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Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/26/uk-pope-holyland-jesus-idUKKBN0E618X20140526
Pope, Netanyahu Trade Words over Jesus' Native Language
(Reuters) Pope Francis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traded words on Monday over the language spoken by Jesus two millennia ago. "Jesus was here, in this land. He spoke Hebrew," Netanyahu told Francis in Jerusalem. "Aramaic," the pope interjected. "He spoke Aramaic, but he knew Hebrew," Netanyahu shot back. Israeli linguistics professor Ghil'ad Zuckermann said, "Jesus was a native Aramaic speaker, but he would have also known Hebrew because there were extant religious writings in Hebrew." He added that during Jesus' time, Hebrew was spoken by the lower classes - "the kind of people he ministered to."