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This idea isn't particularly new: even the New Testament is written in what was basically street Greek rather than the more formal variant usually employed for

This idea isn't particularly new: even the New Testament is written in what was basically street Greek rather than the more formal variant usually employed for written documents.

YeGoblynQueenne 9y ago
The language in the New Testament is not formal, yes, but it's not "street Greek" in the same sense that we mean "street speak" today. At the time, Greek was the lingua franca of that part of the world, basically the Roman empire, so it was used by people who didn't have another common language to communicate in their daily interactions. It's not a slang though, nor a subculture's secret argot. For instance, today the de facto lingua franca spoken around the world is English. So, if the New Testament was written today- it would be obviously written in English to reach the broadest audience possible. Now, imagine if the apostles decided to write about Christ's life not just in English, but in the kind of English used in gangsta rap. I have read the New Testament in the original and I can assure you that is not what it sounds like :)