Did Jesus Ever Teach in Greek?

Abstract

This paper argues—against the general scholarly consensus–that Jesus not only had sufficient linguistic competence to converse with others in Greek but also even to teach in Greek during his ministry. After an introduction to the possible languages of Jesus (Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek), the evidence for the widespread use of Greek, especially in Galilee, is examined: the role of Greek as the lingua franca of the Graeco-Roman world; the geographic and epigraphic-literary evidence for Greek in Lower Galilee and Palestine; and Jesus’ use of Greek according to the New Testament. Several significant New Testament passages are examined, including Jesus’ trial before Pilate and Jesus’ discussion with his disciples at Caesarea Philippi, along with several others.