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Did they speak Greek in The Roman Empire ? I have read that the Romans developed the Latin alphabet 600 B.CE, and that Greece developed an alphabet 650 B.CE. And Rome was founded in 753 B.CE. Didn't they speak Latin in Rome ? Was Latin only for judicial matters in Rome ? Thanks
Did they speak Greek in The Roman Empire ? I have read that the Romans developed the Latin alphabet 600 B.CE, and that Greece developed an alphabet 650 B.CE. And Rome was founded in 753 B.CE. Didn't they speak Latin in Rome ? Was Latin only for judicial matters in Rome ? Thanks
Greek was the common second language in the eastern half of the empire: Greece proper, Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and Egypt. The language was a lasting influence of Alexander’s empire. The major cities in the New Testament apart from Rome itself (Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch) spoke Greek.
Greek was also the language of the elite in Rome. Latin was the language of everyday life, but Greek with the language of intellectual and artistic life. Wealthy Romans had a Greek teacher (often a slave) and some went to study rhetoric and philosophy in Athens—much like the children of the global elite go to Boston today.
It would have been natural for a Roman to read the New Testament in Greek because it was the recognized language of ethics and philosophy.
Greek was the common second language in the eastern half of the empire. What was the first language? Thanks
Each country or area would have it's own language. In "Palestine" the common first language would be Aramaic with Hebrew as a language of religion and Greek as the language of commerce.
But what about Greece? Why was Greek the second language of Greece? Thanks
Greece was Greek, so they spoke Greek, both classical and koine and regional dialects. When the expression Eastern Empire, etc is used it, in Jesus day meant the area of Turkey and Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, etc.
Did they speak Greek in The Roman Empire ? I have read that the Romans developed the Latin alphabet 600 B.CE, and that Greece developed an alphabet 650 B.CE. And Rome was founded in 753 B.CE. Didn't they speak Latin in Rome ? Was Latin only for judicial matters in Rome ? Thanks
Indeed they did. It was learned as Latin was learned as a educated language in the later europe. It was also very useful administratively because the subjects of the eastern Roman empire (formerly the Hellenic empires) spoke Greek. Indeed I am sure that Romans dealing with Persians and Nabateans spoke greek with them in diplomatic exchanges.
Latin was used officially- you won't get an arch of Tiberius incribed in Greek even in Ephesus. But histories I believe and a lot of poems and scientific works were often written in Greek even in Rome. Many plays, too, imitating the Greek style. But it required an educated audience of course as the Roman hoi polloi spoke street Latin, rather than Koine greek.
Ok. Is this alphabet koine, classical or modern greek? Does anyone know?
I would say "koine" (the common) language is more close to classical greek but the difference is not huge from the modern greek. The letters are not different really, the syntax is, a little bit of the grammar and punctuation. Ιn today's church services the hymns and gospels are read in that same language and it's quite easy for the every day greek to understand what they say, which I think proves that the difference is really small
Was the new testament written in koine greek? What is koine greek? Is this the koine greek alphabet: 3000 - Consolis ? Thanks
The final answer which is academically accepted today was given by the Greek linguist G. N. Hatzidakis, who proved that, despite the "composition of the Four", the "stable nucleus" of Koine Greek is Attic. In other words, Koine Greek can be regarded as Attic with the admixture of elements especially from Ionic, but also from other dialects. The degree of importance of the non-Attic linguistic elements on Koine can vary depending on the region of the Hellenistic World. - Koine Greek - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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