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Volume 6 Number 40 - Tuesday, October 12th, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY

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Greek Language Left Out of “The Passion of the Christ”

To the Editor,

The Release of “The Passion of the Christ” certainly sparked interest in those who may have limited knowledge of the life of Jesus. Jesus remains an enigma to many people to this day, not just believers but also curiosity-seekers. To many people, this film is looked upon as a blessing, as well as a return to spirituality on a global level in a sea of materialism, war, violence, greed and the breakdown of morality and ethics in today’s society. Gibson promised to deliver a shockingly unforgettable final twelve hours in the life of Jesus, and to produce a motion picture accurately based on the Gospel of Matthew.

In all the research done by Mel Gibson, one very important factor was completely left out: the Greek language (Koine-common Greek). Historians agree that the people of the Mediterranean spoke Greek as the language of business and of civil administration. Greek bridged the communication gap between Rome and the East. Jesus spoke both his native Aramaic, which was his mother tongue as well as Greek, which was the language of the elite and the well-educated. Latin was the language of military administration. Also, it is a fact that after the conquests of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), the Greek language and culture spread like wildfire across the lands of the Eastern Mediterranean.

From Greece all the way to Ancient Bactria (what is now Afghanistan), Judea in the time of Jesus remained so heavily influenced by Hellenistic civilization and culture that all the Books of the New Testament were written in the original Greek language, which served as the first written medium in which Christianity spread. Those that visit the Holy Sight in Jerusalem can’t help but notice many ancient buildings with Greek inscriptions like the Pratorion, the prison of Jesus. The Apostle Paul, born in Tarsus in Asia Minor was a Roman citizen, and a Jew, whose native language was Greek.

Marianna Steriadis
Steven J. Saravan

Educators, World Languages Department Senior High School
-excerpted Saint Petersburg Times

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Volume 6 Number 40 - Tuesday, October 12th, 2004