In Jesus' time, Romans primarily spoke Latin, the language of administration and the military, but in the Eastern Mediterranean (including Judea), !/nav>>Koine Greek was the common tongue for trade, culture, and communication between different groups, while Aramaic was the everyday language for local Jews like Jesus. Latin was used by Roman officials and soldiers, but they often used Greek to interact with local elites, and Jesus likely knew Greek and Aramaic, but probably not Latin.
Aramaic: The Common Tongue
Aramaic was the “lingua franca” or the “common language” for the Eastern Mediterranean from roughly 700 BCE to 200 CE. Because Aramaic was the common language of the day, many historians assert that Jesus, as a common man in Judea, would have spoken Aramaic.
Determining which languages were spoken by Jesus and his Galilean disciples has been the point of considerable debate. Current scholarship tends to support the belief that Jesus may well have spoken at least three languages: Hebrew, Galilean Aramaic, and at least some Greek.
Yes, modern dialects of Aramaic are still spoken today by small communities around the world: major centers are in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, Europe and the US. If you want to learn more about these communities, go to our links page, and you will find links to some of their websites.
Romans was written in Greek around the year 56 CE. Its Greek is not difficult, but because of the nature of Paul's argument, there are several points in the letter where Paul's meaning is uncertain (e.g., 3:9, 21–26; 11:26).
The Latins
Rome started to become powerful around 600BCE and was formed into a Republic in 509BCE. It was around this time (750's – 600 BCE) that the Latins who lived in Rome became known as Romans. As you can see the identity as an Italian (from Italy) was not to happen for another 2,614 years!
Modern Greeks share similar proportions of DNA from the same ancestral sources as Mycenaeans, although they have inherited a little less DNA from ancient Anatolian farmers and a bit more DNA from later migrations to Greece.
Neo-Aramaic. ܣܘܼܪܲܝܬ Neo-Aramaic refers to a group of Central Semitic languages spoken in pockets across Iran, Iraq, and Syria spoken by as many as half a million people, largely Christian and Jewish minorities increasingly leaving the region for Europe, the U.S., and Israel.
Many scholars and archeologists now agree that Jesus was most likely a brown-skinned, brown-eyed man — more akin to a “Middle Eastern Jewish” or an Arab man. A commentator once said that if Jesus was taking a flight today “he might be profiled for additional security screening” by the TSA.
Revelation 19:16 in Other Translations
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.
Jesus speaks of forgiveness beyond what anyone had ever considered before: seventy times seven! Many commentaries understand this to mean that Jesus was telling Peter that he should forgive his brother a limitless number of times.
The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death: 32 That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake, signifying what death he should die. 33 Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?
Historians and linguists generally agree that Sumerian, Akkadian and Egyptian are the oldest languages with a clear written record. All three are extinct, meaning they are no longer used and do not have any living descendants that can carry the language to the next generation.
In Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke with, God's name is pronounced "Alaha" or "Elah", the same name of God in Islam "Allah" & Judaism "Elohim", respectively.
Scholars generally, I would say, 99 percent agree that Jesus spoke Aramaic and that all of his listeners were Aramaic.
Jewish communities in northwestern Iraq employed a form of Neo-Aramaic in their communities until 1948 when the modern State of Israel was founded. Many people from these communities relocated to Israel where some continue to speak Aramaic.
Jesus is rejected in Judaism as a failed Jewish messiah claimant and a false prophet by all denominations of Judaism.
Jesus's name on the other hand was Aramaic יֵשׁוּע Yeshu / Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ Yeshua. The Gospels, written in Greek, render it as Ἰησοῦς Iesous (seemingly coming from the Aramaic, not Hebrew - it's quite likely Aramaic would have been the every day language of Jesus and his disciples).
This is where it gets confusing because in Aramaic the word for yes is 'iy and a word for No in Hebrew is 'iy. There is another word in Hebrew for no which is lo as it is in Aramaic.
Modern Italians mainly descend from the ancient peoples of Italy, including Indo-European speakers (Romans and other Latins, Falisci, Picentes, Umbrians, Oscans, Sicels, Sicani, Elymians, and Adriatic Veneti, as well as Magno-Greeks, Cisalpine Gauls and Iapygians) and pre-Indo-European speakers (Etruscans, Ligures, ...
Melbourne, Sister City to Thessaloniki, has been described as the third largest 'Greek city' in the world and is an important overseas centre of Hellenism.