Languages of the Bible

A debate has raged for centuries in the halls of seminaries and theology departments around the world.  This debate centers on what language the New Testament was written in.  It is generally well accepted that the language of the Old Testament was Hebrew, most scholars accept this.  However, it’s generally thought that the New Testament was written originally in Koine Greek and the primary language spoken by Jesus and most of the apostles and early Jewish Christians was Aramaic.  If this was in fact the case, then the first writers of the New Testament were also the first translators of the New Testament.

By far the majority of scholars hold to the New Testament source language being Greek.  There’s a minority who claim it was Aramaic, written in Syriac characters.  Other minority scholars suggests that the primary source languages the New Testament was Latin or even Hebrew.  The Aramaic minority community has very good evidence on their side, including, as has already been stated that Aramaic was the likely primary language of Jesus and the apostles.  There are certainly very early Aramaic versions of the New Testament in existence, and there are good cases to be made that some of the Greek New Testament appears to be a literary translation from Aramaic.  Those who believe the original language of the New Testament was Latin, point to so-calledLatinisms in books such as the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

What I do not understand, is why for centuries scholars and intellectuals have taken sides in this debate.  Rather than taking what I consider to be the most obvious position.  The books of the New Testament were written by various authors.  Over several decades to various people groups.  It’s well known that numerous languages were spoken throughout Palestine and the Roman Empire at that time.  Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, was highly educated and almost certainly spoke several languages.  Luke was a doctor, and it can be assumed was also well educated, likely also speaking multiple languages.  It is also not out of the realm of possibility to suggest that the other writers of New Testament were multilingual.  Taking all this into consideration, it appears to me most likely, that the New Testament was written in multiple different languages.  I think likely much of it was written in Greek, but it’s very likely that someone is also written in Aramaic.  If the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written, as some have theorized, as a legal defense of Paul to Roman officials, Latin would certainly be the most obvious language for them.

While, you’re digesting that, think on this, what language was spoken in the exchange between Jesus and Pontius Pilate?