[RobbyS]

Latin was the official language even in the east. That is why the Byzantines called themselves "Romans." The offical name of Constantinople was Nova Roma. Koine was the lingua franca as English is in Europe. Some form of Aramaic/Syriac was apoken throughout the Fertile Crescent, but if you were from Mesopotamia you probably couldn't order lunch in Nazareth. Even if you spoke what you thought was Greek, you still might not get it. "Accent," you know.

[Johnbalaya]

Someone had mentioned before that greek was spoken by the Roman soldiers in that area at the time, but the Legionnaires assigned to accompany and guard the Roman governor spoke Latin
(speaking greek was supposedly distasteful because it was "barbaric").