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"Born Anothen"

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sberry

45 Posts

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February 20, 2024 - 7:41 am

Considering John’s word-play about “anothen” makes me wonder:

(1) how likely was a priest like Nicodemus to speak Greek?

(2) how likely was a rabbi like Jesus to speak Greek?

(3) how prevalent was Greek in those parts generally?

Thanks!

Porphyry

1852 Posts

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February 20, 2024 - 1:42 pm

I think it is not unreasonable to think that either Nicodemus (a member of the Sanhedrin) or Jesus (who grew up within walking distance of the bustling, Hellenistic city of Sepphoris) spoke Greek.

That said, I think it extremely unlikely that John 3 is recording a conversation the two actually had.

Steefen

7786 Posts

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February 20, 2024 - 4:35 pm

I think Nicodemus spoke Greek.

As Jesus lives through the writing skills of Greek authors,
Jesus, a composite character of historical fiction, spoke Greek as well.

How could a Greek education of the gospel authors not make it into their main character?

Jill_L

608 Posts

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February 21, 2024 - 8:46 am

@2: I think it extremely unlikely that John 3 is recording a conversation the two actually had.

Though, it could absolutely be recording the opinion of the author(s). So, thinking about it, to me, this could be a statement
of pure imagination on the part of the writer, and/or a personal experience on the part of the writer, or maybe a potential statement of orthodoxy.

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