Dear wondering,
Here is a list compiled for you - of the original language of the
texts in each book. There is no book that was entirely written in
Aramaic, and of the books that are partially originally written in
Aramaic, none is also written originally in Greek.
The Old Testament
=================
"Hebrew Scriptures: The text was originally written in Hebrew, except
for a few verses which were composed in Aramaic (Ezra 4:8 to 6:18;
Ezra 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4b to 7:28). While exiled in
Babylon, the people of Israel learned to speak Aramaic, a language
related to Hebrew. They eventually adopted it as their native tongue.
By the time of the birth of Jesus, Hebrew had been abandoned by the
Jews except for use in religious services, and in literary and
scholarly usage. Many people also spoke Greek." (SOURCE: Religious
Tolerance, "Structure of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and
Apocrypha" <http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_oldt.htm>).
The 5 books of Moses -- the Law
-------------------------------
Genesis - Hebrew
Exodus - Hebrew
Leviticus - Hebrew
Numbers - Hebrew
Deuteronomy - Hebrew
History
-------
Joshua - Hebrew
Judges - Hebrew
Ruth - Hebrew
1 Samuel - Hebrew
2 Samuel - Hebrew
1 Kings - Hebrew
2 Kings - Hebrew
1 Chronicles - Hebrew
2 Chronicles - Hebrew
Ezra - Hebrew and Aramaic (Ezra 4:8 to 6:18; Ezra 7:12-26)
Nehemiah - Hebrew
Esther - Hebrew
Wisdom Literature
-----------------
Job - Hebrew
Psalms - Hebrew
Proverbs - Hebrew
Ecclesiastes - Hebrew
Song of Songs - Hebrew
The Prophets
------------
Isaiah - Hebrew
Jeremiah - Hebrew (Aramaic verse: Jeremiah 10:11)
Lamentations - Hebrew
Ezekiel - Hebrew
Daniel - Aramaic (Daniel 2:4b to 7:28) and Hebrew
Hosea - Hebrew
Joel - Hebrew
Amos - Hebrew
Obadiah - Hebrew
Jonah - Hebrew
Micah - Hebrew
Nahum - Hebrew
Habakkuk - Hebrew
Zephaniah - Hebrew
Haggai - Hebrew
Zechariah - Hebrew
Malachi - Hebrew
The New Testament
=================
Here is where the controversy begins. The problem is, that although we
have Greek texts, we have no proof, actually, that they are the
original ones, other from being the earliest found, and based on
liguistic research.
There are some claims that the original language of the NT is not
Greek, but Hebrew or Aramaic. For example, "Michael Sokoloff, a
professor of Hebrew and Semitic languages at Bar-Ilan University near
Tel Aviv, said it is believed that parts of the Gospels were
originally written in Aramaic, but only Greek writings have been
found" (SOURCE: CBS News, "'Passion' Revives Dying Language" Feb. 22,
2004 <http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/22/entertainment/printable601558.shtml>).
In this context, it might be important to note, that the Gospel of
Thomas (which was not canonised) was written originally in Greek,
although only a Coptic version survived fully.
The Life of Jesus and the Early Church
--------------------------------------
Matthew - This is one of the centres of the controversy. Wikipedia,
giving the conventional version, state that "There is much controversy
as to the language in which this Gospel was written. Many hold, in
accordance with tradition, that it was originally written in Hebrew
(i.e., the Aramaic or Syro-Chaldee dialect, then the vernacular of
Palestine), and afterwards translated into Greek, either by Matthew
himself or by some person unknown. Despite this theory being earnestly
maintained by able critics, there is little ground for adopting it.
This Gospel in Greek was received as being of authority in the Church
from the first. There is nothing in the book to show that it is a
translation. Though Matthew wrote mainly for the Jews, they were
everywhere familiar with the Greek language. The same reasons which
would have suggested the necessity of a translation into Greek would
have led the evangelist to originally write in Greek. Finally, this
Gospel has never been found in any other form than that in which we
now possess it. (SOURCE: Wikipedia, "Gospel of Matthew" ,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew>). However, you could
find people who would tell you that Matthew was in fact originally
written in Hebrew, or that there were two versions of Matthew (one
Hebrew and one Greek, only the Greek survived).
Mark - Also originally in Greek: "The gospel was originally written in
Greek (not the Aramaic of Palestine) and in several places Mark
confused Palestinian geography suggesting that he had probably never
visited the sites where Jesus had lived and preached." (SOURCE: Kate
Evans, University of Florida, "The Historical Sources - The Gospels:
Mark" , <http://www.fiu.edu/~evansk/REL2011/jesus/gospels.html>)
Luke - Greek, with the same controversy: some of the parts look as if
they had been translated from hebrew to Greek. However, there is no
"Hebrew source".
John - Greek, less controversies as with the Synoptic Gospels of Mark,
Matthew and Luke.
Acts - Greek.
Letters from the Apostle Paul - all in Greek.
-----------------------------
Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Other Letters from Apostles and Prophets
----------------------------------------
Hebrews
James
1 Peter
2 Peter
1 John
2 John
3 John
Jude
Prophecy - warnings for the present and revelation of the future
Revelation - Greek.
I hope this answered your question. Please contact me if you need any
further clarification on this answer befoer you rate it. |
