Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Oun:

While it was expected that every boy study Hebrew, even so well as
hopefully to be able to speak it (which would include Jesus as a
Jewish boy), the evidence that people spoke Hebrew in Jesus' day seems
limited to the same sort of speaking Latin that was practiced in
medieval Europe: used for law, high literature, government, trade,
etc. but the language used at the hearth and in the marketplace was
Aramaic. That is my interpretation of the data that I have seen so
far.

The evidence I have seen so far that people learned Hebrew at their
mothers' knees is circumstantial, and I am not convinced by it.

There are those who disagree with me and are not convinced by the
evidence for the fact that the people of Jesus' day spoke Aramaic,
claiming that that evidence is circumstantial, which it is. I just see
that the evidence for Aramaic is stronger, while they claim that the
evidence for Hebrew is stronger. Who's correct ... <shrug>

Therefore, to avoid conflict, both groups on this list have agreed to
disagree until which time there is conclusive evidence either way.

Karl W. Randolph.

On 10/1/06, Oun Kwon <kwonbbl AT gmail.com> wrote:
> To the List memebers,
>
> Can you give an opinion on the subject and on a book 'Discovering the
> Language of Jesus'
> by Douglas Hamp?
>
>  How plausible is his claim that He spoke in Hebrew; while it is
> acknowledged that the Jews (Judeans, etc.) spoke Aramaic (from the
> heritage of Babylonian exile)?
>
> Oun Kwon.