DID YOU KNOW?
The answer
Koine ("common") Greek, the everyday language of the eastern Roman Empire. Not Hebrew, and not the Latin of later church tradition — that came with translation centuries on.
Why it’s interesting
Greek was the lingua franca a fisherman and a merchant could both use, which helped the writings travel fast. The Latin "Vulgate" most people picture is Jerome's translation from around 400 CE.
Scholarly consensus
You can know the Bible.
Not just the stories, but the history, authorship, and scholarship behind it.