The Greek language was freely spoken in the antique world from about 330 B.C. to 330 A.D. The Greeks are descendants of Javan, a son of Japheth who was a son of Noah (Genesis 10:2). Before Alexander the Great, it existed in several major dialects with two forms proving to be the most influential - the Attic form, spoken primarily in Athens, and the Ionic form, spoken primarily in the Greek city states. These two dialectic forms exerted much influence on each other, eventually producing a dialect called Attic-Ionic.

Through the conquests of Alexander the Great, the language was carried far into the Near East, where it became the standard language of commerce and government. It was adopted as a second language in many regions and ultimately transformed into what has come to be called Koiné or common Greek. By the time the New Testament was written, Koiné Greek had become the common language of Israel.

Jewish religious scholars such as rabbis and scribes continued to speak, read, and write in Hebrew. Their conversational language is known as rabbinic Hebrew. The Oral Law of Judaism was finally written in rabbinic Hebrew in 200 A.D. in the Mishnah. This work was later greatly expanded by an Aramaic commentary called the Gemara, which was completed around 500 A.D. The Talmud is usually meant to refer to a combination of the Mishnah and Gemara.

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, 'JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.' Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews'; but that He said, `I am King of the Jews.' " Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." ...John 19:17-22