answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

John's gospel was written in Koine (Common) Greek, mainly because it was the most widely spoken language of the day, especially in a city as cosmopolitan as Jerusalem. Notice above the Cross there are three translations of the inscription 'This is the King of the Jews'; one in Aramaic (the local dialect), one in Latin (for the Roman occupiers), and one in Greek (the language which was spoken as a "second language" by many). Writing in Greek meant the Gospel could be spread quickly and effectively, much as writing something in English might do today.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why was the Gospel of John written in Greek if he was a Hebrew?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Continue Learning about Math & Arithmetic

In what language was John's Gospel written?

A:Like all the New Testament gospels, John's Gospel was written in Greek Koine.


Was Matthew's Gospel written primarily for Jews?

John Shelby Spong says the author was a Jew familiar with midrash storytelling, but his primary language must have been Greek. Hershel Shanks believes Matthew was probably written for a Christian community in Antioch. This community could of course have consisted of former Jews.If indeed Matthew's Gospel was written for Jews, they could only have been Greek-speaking Jews of the diaspora, unfamiliar with the Hebrew scriptures, as Matthew only refers to the Septuagint Old Testament and even relies on translation errors in the Septuagint.


Was John who wrote the Gospel of John related to Jesus?

Luke's Gospel says that John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus, although the other gospel authors seem to have been unaware of this, even saying that John the Baptist did not know Jesus.John the Baptist was not the same person as the disciple John, who is usually credited with writing the Gospel of John. Moreover, John's Gospel was originally written anonymously and was only attributed to the apostle, whose name it now bears, later in the second century. Since John was actually written early in the second century by an unknown author, it was clearly not written by a relative of Jesus.


Which one of the four New Testament Gospels according to Matthew Mark Luke and John is considered by biblical scholars to be the first one written?

Biblical scholars say that the first gospel to be written was the Gospel of Mark. The clear evidence of this is that the authors of both Matthew and Luke copied much of Mark's Gospel verbatim in the Greek language. They say that analysis shows that Mark is not copied from either Matthew or Luke, and that the author of Luke was not aware of Matthew's Gospel. Thus, Mark must have been written before Matthew and Luke. John's Gospel is believed to have been inspired by Luke's Gospel, with some material taken direct from Mark.


Was John's Gospel written before Revelation?

It is thought that Revelation was written no later than the 90s of the first century, so it would be earlier than John's Gospel, which was written in the early second century. However, the author of Revelation, now known as John of Patmos, is regarded as a different person than the author of John.

Related questions

In what language was John's Gospel written?

A:Like all the New Testament gospels, John's Gospel was written in Greek Koine.


How did a Greek background influence John's Gospel?

A:Probably the main influence is the Gospel of John was written in Greek, rather than Aramaic or Hebrew, the languages of the Palestinian Jews. It is not even possible to say whether, or how well, its author could speak Aramaic.


What language was Mark's Gospel written in?

A:All four New Testament gospels were written in Greek Koine, a dialect of Attic Greek. This can be demonstrated by looking at the text of each gospel.The sources believed to have been used for Mark's Gospel were written in Greek. There are some minor references to Aramaic, but these only prove that the Gospel was certainly not written in Aramaic or Hebrew.When Matthew and Luke are laid side by side with Mark's Gospel and read synoptically ('with the same eye') in the Greek language, a literary dependency becomes obvious. Whenever Matthew and Luke agree with Mark, the words are often exactly the same in the Greek language. This results from much of Matthew and Luke being copied from Mark and, for the consistent coincidence of wordings, this can only have been in the Greek language. Similarly, whenever Matthew and Lukeagree on material not present in Mark, the words are once again often exactly the same in the Greek language. This results from sayings material in Matthew and Luke being copied from the hypothetical 'Q' document, which in turn was in the Greek language.Although John's Gospel is not synoptic, it has been established that it was loosely based on Luke, with some material taken direct from Mark. There is evidence that this copying was also undertaken in Greek. Some material in John makes use of pecularities in the Greek language, requiring it to have been written in Greek.AnswerScholars say there can be no dispute that all four gospels were written in Greek Koine. Greek Koine was a simplified Greek dialect developed in the Hellenistic Empire and was based on Attic Greek.AnswerThe predominant copies are in the Greek but some were written in the Hebrew (Matthew).AnswerAll the New Testament gospels were written originally in Greek Koine. It was formerly believed that Matthew's Gospel was the lone exception, but it is now recognised by New Testament scholars that this gospel must have been written in Greek. This is shown by the fact that the author quite faithfully followed the original wording, in Greek, of both St. Mark's Gospel and the 'Q' document. This is also confirmed by his use of the Septuagint, an early Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, for his Old Testament references. An author writing in Hebrew or Aramaic would have used the Hebrew scriptures for references.


Did Lazarus write the Gospel of John?

No, Lazarus did not write the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is traditionally attributed to the apostle John, not Lazarus.


Which gospel write was the first of the evangelists and wrote the gospel in Hebrew?

The wording of your question is somewhat confusing. Perhaps this answer will suffice: Matthew and John were among Jesus' original "chosen twelve," so, of the gospel writers, they would have been the first to evangelize when Jesus sent the disciples out under the "limited commission" (see Matthew chapter 10, beginning with verse 5). However, none of the gospels were written in Hebrew. The original language of all the gospels is Greek.


Who wrote the Gospel of John and the three epistles of John were written by?

The Gospel of John is traditionally attributed to the Apostle John, one of Jesus' disciples. The three epistles of John are also traditionally believed to have been written by the same author, although the identity of the author is not explicitly mentioned within the texts themselves.


What has the author John F A Sawyer written?

John F. A. Sawyer has written: 'A modern introduction to biblical Hebrew' -- subject(s): Hebrew language, Grammar 'The fifth gospel' -- subject(s): Bible, Criticism, interpretation, History 'Reading Leviticus' 'Isaiah' -- subject(s): Bible, Commentaries


What decade was Gospel of John written?

The Gospel of John reached its present form around A.D. 90-100.


In what book in the Bible is the prologue of St John written?

The Gospel of John.


What has the author John Conran written?

John Conran has written: 'A journal of the life and gospel labours of John Conran'


Who wrote the four gosples?

The four gospels in the New Testament of the Bible were written by different authors. The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew, a disciple of Jesus. The Gospel of Mark was written by Mark, who was a companion of Peter. The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke, a companion of the apostle Paul. The Gospel of John was written by John, one of Jesus's disciples.


Was Matthew's Gospel written primarily for Jews?

John Shelby Spong says the author was a Jew familiar with midrash storytelling, but his primary language must have been Greek. Hershel Shanks believes Matthew was probably written for a Christian community in Antioch. This community could of course have consisted of former Jews.If indeed Matthew's Gospel was written for Jews, they could only have been Greek-speaking Jews of the diaspora, unfamiliar with the Hebrew scriptures, as Matthew only refers to the Septuagint Old Testament and even relies on translation errors in the Septuagint.