How Christianity Saved the Greek Language

One of the characteristics of language is that it is dynamic. Language has to change because the world around us is changing. For example, in the 1950s, the word internet did not exist in our vocabulary. In 2025, this word is an integral part of our vocabulary because this word is necessary to describe a technology that almost everyone uses every day. On the other hand, there are words that disappear from our vocabulary or their meanings change because they are not relevant any more. An example of this is the word, shambles. Today, this word means a place of total disorder, but it used to mean a meat market or a slaughterhouse.

     With the dynamic nature of language, it can be difficult to read a language as written 500 years ago because the vocabulary and grammar have changed so much. An example of this is found with the English language. For many people, reading the works of Shakespeare, written from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century A.D., is a challenge because the language has changed so much. Imagine then, trying to read Beowulf, an early English work, from the seventh century.

     During a recent trip to Greece to visit the cities where the Apostle Paul had planted churches, I had a discussion with our tour guide, Athina, about changes to the Greek language from the first century A.D. until today. She made a surprising statement to me that most Greeks today can read and understand the New Testament, as originally written in Greek two thousand years ago. I was surprised by this statement because of the dynamic nature of language described above. As we talked further, I realized that Christianity preserved the Greek language.

     Greek is considered the oldest recorded living language, going back to the fifteenth century B.C.* The Greek language changed over the centuries moving from the more formal classical Greek to the less structured Koine (common) Greek. Koine Greek became the lingua franca used throughout the Hellenistic empire established by Alexander the Great. It maintained its prominence through the mid-fourth century A.D. Koine Greek was the language used to write the New Testament books.

     The future of the Greek language was threatened during the period of Ottoman rule in Greece. The Ottoman rule lasted from 1453 with the fall of Constantinople to the Turks until the successful Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821. During this period of occupation, lasting approximately 370 years, the Turks (Ottomans) imposed their culture upon the people of Greece. This was done in two significant ways. (1) Part of the Turkish population resettled in Greece in order to integrate the Greeks into the Turkish cultural, religious and economic way of life. (2) There was a conscious effort by the Turks to replace Christianity with Islam as the religion of the land, to replace the Greek language with the Turkish language as the lingua franca of the land and to educate the Greek people in the ways of the Ottomans.

     Fortunately, the Turks did not penetrate or even attempt to penetrate all of Greece. Some of the sultans who ruled Greece were more interested in collecting taxes from the people than integrating the population. They were focused on the low lands of the country since this was where they would derive the most economic benefit. The Turks left the mountainous regions alone and the people in these regions were not influenced by Turkish integration. One group of people that occupied the mountains were the monks and nuns of the Orthodox church who built monasteries to separate themselves from the world and live an ascetic life. Because of their lifestyle, they were insulated from the influence of the Turks. This allowed them to practice their faith and to read, write and speak the Greek language.    

     In the lowlands of Greece, the Turks were not able to have complete control. There were areas where secret schools were established by the local priest and he would teach his students the Greek language, through hymns and the Gospels. This also contributed to the preservation of the language and the Orthodox faith.

     With the expulsion of the Turks, beginning with the War of Independence in 1821, it was time for the Greeks to reclaim their culture and language after it had been suppressed for almost 400 years. By preserving the Greek language, the Orthodox clergy played a crucial role in lifting the patriotic spirit of Greeks, giving them the strength to fight against their rulers. In spite of the Turkish occupation, many of the citizens of Greece secretly maintained their Christian faith and their allegiance to the Orthodox church. Since Turkish was the language of the land, it would seem the Greek language would need to be revived. Fortunately, it did not need to be revived because it was not dead! The monasteries and secret schools had maintained the Greek language throughout the Ottoman era in Greece; therefore, it was ready to be restored to the citizens. As is the nature with all languages, the vocabulary would need updated, but it still maintained its structure that goes back to the period of the New Testament.

     The Greek language was alive and well thanks to the monks and nuns in those monasteries tucked away from the control of the Turks and the brave work of the priests in the lowlands. Also, the Christian faith, as expressed by the Orthodox church, became alive again throughout Greece.

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* Hebrew, as a written language, goes back to the same period of time as the Greek language. The earliest written Hebrew has been found inscribed on an amulet. It was discovered on Mount Ebal, the place where the curses were pronounced after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River (see Joshua 8: 30-34). The name of God, YHWH, shows up twice in the inscription. By proximity of the discovery to the altar, built by Joshua, found on Mount Ebal, the amulet dates back early fifteenth century B.C.