The four canonical Gospels of the New Testament were written in ancient Greek, while Aramaic was the language most commonly spoken in Jesus Christ’s daily life, alongside the presence of Hebrew and Greek in the religious and social environment of first-century Palestine.

IshtarTV.com – Special Report

The question of the languages in which the Gospels were originally written is an important subject in biblical studies and Christian history, given its connection to the history of sacred texts, the linguistic environment in which Jesus Christ and His disciples lived, and the circumstances through which His teachings were transmitted to the earliest generations of Christians.

Although Christ primarily spoke Aramaic in His daily life and when teaching among the people of His community, the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—have come down to us in Greek. According to the prevailing academic view, their original language of composition was Koine Greek, the common form of Greek used throughout the Hellenistic world at the time.

Understanding this issue requires distinguishing between the language of everyday speech and teaching in first-century Palestine and the language in which the Gospel texts were written and circulated among Christian communities in different parts of the Roman Empire.

First: Koine Greek – The Language in Which the Four Gospels Were Written

The four Gospels traditionally known as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written in Koine Greek, the common form of the Greek language that was widely used throughout the eastern Mediterranean during the Roman period.

At that time, Greek was an important language of communication, trade, culture and administration across vast areas of the Roman Empire. This made it a suitable medium for conveying the Christian message to communities with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Writing the Gospels in Greek helped their message spread beyond the Jewish environment of Palestine and reach emerging Christian communities in Asia Minor, Greece, Rome and other regions.

Biblical studies indicate that the ancient Greek texts form the textual basis upon which later translations of the Gospels into Syriac, Latin, Coptic and other languages were produced.

Second: Aramaic – The Language of Jesus Christ and His Disciples

Aramaic, particularly the Palestinian Aramaic dialect, was the language most widely used in everyday life by large segments of the population of Palestine during the first century AD. It is generally believed to have been the primary language Jesus Christ used when addressing people and teaching His disciples.

Traces of this language appear clearly in the Greek Gospels through Aramaic words and expressions that the texts preserve in their original spoken form, followed by explanations of their meanings in Greek.

Among the most notable examples are:

• “Talitha koum”: Appears in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, verse 41, meaning “Little girl, I say to you, get up.”

• “Ephphatha”: Appears in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 7, verse 34, meaning “Be opened.”

• “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani”: Appears in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 27, verse 46, meaning “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

• “Abba”: An Aramaic expression meaning “Father,” which appears in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 14, verse 36.

These expressions reveal the presence of Aramaic in the linguistic environment in which the earliest Christian teachings emerged. They also help researchers understand the linguistic and cultural background of some of Christ’s sayings recorded in the Gospels.

However, the presence of Aramaic words in the Greek texts does not mean that the four Gospels were originally written in Aramaic. Rather, it indicates that the texts preserved certain expressions that had been spoken in that language.

Third: Hebrew – The Language of Sacred Scriptures and Jewish Religious Traditions

Hebrew was strongly present in Jewish religious life during the time of Christ, particularly in the reading of sacred scriptures and traditions associated with the synagogue and worship.

Although Aramaic was widely used in everyday conversation, Hebrew remained an important language for the study of religious law, sacred writings and prayers.

The Gospels also contain references to expressions and names of Hebrew origin, as well as numerous quotations from books of the Old Testament, whose text circulated in Hebrew alongside the Greek translation known as the Septuagint.

This linguistic interaction indicates that the religious environment in which Christ and His disciples lived was not monolingual. Rather, several languages were used according to religious, social and cultural contexts.

Fourth: Was the Gospel of Matthew Originally Written in Aramaic or Hebrew?

The question of the original language of the Gospel of Matthew is one of the issues that has generated considerable debate among researchers and Christian writers since the early centuries.

The early Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea quoted an ancient tradition attributed to Papias, according to which Matthew collected the sayings of Christ in the Hebrew language, and each person interpreted or translated them as best they could. Several early Church Fathers also referred to a tradition associating Matthew’s Gospel with the language of the Jews.

However, modern scholarship distinguishes between these early ecclesiastical testimonies and the Greek text of Matthew that has survived to the present day.

The prevailing academic view holds that the Gospel of Matthew, in its known form, was written in Greek. This position is based on its literary relationship with the Gospel of Mark, as well as the linguistic characteristics and structure of the text.

Debate continues over the nature of the materials and traditions on which Matthew relied, and whether some of these sources reached him orally or in written form in Aramaic or Hebrew.

Accordingly, the existence of an ancient Church tradition concerning a Hebrew text of Matthew cannot be regarded as conclusive evidence that the current Greek version is a direct translation from an Aramaic or Hebrew original.

Fifth: Syriac – The Language of Eastern Christian Heritage and the Translation of the Gospels

The Syriac language occupies a prominent place in the history of Eastern Christianity. It is one of the most important literary and ecclesiastical languages to have spread throughout Mesopotamia, Syria and the eastern regions, becoming a principal language of worship, theology and Church education.

Syriac is a literary form of Aramaic that developed in the cultural environment of the city of Edessa and its surrounding regions. It later became a widely used religious and cultural language among Eastern Christians.

It played a central role in transmitting Christian texts, particularly the Gospels, to Syriac-speaking communities and contributed to the development of a rich biblical and theological heritage within the Church of the East and other Syriac Churches.

One of the most significant milestones in the history of the Syriac Bible is the translation known as the Peshitta, the Syriac version that became the standard biblical text in several Eastern and Western Syriac Churches.

The Peshitta holds a special place in the history of the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church, as well as other Syriac Churches. It has served as a foundation for liturgical reading, religious education and biblical interpretation.

It is important to note that the Peshitta is not the original language of the four Gospels. Rather, it is a Syriac text through which the Gospels were transmitted to Syriac-speaking Christian communities, drawing upon earlier textual traditions.

Sixth: Latin and Coptic – The Transmission of the Gospels into the Languages of Ancient Churches

As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond, early translations of the Gospels into other languages emerged, including Latin and Coptic.

Latin translations circulated among Christians in the western regions of the Roman Empire and later became a foundation of biblical history in the Western Church, particularly with the translation by Saint Jerome known as the Vulgate.

Coptic, meanwhile, played an important role in transmitting biblical texts to Christians in Egypt. Several Coptic dialects developed for biblical literature, including Sahidic and Bohairic.

These translations reflect the expanding reach of Christianity and the adaptation of biblical texts to the local languages of Christian communities in both the East and the West.

The Languages of the Gospel: Between the Language of Christ and the Language of the Written Text

The study of the languages associated with the Gospels shows that the history of the earliest Christian texts developed within a multilingual environment. Aramaic was the most prominent everyday language in Christ’s life, Hebrew was present in the Jewish religious heritage, while Greek became the language in which the four Gospels were written and through which they achieved widespread circulation.

Syriac, meanwhile, occupied a fundamental position in the history of Eastern Christianity, contributing to the preservation and transmission of sacred texts to generations of believers in Mesopotamia and the East.

Thus, the discussion of the languages of the Gospel is not merely about linguistic differences. It reveals a long historical and cultural journey through which the message of Christ moved from its original Palestinian environment to diverse peoples and cultures, with the Syriac language playing a prominent role in shaping the identity and spiritual and intellectual heritage of the Eastern Churches.