Did Jesus speak Greek?

The question of whether Jesus spoke Greek has been debated among scholars.

Are there any scholars here which can shed light on what the debate was all about?

As a primer, the following was gleaned by Wikipedia:

There exists a consensus among scholars that the language of Jesus and his disciples was Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first century AD. The villages of Nazareth and Capernaum in Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his time, were Aramaic-speaking communities. Jesus probably spoke a Galilean variant of the language, distinguishable from that of Jerusalem. Based on the symbolic renaming or nicknaming of some of his apostles it is also likely that Jesus and at least one of his apostles knew enough Koine Greek to converse with those not native to Judea. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was well versed in Hebrew for religious purposes.

@pettytalk said
The question of whether Jesus spoke Greek has been debated among scholars.

Are there any scholars here which can shed light on what the debate was all about?

As a primer, the following was gleaned by Wikipedia:

There exists a consensus among scholars that the language of Jesus and his disciples was Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first cen ...[text shortened]... ve to Judea. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was well versed in Hebrew for religious purposes.

I thought you were having a break from this forum?

@pettytalk said
Are there any scholars here which can shed light on what the debate was all about?

Are there any scholars here?

😂

@divegeester said
I thought you were having a break from this forum?

Did I quantify the break? You are assuming again.

To spoon feed your curiosity, I can offer the thought that only a very short break was necessary to revive me. Or perhaps the thought of not having you on my hook was the reason for my fast recovery. True to life, you are the first to bite.

@divegeester said
Are there any scholars here?

😂

That's debatable. You certainly are not, if you have to ask. We are after bigger fish.

@pettytalk said
Did I quantify the break?

So you didn’t take a break from this forum.

More waffle, noted.

@pettytalk said
You certainly are not

I’ve never claimed to be a scholar.

What an odd perspective you seem to have.

@divegeester said
I’ve never claimed to be a scholar.

That was always very obvious to me.

The call for scholars was a general solicitation, and I never considered summoning you. You don't need a summon; I knew you would show up uninvited.

To rephrase an old proverb: To the feasts of the good the bad unbidden go.

But since you're always pestering someone, or another, as a non-scholar, what do you say about Jesus' Greek?

@pettytalk said I knew you would show up uninvited.

It’s a public forum.

@pettytalk said
The question of whether Jesus spoke Greek has been debated among scholars.

Are there any scholars here which can shed light on what the debate was all about?

As a primer, the following was gleaned by Wikipedia:

There exists a consensus among scholars that the language of Jesus and his disciples was Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first cen ...[text shortened]... ve to Judea. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was well versed in Hebrew for religious purposes.

Did Jesus speak Greek?

It's quite possible. Scripture would suggest Jesus was better educated than the average Jewish tradesman. In addition, Greek was a respected and widely used language in the region.

@divegeester said
It’s a public forum.

Yes, it's public, and you are a public nuisance if you don't have anything productive to say, other than post your typical silly, childish comments, and snide remarks, at your best.

I doubt it, but do you have any personal knowledge on the subject of this thread, which you would care to publicly share?

@pettytalk said
The question of whether Jesus spoke Greek has been debated among scholars.

Are there any scholars here which can shed light on what the debate was all about?

As a primer, the following was gleaned by Wikipedia:

There exists a consensus among scholars that the language of Jesus and his disciples was Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Judea in the first cen ...[text shortened]... ve to Judea. It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was well versed in Hebrew for religious purposes.

Without debating the issue, I agree with the scholarly consensus.

On the other hand I might ask what language could Jesus not speak seeing as he was filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit?

The population of Jerusalem was estimated to be around 500 thousand, but swelled to possibly 3 million during the feasts with Jews and gentile proselytes speaking many different languages from all over the civilized world.

Question is, did Jesus converse directly with others not conversant in Aramaic, or did he use an interpreter?

Beyond all that is just speculation. I'll stick with what I know.

@mchill said
Did Jesus speak Greek?

It's quite possible. Scripture would suggest Jesus was better educated than the average Jewish tradesman. In addition, Greek was a respected and widely used language in the region.

Anyone reading the Bible will recall that Jesus specifically attributed the possibility of everything to God, using a colorful simile that involved camels and the eye of a needle to illustrate the improbability of the rich entering the Kingdom.

Scholars confirm that Greek was widely used in the region and beyond. It was the language of the learned, alongside Latin. Therefore, it's highly probable that Jesus was exposed to both Greek and Latin. Latin was certainly used, given the presence of Roman soldiers throughout the region, and this is confirmed by scripture. However, the extent of Jesus' proficiency in Greek is a topic of debate among scholars.

Obviously, we are discussing Jesus, the man, not Jesus, the Son of God. As the Son of God, it would be a moot point to question His ability to speak any language.

It's of interest what you're saying about Scripture, which suggests Jesus was better educated than the average Jewish tradesman. Scripture tells us that Jesus was a carpenter.

But where in Scripture does it suggest that Jesus received a better education? And does Scripture also mention, directly or indirectly, anything related to Jesus' education in linguistics? Keep in mind that we are focusing on Jesus, the man, and must set aside the 'speaking in tongues' for this discussion.

@pettytalk said
But where in Scripture does it suggest that Jesus received a better education? And does Scripture also mention, directly or indirectly, anything related to Jesus' education in linguistics? Keep in mind that we are focusing on Jesus, the man, and must set aside the 'speaking in tongues' for this discussion.

To my knowledge the scriptures don't teach that Jesus "received" a better education than his human contemporaries.

I can assume though that Jesus' intellect was second to none.

And seeing as how the scriptures were his primary focus, and how his understanding of them was without equal, I believe Jesus did not suffer from confusion or lack of wisdom.

Jesus was "full of grace and truth", which trumps knowledge any day.

Luke2:40
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

@pettytalk said
Yes, it's public, and you are a public nuisance if you don't have anything productive to say, other than post your typical silly, childish comments, and snide remarks, at your best.

Feel free to alert my posts if you feel they impinge your fragile sensibilities.