Do we have the words of Jesus as is in the Koine Greek (or was it translated)?

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tyndale

Puritan Board Freshman
Been trying to look this up and saw some brief discussions on it. I had never thought of this before, but was looking at a learning Koine Greek site recently that was adamant that what we have in the NT is actually what Jesus said (not translated from Aramaic, unless otherwise stated like when He says "My God, My God why have You forsaken me" at the Cross.

What really got to me was listening to how Roman Catholics debate the Greek words: "petra" and "petros" which obviously are explosive words to them in terms of the legitimacy of the papacy, as their apologists say that the word for rock in Aramaic is the same exact word if Jesus said that, so that there is no differentiation there, and it's the translation that is wrong.

Just curious for more thoughts as this has been on my mind of late, as I know the Hellenization of Rome was well-known, but was it the de facto language that Jesus used, especially when speaking to the crowds?
 
It's reasonable to think Jesus mostly spoke Aramaic except perhaps in cases where Greek would have been more appropriate, such as when speaking with Pilate. The fact that Mark gives us a handful of examples of Jesus speaking Aramaic, plus what we know about the culture at the time, lead to this conclusion.

However, it would be a grave mistake to think that this makes the original NT Greek quotations of Jesus any less precise or authoritative. The Holy Spirit has chosen to record the Savior's works mostly in Greek, and has done so with all the accuracy and authority that always accompanies the word of God.
 
However, it would be a grave mistake to think that this makes the original NT Greek quotations of Jesus any less precise or authoritative. The Holy Spirit has chosen to record the Savior's works mostly in Greek, and has done so with all the accuracy and authority that always accompanies the word of God.
Well Said Jack!
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16
 
Friends: I appreciate the feedback on this ... I had never thought about this until I saw it on a teach yourself the Koine website so it was intriguing to me to think through this...
 
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