Among the highlights of Pope Francis' official visit to Israel was an exchange of words with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Jesus Christ's native language.
At a public meeting with the Catholic Pontiff and several journalists, an amusing scene unfolded between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Pope. PM Netanyahu's public speech included a bit of trivia that the pope did not quite agree with. According to Netanyahu, Jesus Christ, who had been born in Jerusalem, spoke Hebrew.
"Aramaic," the pope corrects him.
In disagreement, Netanyahu replies with, "he spoke Aramaic but he knew Hebrew."
In Israel, Christ's background is not just a cultural issue, it holds political connotations, as well. Although Jesus Christ was a Jew who was born in Bethlehem, a village in Judea, he was raised in Nazareth and continued his ministry in Galilee. The religious icon died while in Jerusalem, a city that holds a special place in the hearts of Israelis and Palestineans. Due to Christs' background, Palestineans consider him a fellow Palestinean, but Israeli Jews still support the idea of him being Israeli.
Professor Ghil'ad Zuckermann, Israeli linguist and historian, states that while Jesus was an Aramaic speaker, he had to learn Hebrew in order to understand the Torah's teachings. He suspects Jesus Christ probably spoke both languages fluently.
Zuckermann also adds that Jesus probably learned Hebrew to communicate better with Jews belonging to the lower ranks of society, the "kind of people he ministered to," he adds.
