What language was used for most of the New Testament’s original texts?

Most of the New Testament’s original texts were written in Koine Greek.

Koine Greek was the common form of Greek used across the eastern Mediterranean from the Hellenistic period into the Roman era. It developed after the conquests of Alexander the Great and became a practical language of administration, trade, and everyday communication.

The New Testament’s books were composed in different places and at different times, but Greek provided a widely understood written medium for early Christian communities. The Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, Luke–Acts, John, and the letters traditionally associated with Paul all survive in Greek.

Aramaic was important in first-century Judea and Galilee, and Jesus and his earliest followers likely used it in daily life. However, the surviving New Testament documents are overwhelmingly Greek. A few passages preserve Semitic expressions, such as “Talitha koum” and “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani,” but these do not change the main language of the texts.