Old languages
Theology studies
The Ancient Greek language (Ἑλληνική / Hellēnikḗ), spoken between the 9th century BC and the 6th century AD, belongs to the Indo-European language family and was the language of philosophy, science and literature in antiquity. It was spoken in various dialects, including Attic and Ionian, and forms the linguistic basis of many classical texts, including the New Testament. Classical Latin (Lingua Latīna) developed in ancient Rome and spread with the Roman Empire across Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. As the official language of the Roman administration, the law and later the church, it became the basis of the Romance languages and shaped the scientific vocabulary of Europe. Ancient Hebrew (עברית / Ivrit), a Northwest Semitic language, was spoken in ancient Israel and is best known as the language of large parts of the Hebrew Bible. It was originally a spoken language, later became the liturgical language of Judaism and forms the basis of modern Hebrew. All three languages are no longer everyday languages, but their influence on religion, science and culture is still profoundly felt today.