.
Has anyone any ideas on this?

They may have used an interpreter. To write the Gospel, someone had to know what was said, particularly when Pilate interviewed Christ privately before sending Him off to Herod.

Now unless Christ later told the Gospel writer what was said, it is very unlikely Pilate related the story. So either Chirst told the disciples Himself, or there was an interpreter or someone else who had connections both to Pilate and the disciples.

 

[NotWorthy]

Paul was half-Greek, moved to Jerusalem early in life from the Syrian-Greek town of Tarsus, and returned to the Greek world to evangelize. He knew Greek and would have written his letters in Greek. Likewise, the early Christian writers were centered in the Greek world, and not Jerusalem.

At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, the Syrian Greeks and the Jews were bitter enemies, with frequent clashes in the countryside. It is doubtful that the Jews of the Second Temple period would have embraced the Greek culture to the point of bothering to learn its language, or speak it, or use it for the writing down important information. The Greeks were pagans who worshiped many gods. The Jews, on the other hand, not only worshiped the one true God, but were God’s chosen people. Latin had to be learned, as the Temple Priests were beholden to the Roman Empire for their powers.

And yet James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, considered by many to be an ex-Pharisee, writes his Epistle in… Greek.

And yet Jews came from all across the known world three times a year to attend the three big Jewish Festivals.

And yet Jesus quoted from the Greek Septuagint, what, 90% of the time?

 

[GEddie]

Paul was half-Greek, moved to Jerusalem early in life from the Syrian-Greek town of Tarsus, and returned to the Greek world to evangelize. He knew Greek and would have written his letters in Greek. Likewise, the early Christian writers were centered in the Greek world, and not Jerusalem.

Not surprising given that the Christian community left Jerusalem in AD 69 and probably would not have returned to the wrecked city for many years afterward.

At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, the Syrian Greeks and the Jews were bitter enemies, with frequent clashes in the countryside. It is doubtful that the Jews of the Second Temple period would have embraced the Greek culture to the point of bothering to learn its language, or speak it,

Conditions in Jerusalem were probably different to those in the Galilee, about 100 km from there. The synagogue in Capharnaum had Greek inscriptions in its stone, even though it was built in the 100s, directly atop remnants from AD70, a place and time when antagonism between Jews and Greeks would be stronger than ever. If even under those conditions, Greek was used in building a synagogue, it would certainly be used by citizens there long before the conflict even happened. This was an international area, more than Jerusalem, and our LORD would have learned all of the lingo while living HIS youth there. HE certainly had the head for it

or use it for the writing down important information. The Greeks were pagans who worshiped many gods. The Jews, on the other hand, not only worshiped the one true God, but were God’s chosen people. Latin had to be learned, as the Temple Priests were beholden to the Roman Empire for their powers.

The creation of the Greek LXX shows that there were enough Jews speaking Greek that some of the leadership would need to as well.

ICXC NIKA

 

[patrick457]

And yet James, the Bishop of Jerusalem, considered by many to be an ex-Pharisee, writes his Epistle in… Greek.

And yet Jews came from all across the known world three times a year to attend the three big Jewish Festivals.

Not to mention that a few Greek fragments were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Based from the catalogue in Geza Vermes’ The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, with one addition:

Cave 4 (4Q)

119=LXXLeva - Greek Leviticus
120=LXXLevb - Greek Leviticus
121=LXXNum - Greek Numbers
122=LXXDeut - Greek Deuteronomy
126=Unid gr - Unidentified Greek fragments
127=papPara Ex gr - Greek parabibl. Exodus fragments

350=Cereal gr - Account of cereal in Greek

Cave 7 (7Q)

1=papLXXEx - Greek Exodus
2=papLXXEpJer - Greek Epistle of Jeremiah
3-5=papGrBibFrs.? - Unidentified Greek Biblical fragments?
[4, 8, 11-14=papEn gr - Greek Enoch]
19=Grimpr - Imprints of Greek papyrus on plaster

I think we should also add to the list 8HevXIIgr, a 1st century BC scroll of the Minor Prophets (Habakkuk 1:11-Zephaniah 3:7) in Greek found in the Cave of Horror in Nahal Hever.

And yet Jesus quoted from the Greek Septuagint, what, 90% of the time?

Well, we don’t know about that. He could have either easily been (1) quoting from the textual variant that was the basis of the Septuagint or (2) the Evangelists just went down the convenient route and used the preexisting LXX for many instances when Jesus quotes Scripture.

 

[NotWorthy]

Well, we don’t know about that. He could have either easily been (1) quoting from the textual variant that was the basis of the Septuagint or (2) the Evangelists just went down the convenient route and used the preexisting LXX for many instances when Jesus quotes Scripture.

… which would only strengthen the point that Greek was the “language du jour”.

 

[steve53]

I think this thread is running out of steam, but one last post for me.

I am basing my opinion on what Josephus wrote about those times- which he lived through. And, as I said before, Josephus, in writing Wars, spent a lot of time learning Greek to a sufficient degree in order to produce an adequate translation of his great work. And Josephus was an aristocratic priest of the Second Temple who was on the fast track to power before the revolt. Greek was a disdained language.

Josephus documents many bloody confrontations between the Greek-Syrians and the Jews. When the Romans were initially run out of Judea by the Zealots in A.D. 66, the first thing the Priesthood did was to appoint generals to form a Jewish army. Josephus was one of those generals. One of the most important functions of that army- if not the most important- was to protect Jewish populations in Galilean towns that had dominant Greek-Syrian populations. The Greeks were taking the opportunity of no Roman soldiers to attack the Jewish enclaves!

And, as I said, Jewish culture was antithetical to Greek culture. Earlier, devout Jews tried to assassinate Herod the Great when he built an amphitheater near Jerusalem and started to put on Greek plays there! The Jews thought plays, and sports, and gladiatorial
contests were sacrilegious.

As for Capernaum, it was a far-eastern town located on the northern shores of the Galilee in Herod Antipas’ domain. Strategically, it was perfect for Jesus. Just to the east was the former kingdom of Herod Philip, who died in early A.D. 34 and whose lands were then under the direct control of the Roman President of Syria. Also, by boat, Jesus would have an easy escape route to the eastern Galilee cities of the Decapolis- probably several still remain to be discovered. Pompey, as an aside, set up the Decapolis in 62 B.C. recognizing the animosity that existed between the Jews and the Greek-Syrians.

All of Jesus’ discples were full-blooded Jews, and even living in Capernaum, close to the Decapolis, there was little cultural mixing. Jesus, of course, grew up in Nazareth, and likely worked in Sepphoris. Latin, and not Greek, is the second language he would have known the best (third, assuming Jesus knew Hebrew as well as Aramaic). The best evidence for Jesus speaking fluent Greek is the mysterious presence of two Greeks at the Passover of Jesus’ crucifixion, in the book of John. But, also in the bible, Jesus preaches to a Roman centurion, who knew Latin (of course, there were probably a lot of Greeks in the Roman army as well).

But Joseph lived in those times, and what he writes should not be discounted. All the ancient physical evidence that has been brought out in this thread is, in my opinion, contentious and open to debate as to origins.

 

[NotWorthy]

I think this thread is running out of steam, but one last post for me.

I am basing my opinion on what Josephus wrote about those times- which he lived through. And, as I said before, Josephus, in writing Wars, spent a lot of time learning Greek to a sufficient degree in order to produce an adequate translation of his great work. And Josephus was an aristocratic priest of the Second Temple who was on the fast track to power before the revolt. Greek was a disdained language.

Josephus documents many bloody confrontations between the Greek-Syrians and the Jews. When the Romans were initially run out of Judea by the Zealots in A.D. 66, the first thing the Priesthood did was to appoint generals to form a Jewish army. Josephus was one of those generals. One of the most important functions of that army- if not the most important- was to protect Jewish populations in Galilean towns that had dominant Greek-Syrian populations. The Greeks were taking the opportunity of no Roman soldiers to attack the Jewish enclaves!

And, as I said, Jewish culture was antithetical to Greek culture. Earlier, devout Jews tried to assassinate Herod the Great when he built an amphitheater near Jerusalem and started to put on Greek plays there! The Jews thought plays, and sports, and gladiatorial
contests were sacrilegious.

As for Capernaum, it was a far-eastern town located on the northern shores of the Galilee in Herod Antipas’ domain. Strategically, it was perfect for Jesus. Just to the east was the former kingdom of Herod Philip, who died in early A.D. 34 and whose lands were then under the direct control of the Roman President of Syria. Also, by boat, Jesus would have an easy escape route to the eastern Galilee cities of the Decapolis- probably several still remain to be discovered. Pompey, as an aside, set up the Decapolis in 62 B.C. recognizing the animosity that existed between the Jews and the Greek-Syrians.

All of Jesus’ discples were full-blooded Jews, and even living in Capernaum, close to the Decapolis, there was little cultural mixing. Jesus, of course, grew up in Nazareth, and likely worked in Sepphoris. Latin, and not Greek, is the second language he would have known the best (third, assuming Jesus knew Hebrew as well as Aramaic). The best evidence for Jesus speaking fluent Greek is the mysterious presence of two Greeks at the Passover of Jesus’ crucifixion, in the book of John. But, also in the bible, Jesus preaches to a Roman centurion, who knew Latin (of course, there were probably a lot of Greeks in the Roman army as well).

But Joseph lived in those times, and what he writes should not be discounted. All the ancient physical evidence that has been brought out in this thread is, in my opinion, contentious and open to debate as to origins.

Don’t forget the “Letter to the Hebrews” is written in Hebrew or Aramaic? No. Greek.

Regarding the comment on the Jews disdain for everything Greek. This feeling was probably more intent in the 60’s for numerous Greek cities witnessed clashes between the Jews and the Gentiles. In Caesarea, for example, some 20,000 Jews were killed by the Gentiles. This event help trigger the Jewish War.

 

[patrick457]

I think this thread is running out of steam, but one last post for me.

I am basing my opinion on what Josephus wrote about those times- which he lived through. And, as I said before, Josephus, in writing Wars, spent a lot of time learning Greek to a sufficient degree in order to produce an adequate translation of his great work. And Josephus was an aristocratic priest of the Second Temple who was on the fast track to power before the revolt. Greek was a disdained language.

Again, Josephus:

For those of my own nation freely acknowledge that I far exceed them in the learning belonging to Jews; I have also taken a great deal of pains to obtain the learning of the Greeks, and understand the elements of the Greek language, although I have so long accustomed myself to speak our own tongue, that I cannot pronounce Greek with sufficient exactness; for our nation does not encourage those that learn the languages of many nations, and so adorn their discourses with the smoothness of their periods; because they look upon this sort of accomplishment as common, not only to all sorts of free-men, but to as many of the servants as please to learn them. But they give him the testimony of being a wise man who is fully acquainted with our laws, and is able to interpret their meaning; on which account, as there have been many who have done their endeavors with great patience to obtain this learning, there have yet hardly been so many as two or three that have succeeded therein, who were immediately well rewarded for their pains.

Josephus documents many bloody confrontations between the Greek-Syrians and the Jews. When the Romans were initially run out of Judea by the Zealots in A.D. 66, the first thing the Priesthood did was to appoint generals to form a Jewish army. Josephus was one of those generals. One of the most important functions of that army- if not the most important- was to protect Jewish populations in Galilean towns that had dominant Greek-Syrian populations. The Greeks were taking the opportunity of no Roman soldiers to attack the Jewish enclaves!

Ironic then how it was the Romans - three legions, at least! - who sacked Yodfat (aka Jotapata, Yodefat) where Josephus was, resulting in what was the second bloodiest battle of the revolt, surpassed only by the sacking of Jerusalem, and the longest bar Jerusalem and Masada. During the siege, 40,000 Jews were killed, 1,200 women and children were enslaved, and Yodfat was burned and razed to the ground.

Judaea had been a troubled region throughout the first century, torn between different religious sects, struggling to fit into the Roman system and subject to Roman procurators who were often corrupt and repressive. A major rebellion finally erupted in AD 66 and a rebel government established in Jerusalem. When Cestius Gallus, the legate of Syria, failed to take Jerusalem and was then ambushed at Beth Horon, the rebellion spread into the kingdom of Agrippa II, including the Galilee.
Nero called upon Vespasian, a distinguished veteran of the conquest of Britannia, to suppress the rebellion. In April 67 Vespasian, accompanied by legions X Fretensis and V Macedonica, landed at Ptolemais, where he was joined by Titus, who had arrived from Alexandria at the head of Legio XV Apollinaris, and by the armies of various local allies including that of king Agrippa II. Fielding more than 60,000 soldiers, Vespasian proceeded with an invasion of the Galilee.
The Jews had failed to establish an effective field army and Vespasian’s campaign was therefore dominated by sieges. The rebel government in Jerusalem had assigned command of both Galilee and the Golan to Josephus who (according to himself), had prior to the Roman invasion fortified 19 of the most important towns of the region, including Yodfat. After a failed attempt to confront the Roman army at Sepphoris, Josephus had retired to Tiberias, but soon established himself at Yodfat, drawing the Roman legions to the town.

 

[patrick457]

Sorry if I can’t reply to all of your post right now, as I’m rather short of time. I’ll save that for later.

All of Jesus’ discples were full-blooded Jews, and even living in Capernaum, close to the Decapolis, there was little cultural mixing.

Well, we don’t know where they all came from. We only know that four of the disciples (Peter, Andrew, the sons of Zebedee) do come from Capharnaum, but the others’ native towns were not specified. That being said, I did notice that a couple of Jesus’ disciples have names of Greek origin: Andrew (Andreas, in turn from Greek andros, “male”), and Philip (Philippos).

Jesus, of course, grew up in Nazareth, and likely worked in Sepphoris. Latin, and not Greek, is the second language he would have known the best (third, assuming Jesus knew Hebrew as well as Aramaic). The best evidence for Jesus speaking fluent Greek is the mysterious presence of two Greeks at the Passover of Jesus’ crucifixion, in the book of John. But, also in the bible, Jesus preaches to a Roman centurion, who knew Latin (of course, there were probably a lot of Greeks in the Roman army as well).

This is where you must remember that the Roman Army (more specifically, the Auxiliaries) often recruited men who were free provincial subjects of the Roman Empire who did not hold Roman citizenship to fill in their ranks - the peregrini. Auxiliary regiments were often stationed in provinces other than the province in which they were originally raised, both for reasons of imperial security and to foster the process of Romanisation and integration of the provinces.

One major point is that the Roman soldiers in the Holy Land and mentioned in the Bible were probably all auxiliaries, not legionaries. Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth was a client kingdom, ruled by Herod the Great under Rome’s authority. He probably had his own troops for security and general military needs, though Rome may have sent him temporary reinforcements when necessary. Some thirty years later, Judaea had become an equestrian province with Pontius Pilate as the current prefect. He was of equestrian rank, not a senator, and therefore was not of high enough status to command a legion. So his garrison was composed of auxiliary troops, with the nearest legions being stationed in Syria. There may have been a few small details of legionaries or lone centurions on detatched duty here and there, but their tasks would not have had anything to do with the day to day operations in Judea.

This is my opinion, is also what is meant when you talk about the animosity between the Syrians and the Jews: there is a reference in the Bible to “the Italian Cohort”, apparently Cohors II Italica, composed (unlike most other auxiliary units) of actual Roman citizens from Italy. There is some evidence that the cohort in garrison at Jerusalem was a cohors equitata, with both infantry and cavalry. Most of the troops besides the Italians would have been Syrians or other local, Greek-speaking peregrini. Some centurions may have been transferred from the legions as a means of promotion. None of these soldiers would have been overly friendly or sympathetic towards the Jews.

But Joseph lived in those times, and what he writes should not be discounted. All the ancient physical evidence that has been brought out in this thread is, in my opinion, contentious and open to debate as to origins.

Correct. But we should also weigh what Josephus says with other sources.

 

[steve53]

I don’t why you keep quoting Josephus. He didn’t know Greek well at all. What’s the problem? And it is unbelievable that devout Jews of the Second Temple period would have their ossuary boxes engraved with their names in Greek.

Certainly the Jewish armies fought the Romans when they invaded, but before they did Josephus was instructed to protect the Jewish populations in the Galilee and adjoining lands from the Greek-Syrians. It’s in his autobiography.

One of the areas where Josephus can be questioned is on his use of very large numbers. Did three million Jews visit Jerusalem for the Passover of A.D. 66?! Jerusalem, at the time, was thought to have a population of only 50,000. And I have been to the site of Jotapata in northern Israel. That forty thousand people could have fit in that area, even assuming a 50 percent erosion factor, is, frankly, beyond belief.

Actually, Hagan in “Year of the Passover” addresses this conundrum. Using the three different translations of the Testimonium Flavianum (sp?)- including one second hand report of an ARABIC translation of Antiquities (original lost), “10,000 miracles” in the accepted translation becomes “a multitude of miracles” (or words to that effect, I forget exactly) in another. There could have been a mistranslation where an expression of a large number- like 100, possibly- became 1000.

Now FOUR thousand people I could very easily believe could have perished in Jotapata, though it would have been a crowded city. And it was, as it was a stronghold Jewish city when the rest of the western Galilee was being overrun by the Romans.

 

[NoelFitz]

After 73 posts we are wandering from the point. Le us get back to basics.

Q: What language did Jesus and Pilate use?

A: Greek.

 

[patrick457]

I don’t why you keep quoting Josephus. He didn’t know Greek well at all. What’s the problem?

Good morning! I admit I’m not feeling very well recently (with a cold and all), so sorry in advance if my reply becomes rather snappish.

Well, leaving aside Jewish War (Ἰουδαϊκοῦ πόλεμος, Bellum Judaicum) in what languages do you suggest Josephus wrote his works - say, Antiquities of the Jews, Against Apion, and his autobiography?

And it is unbelievable that devout Jews of the Second Temple period would have their ossuary boxes engraved with their names in Greek.

Well, since one study estimates that at least a third out of extant ossuaries and grave stelae in Jerusalem alone from the period that have inscriptions are in Greek (partly explained by the presence of Hellenistic Jews and proselytes in the holy city, but not totally), I guess we can now pin how many devout - native! - people there were. Add to that the Theodotus inscription and the Temple warning.

Certainly the Jewish armies fought the Romans when they invaded, but before they did Josephus was instructed to protect the Jewish populations in the Galilee and adjoining lands from the Greek-Syrians. It’s in his autobiography.

But, upon his coming and fighting, he was beaten, and a great many of those that were with him fell. And this disgrace which Gessius [with Cestius] received, became the calamity of our whole nation; for those that were fond of the war were so far elevated with this success, that they had hopes of finally conquering the Romans. Of which war another occasion was ministered; which was this: - Those that dwelt in the neighboring cities of Syria seized upon such Jews as dwelt among them, with their wives and children, and slew them, when they had not the least occasion of complaint against them; for they did neither attempt any innovation or revolt from the Romans, nor had they given any marks of hatred or treacherous designs towards the Syrians. But what was done by the inhabitants of Scythopolis was the most impious and most highly criminal of all; 1 for when the Jews their enemies came upon them from without, they forced the Jews that were among them to bear arms against their own countrymen, which it is unlawful for us to do; 2 and when, by their assistance, they had joined battle with those who attacked them, and had beaten them, after that victory they forgot the assurances they had given these their fellow citizens and confederates, and slew them all, being in number many ten thousands [13,000]. The like miseries were undergone by those Jews that were the inhabitants of Damascus. But we have given a more accurate account of these things in the books of the Jewish war. I only mention them now, because I would demonstrate to my readers, that the Jews’ war with the Romans was not voluntary, but that, for the main, they were forced by necessity to enter into it.

So when Gessius had been beaten, as we have said already, the principal men of Jerusalem, seeing that the robbers and innovators had arms in great plenty, and fearing lest they, while they were unprovided of arms, should be in subjection to their enemies, which also came to be the case afterward; and, being informed that all Galilee had not yet revolted from the Romans, but that some part of it was still quiet; they sent me and two others of the priests, who were men of excellent characters, Joazar and Judas, in order to persuade the ill men there to lay down their arms, and to teach them this lesson, - That it were better to have those arms reserved for the most courageous men that the nation had [than to be kept there]; for that it had been resolved, That those our best men should always have their arms ready against futurity; but still so, that they should wait to see what the Romans would do.

Was that the correct passage?

One of the areas where Josephus can be questioned is on his use of very large numbers. Did three million Jews visit Jerusalem for the Passover of A.D. 66?! Jerusalem, at the time, was thought to have a population of only 50,000. And I have been to the site of Jotapata in northern Israel. That forty thousand people could have fit in that area, even assuming a 50 percent erosion factor, is, frankly, beyond belief.

Josephus does often tend to exaggerate (which is something not unique to him - a number of ancient writers also tend to exaggerate their numbers in some instances), but that’s forgivable: a large crowd from every corner of the Empire - Jews and gentiles alike - do come and visit during the holidays, though probably not as many as three million. And yes, I do believe you that the numbers in Yodfat are inflated. One estimate I’ve seen would place the population of the town on the eve of the siege, including refugees and fighting men, at 7,000 people.

Actually, Hagan in “Year of the Passover” addresses this conundrum. Using the three different translations of the Testimonium Flavianum (sp?)- including one second hand report of an ARABIC translation of Antiquities (original lost), “10,000 miracles” in the accepted translation becomes “a multitude of miracles” (or words to that effect, I forget exactly) in another. There could have been a mistranslation where an expression of a large number- like 100, possibly- became 1000.

Forgive my thickness, but what exactly are you referring to?

 

[RobbyS]

It’s entirely possible. Aside from the fact that He could’ve been given the gift of knowing it ad hoc, it’s entirely possible that He had learned at least basic Greek during his life. Many people had very basic skills in Greek.

Lots of speculation. Given the small size of the Land in which he lived, and given that Greeks had inhabited the land since Alexander’ time–300 years–and that many Jews were Greek-speakers, some even Hellenists, with Greek names, it is reasonable to suppose that Our Lord spoke Greek.

 

[RobbyS]

Not surprising given that the Christian community left Jerusalem in AD 69 and probably would not have returned to the wrecked city for many years afterward.

Conditions in Jerusalem were probably different to those in the Galilee, about 100 km from there. The synagogue in Capharnaum had Greek inscriptions in its stone, even though it was built in the 100s, directly atop remnants from AD70, a place and time when antagonism between Jews and Greeks would be stronger than ever. If even under those conditions, Greek was used in building a synagogue, it would certainly be used by citizens there long before the conflict even happened. This was an international area, more than Jerusalem, and our LORD would have learned all of the lingo while living HIS youth there. HE certainly had the head for it

The creation of the Greek LXX shows that there were enough Jews speaking Greek that some of the leadership would need to as well.

ICXC NIKA

The LXX was a product of Alexandria. which had a huge Jewish quarter. Still the Greek influence In the Holy Land was strong. The Maccabees had rebelled against efforts by leaders in Jerusalem to Hellenize the Land. Greek was probably the language of the courts of the Herodians. What strikes me as I read the Old Testament is how racially mixed the place was, and how the population as a whole seems never to have worshipped
the God of the Jews.

 

[patrick457]

The LXX was a product of Alexandria. which had a huge Jewish quarter. Still the Greek influence In the Holy Land was strong. The Maccabees had rebelled against efforts by leaders in Jerusalem to Hellenize the Land. Greek was probably the language of the courts of the Herodians. What strikes me as I read the Old Testament is how racially mixed the place was, and how the population as a whole seems never to have worshipped
the God of the Jews.

Correct. This is where I would distinguish ‘proper’ Israelite religion (the form represented in the books of the Bible) and ‘folk’ religion, which allowed for syncretism and was thus frowned upon by the followers of the ‘proper’ form.

 

[RobbyS]

Correct. This is where I would distinguish ‘proper’ Israelite religion (the form represented in the books of the Bible) and ‘folk’ religion, which allowed for syncretism and was thus frowned upon by the followers of the ‘proper’ form.

There seems to have been much disagreement about what was “proper” and what was not. The Pharisees, Sadducees,Essenes etc. had different ideas. There was no proper canon. Jesus seems to have been acquainted with the Pentateuch and the prophets. For a supposedly unlettered man, he seems to know a lot of rabbinical tricks. Frank Sheed proposed that Our Lady as a member of a priestly family and and inhabitant of the area around Jerusalem, may not have been as “simple” a maid as we think, but herself literate. Something not unheard of even in that time, and that she served as our Lord’s instructor.
If he was who we think he is, then he would have been a wunderkind, a prodigy, who took in
information with great facility. Hence even thinking in human terms, he may have committed to memory every scrap of scripture he had ever laid eyes on. Further, he would have read man and nature with the same ease that other prodigies do. The story in the temple seems to present us with a boy preternaturally gifted. Now, supposing all this, what would the mature man have been like.