Aramaic

Aramaic is a Semitic language, similar to Hebrew, originally spoken by the ancient Aramaeans. It emerged as the lingua franca of the countries along the commercial routes of the Fertile Crescent and the Levant in about the 6th century BC. Aramaic became the vernacular of Palestine and was the original language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra, and was the native language of Jesus Christ.