The Passion

[spittle]

I have just bought 'The Passion of the Christ' special edition. In one of the doc's they tell us that they used Aramaic for the Jews, Correct Latin for Pilate (and the governing class of Roman) and Vulgar Latin for the common soldier because '....the average soldier would have come from the provinces and probably never seen Rome or even Italy...'

 

So where would these guys have come from?

[Melvadius]

I have just bought 'The Passion of the Christ' special edition. In one of the doc's they tell us that they used Aramaic for the Jews, Correct Latin for Pilate (and the governing class of Roman) and Vulgar Latin for the common soldier because '....the average soldier would have come from the provinces and probably never seen Rome or even Italy...'

 

So where would these guys have come from?

 

It depends which 'common soldier' you were referring to.

 

At this time most legionarries would probably still have been recruited from Rome or at worst Italy as you still needed to be citizen to be enrolled in the 'heavy infantry'. Some recruits could obviously have been from amongst people who had already achieved citizen status in older provinces.

 

However as in other parts of the Empire any legionnaries present would have been supported by auxiliaries who would mainly have been recruited from non-citizens. I don't have a full listing for units based in Judea or indeed Syria (where the three legions that saw service in Judea were based) but the University of south Dakota site has a potted history of events along with the observation that at least some auxilliaries were recruited fairly locally as:

 

'An auxiliary force [was] raised in Caesarea and Sebaste supported the governor in Caesarea and garrisoned Jerusalem.'

 

http://www.usd.edu/erp/Palestine/history.htm

 

Therefore they were raised in modern Syria so the chances were that they may also have spoken Aramaic now that would have been fun and made the film even more confusing with members of both (or should that be all three sides) speaking the same language.

[Primus Pilus]

In a thread from ages ago I attempted to hammer the notion that Legionaries in Judaea at the time would've spoken Latin. Keep in mind that I am not talking about auxilia but true legionaries.

 

Latin or Greek in Judaea c. 30 AD

[spittle]

That answers everything.

 

The language expert wanted Greek and Hebrew included (as well as Good Latin, bad Latin and Aramaic) but director Gibson thought his objectives were achieved without them. Personally I would have liked the film to be as close to the actual reality as possible.

 

They had to reconstruct the Aramaic because they knew far more about earlier and later use of this particular language than at that specific time (due to little surviving evidence). It seems to me that if that degree of accuracy was attempted then including the other locally used tongues would have been appropriate.

 

Like I always say

"If I can enjoy a film that used three languages I do not understand I'd probably enjoy it if it used five".

[Pompieus]

I don't believe any legions were stationed in Palestine until the great revolt in 66AD (there were several in Syria). Auxilia cohorts stationed in the area before 66 AD probably included: I Damascenorum (from Syria) and I Sebastenorum (local). III Bracarum (Spain), IV Breucorum (Pannonia), I Montanorum (Alps), I Thracum (Thrace), I Flavia(?), and V Gemina (?) are also attested there on inscriptions, as well as I and II Ulpia Galatarum and IV and VI Ulpia Petraeorum; but these units probably were stationed in Palestine later by Titus or Trajan. These lists come from Cheesemans "The Auxilia of the Roman Imperial Army" - other inscriptions may have been discovered more recently and be listed in Spauls "Cohort".