[ZULU]

"Greek was the lingua franca of the Eastern Roman Empire"

True, but the Eastern Roman Empire did not exist until the time of Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, centuries later.

"Jesus' conversation with the Roman captain who wanted his child healed, it is probable that Christ spoke koine Greek."

I doubt it. He probably spke Aramiac and the Centurion, who had been stationed in Palestine some time, as he was referred to as a friend of the Jews, probably had learned the local language. I don't believe Centurions who were the equivalent of non-commissioned officers and rose through the ranks, had enough education to learn Greek.

"The use of Greek by the Roman elite was not unlike the use of French by the upper classes in England, Germany, Poland, and Russia in the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries."

Precisely. And it was not known or employed by lower ranking officers and soldiers who spoke either Latin or their native Language which was probably not Greek Greeks did provide legionnaries.

Otherwise I agree with you.

[Wallace T.]

The Eastern Roman (later the Byzantine) Empire did not formally exist until the 4th Century AD. However, over 600 years before Constantine, Alexander the Great and his army of Greeks and Macedonians conquered the entire Middle East, as far as portions of Pakistan. After Alexander's death, his empire was divided among four of his generals. Israel fell under the control of one of the successor states and was ruled by a Greek, or at least a Greek-speaking, elite, up until the time of the Maccabean revolt in the 2nd Century BC, as outlined in the Books of the Maccabees. Even after the Maccabean revolt, families of Greek heritage, such of that of the Herods of Galilee, remained powerful even into Roman times. The same was true in Egypt, where Cleopatra, of Greek descent, reigned until the time of the Roman conquest. This Greek influence caused their language to become the lingua franca of the Middle East, as did English in the Indian subcontinent many centuries later.

In the 1st Century BC, the Romans conquered or absorbed the remnants of the Greek kingdoms in the Middle East, including Israel. They inherited the Greek established governing institutions. Additionally, Greek culture had a tremendous influence on the Romans, especially the elite. Not unlike the old Eastern WASP Establishment that mimicked the private boarding schools, the architecture, the clothing styles, and even the pronunciation of the British upper classes, the Roman upper classes were enthralled with all things Greek. To a Roman aristocrat, a post in government service in the Greek-influenced Middle East was far more prestigious than a similar one in then-barbarous western Europe.

In addition, there might have been some trickle down effect on upwardly mobile people, such as the centurion. Furthermore, it is possible his unit was drawn from an area like Asia Minor, where Greek was the lingua franca.

However, neither Scripture nor other sources provide a clear answer as to whether Jesus Christ spoke koine Greek.