Breaking news...The Language of Yeshua (Part 2)
Evidence From The Early Church Fathers
If Yeshua’s language was Hebrew, as suggested by the New Testament’s own textual evidence, then you would also expect those closer to the time of Yeshua (and the birth of the Messianic Community - the ‘Church’) to confirm this as well.
Well, unsurprisingly, such evidence does exist, and not just from one source...
Papias
One of the ‘Early Church fathers’ named Papias, who lived at the end of the 1st Century was cited by another Church Father called Eusebius, in H.E. [the History of the Church], 3.39. He said,
"Matthew wrote down the sayings in Hebrew and each translated it as he was able."
It is an interesting and essential point to note that “each translated it as he was able”, as this is a significant clue for us that translating from the Semitic language of Hebrew into Greek was not an easy task. 
As with any language, it is hard to translate subtle nuances and word plays into a new language. It is almost inevitable that things will be misunderstood and poorly translated. This is even more true when translation occurs across different alphabets, as is the case between the Hebrew and Greek forms.
As with any language, it is hard to translate subtle nuances and word plays into a new language. It is almost inevitable that things will be misunderstood and poorly translated. This is even more true when translation occurs across different alphabets, as is the case between the Hebrew and Greek forms.Irenaeus
Another Church Father, named Irenaeus (who lived at the end of 2nd Century) wrote in his paper Against Heresies, 3.1.2, that:
"Matthew published a written gospel for the Hebrews in their own tongue, while Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and founding the church there.”
Origen
And furthermore, Origen (who also lived around the end of the 2nd century), wrote in his commentary on Matthew (again cited by Cited in Eusebius, H.E., 6.25) that he only accepted:
"the traditional view of the four gospels which alone are undeniably authentic in the church of God on earth. First to be written was that of the one-time exciseman who became an apostle of Jesus Christ - Matthew; it was published for believers of Jewish origin, and was composed in Hebrew letters/language. Next came that of Mark, who followed Peter's instructions in writing it ... Next came that of Luke, who wrote for Gentile converts ... Last of all came John's."
Conclusions:
So, not only is there New Testament textual evidence that Yeshua’s language was Hebrew, but also conclusive evidence from those in positions of influence and authority soon after His death and resurrection.
So What?
The ‘so what?’ factor is of crucial importance to us living in the 21st Century. If we are to properly understand who our Messiah was, what he was teaching, how he was understood by his peers, and thus to follow his teaching more closely and more accurately, we must understand him in his original context, in his original language. Hebrew.
Click here to go to 'The Language of Yeshua (Part 1) - New Testament Evidence'.
Comments
Thank you for confirming that
Thank you for confirming that the Word was written in Hebrew. I have been sying this for years and ridiculed by christians. Truth needs to be told and get the One New Man together. Keep on keeping on. Bless you both.
There are also much more
There are also much more significant problems - and massive errors in tyranslation - when you ignore Yeshua's original Hebrew language. Check out Matthew 23: 2-4 in different versions and let me know what you make of it..? In the NIV it reads "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." ANYONE INTERESTED CAN DO THIS.
You can also see Hebrew in
You can also see Hebrew in the Greek sentence structure of Luke 15: 20. In our English versions the repetition of the Greek 'kai' [and] is removed to make it read better. The repeated use of 'and', 'and', 'and', 'and' is poor Greek, but very good Hebrew! It should literally read, "And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; and he ran to his son, and threw his arms around him and kissed him". Poor English, poor Greek, great Hebrew!
Thanks for this information.
Thanks for this information. I totally agree that we must understand him in his original context - Hebrew. For example, the woman who had the ‘issue of blood’ for 12 years - Mark’s gospel 95:25-43), believed to be mainly to a gentile audience, says "who touched my clothes". In Matthew 9:20, (to a mainly Jewish audience) he said, “touched the hem of the garment”. The Jews would understand ‘hem’ as tzitzit, the tassles, like on today’s prayer shawl. It also makes the Word of God so rich and meaningful – so our faith in God will be stronger.