Language of Jesus in the context of "Western Neo-Aramaic"

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⭐ Core Definition: Language of Jesus

There exists a consensus among scholars that Jesus spoke Aramaic. Aramaic was the common language of Roman Judaea, and was thus also spoken by at least some of Jesus' disciples.

The villages of Nazareth and Capernaum in Galilee, where the Gospels record him as having been raised, were populated by Aramaic-speaking communities. Jesus probably spoke the Galilean dialect, distinguishable from that which was spoken in Roman-era Jerusalem. Galilee was known for its trade routes and for its interface with the wider spectrum of Hellenism; Matthew 4:15 references "Galilee of the Gentiles". As such, the Gospels understand Jesus' youth in Nazareth to be in a highly cosmopolitan area in which Greek was used frequently, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the meeting of several major trade routes in Sepphoris. It is thus likely that Jesus was able to work in Koine Greek.

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👉 Language of Jesus in the context of Western Neo-Aramaic

Western Neo-Aramaic (ܐܰܪܳܡܰܝ, arōmay, "Aramaic"), also referred to as Siryon (ܣܪܝܘܢ, siryōn, "Syriac"), is a modern variety of the Western Aramaic branch consisting of three closely related dialects. Today, it is spoken by Christian and Muslim Arameans (Syriacs) in only three villages— Maaloula, Jubb'adin and Bakhʽa—in the Anti-Lebanon mountains of western Syria. Bakhʽa was vastly destroyed during the Syrian civil war and most of the community fled to other parts of Syria or Lebanon. Western Neo-Aramaic is believed to be the closest living language to the language of Jesus, whose first language, according to scholarly consensus, was Galilean Aramaic belonging to the Western branch as well; all other remaining Neo-Aramaic languages are Eastern Aramaic.

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Language of Jesus in the context of Galilean dialect

The Galilean dialect was the form of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic spoken by people in Galilee during the Classical period, for example at the time of Jesus and the disciples, as distinct from the Judean dialect spoken in Jerusalem.

The Aramaic of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels, gives various examples of Aramaic phrases. The New Testament notes that the pronunciation of Peter gave him away as a Galilean to the servant girl at the brazier the night of Jesus' trial (see Matthew 26:73 and Mark 14:70).

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