Koine Greek

Koine Greek, also called Hellenistic Greek or Biblical Greek, was the common way people spoke and wrote Greek during the Hellenistic period, the Roman Empire, and the early Byzantine Empire. It started after the time of Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC. It became the main language for many places in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It was based mostly on Attic and Ionic ways of speaking, and people used it for both writing and daily talk.

Koine Greek was the language used for important works like the Septuagint, which is a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament. Famous writers such as Plutarch and Polybius also used it. Even the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his personal thoughts, called Meditations, in Koine Greek. Today, Koine Greek is still used in services by the Greek Orthodox Church and some Greek Catholic churches. Over time, it changed into what we call Medieval Greek, which later helped shape Modern Greek.

Name

The English word "Koine" comes from the Koine Greek term ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, meaning "the common dialect". In Greek, κοινή means "common". Ancient scholars used the word "koine" in different ways. Some thought it was an early form of Greek. Others used it for everyday speech. Over time, Koine Greek became important for writing and speaking in many places.

Main article: Κοινὴ διαλέκτος

Further information: Hellenistic Greece

Origins and history

Koine Greek became a common way of speaking among the soldiers led by Alexander the Great. It spread from the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt to the Seleucid Empire in Mesopotamia. This new form of Greek helped people understand each other better, replacing many older dialects.

Later, during the time of the Roman Empire, Greek became an important language for communication in many places. Areas like Asia Minor, Arabia, Judaea, Syria, and Egypt used Greek for writing and official matters. Scholars think that Koine Greek is mostly based on the Attic dialect, with some influences from other Greek dialects.