(C) “I AM” Embroidery of Koine Greek “I AM,” Kelly Jadon, 2025
At the cross, four languages were recognized: Jesus spoke Aramaic, and a sign posted atop the cross read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. Each language spoke to a different group of people.
Koine Greek was the language of the ordinary workers and peoples throughout the eastern Mediterranean region, including Jewish people living outside of Jerusalem. God used the Koine Greek to unite his church of Jews and Gentiles with a common language. At the school of Tyrannus in Ephesus, Paul preached for two years to both Jews and Greeks. (Acts 19:9-10) And so, the Gospels and other New Testament books were written down in this mutual tongue; then the books were circulated from church to church.
Common languages were important because they could broadly reach diverse speaking population centers. Greek united the early church. Eventually, the Scriptures were collected together and became known as the “Codex Sinaiticus,” the oldest complete document of the New Testament.
In all, we have approximately 5800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.
Greek words are used throughout the Bible, including, “Christ,” meaning, “Anointed One.” Also, “Andrew” and “Philip” are Greek names.
Today, the Greek Orthodox Church continues using Koine Greek during its formal liturgy services. This is the language in which the early church would have first heard the Scriptures. They have honored the Lord, who has been declared the King at the cross in Greek.
Above, see the photo from the embroidery of “I AM,” an artwork, declaring that Jesus is the Great I AM in many languages.
Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in the original Greek: