How Many Languages Did Jesus Speak?
Recently I began reading and discussing Behind the Scenes of the New Testament by Paul Barnett with a group of friends. In chapter 2 Barnett suggests that Jesus may have known at least 3 different languages; Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. The first two seem fairly obvious. 1. Aramaic was the common language of 1st century Israel. The Gospels even record a few of Jesus’ statements in Aramaic. 2. As a Jewish boy growing up in 1st century Israel Jesus would have learned to read the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Gospels we read of Jesus reading aloud from the Hebrew Scriptures in the synagogue.
I’d never really thought about the possibility that Jesus would have known Greek though. Barnett says that Jesus’ conversation with a Greek woman (Syro-Phoenecian by birth) is often regarded as evidence that Jesus could speak Greek (see Mark 7:26). We don’t know for sure whether Jesus knew Greek, but it’s interesting to think about nonetheless.