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By Jesus time, Hebrew was a dead language restricted only to religious ritual usage. Aramaic, the language of the Assyrians, was the commonly spoken language by all Palestinian Jews. Outside the region, most Jews spoke Greek as their first language.
Evidence can be seen of this in modern Judaism- many prayers and liturgical elements in Judaism are still in Aramaic. Of course Hebrew is used, but in the same way that Latin was in pre Vatican II Roman Catholicism.
Assyrian was not just the language of the Jews of Palestine but it was also a lingua franca for many Asian and near-eastern peoples, all the way to India.
Evidence can be seen of this in modern Judaism- many prayers and liturgical elements in Judaism are still in Aramaic. Of course Hebrew is used, but in the same way that Latin was in pre Vatican II Roman Catholicism.
Assyrian was not just the language of the Jews of Palestine but it was also a lingua franca for many Asian and near-eastern peoples, all the way to India.
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