Originally posted by Craigbythesea:
I do have MY facts straight and anyone who has studied linguistics can see for a fact that I do. I find it most unfortunate that there are those today who teach others but who have not invested the many years in Biblical studies that are required to have an opinion that is solidly based upon the facts rather than upon wishful thinking.
The everyday religious language for the Jews in the time of Jesus was Aramaic and Jesus, therefore, would have taught in Aramaic rather than Hebrew or Greek.
I doubt if your facts are straight at all.
It doesn't matter what the lingua franca of the day was. Your premise is founded upon your guesswork that all Jews were ignorant and uneducated. They didn't study, and couldn't possibly be educated enough to know more than one language. At least that is how you come across.
Did you ever think to wonder why Seminaries, such as the one that I studied in, required Greek and Hebrew, not Greek and Aramaic. The Scriptures were written in Greek (NT), and Hebrew (OT). There are only a few small parts of the OT that were written in Aramaic. 98% of the OT is written in Hebrew, the sacred language of the Jews.
Luke 23:38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin,
and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
--If Hebrew was such a dead language why was it written on the cross
so that all could understand?
Acts 21:40 And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them
in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
Acts 22:1-2 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. (And
when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
--The result of speaking in the sacred language of Hebrew silenced the Jews.
Acts 26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
--If Jesus spoke to Paul
in Hebrew what makes you think that he wouldn't have spoken to others in Hebrew when he taught in the synagogues?
The Apostles (and most other Jews) knew fluently Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. They were not ignorant people.
DHK