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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic and Hebrew in the prayer book

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aramaic and Hebrew in the prayer book
  • Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 09:56:02 -0700

Yigal Levin wrote:

I'd have to disagree with you, Peter. The very fact that ALL of our known
early Christian writings are in Greek would show that Greek was the common
language used. My guess would be that the Semitic (i.e. Aramaic, Syriac,
Nabatean, Palmyran etc.) speaking population adopted Christianity en masse
only after it became the official religion of the Empire in the days of
Constantine, soon after which it began persecuting non-Christians. By then
(that is, 4th century), certainly for Jews, Greek represented Christianity.

Yigal

Yigal, certainly not ALL early Christian writings are in Greek. Well, it depends quite how early you mean, as the very earliest surviving ones are, though there are those who would argue that even this is an accident of preservation. Also of course urbanised and hellenised people were more likely to write than the less educated rural people who spoke Aramaic/Syriac. But there was certainly Syriac Christian literature from the late 2nd century CE, the works of Tatian (c.110-180) and Bardaisan (154-222); also the Odes of Solomon from the late 1st century CE.

But I take your point about Greek being identified with Constantine's perverted form of Christianity which persecuted Jews and indeed anyone who disagreed with it. That might indeed have prompted a reaction against Greek among Jews. But I thought we were talking about a rather earlier period.

--
Peter Kirk
peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~peterkirk/






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