John Wesley — "I have often thought, that if I were to choose a language to speak, it should be…"
I have often thought, that if I were to choose a language to speak, it should be Greek.
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More from John Wesley
"I have no doubt that God will save all who are sincere, whether they believe in Christ or not."
"I am as much a High-Churchman as ever I was."
"I am not afraid of giving too much trouble to God. He is able to bear it."
"I am not afraid of dying. I have no more fear of death than I have of lying down to sleep."
"Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge."
About John Wesley (1703-1791)
English Anglican cleric and founder of Methodism, whose open-air preaching and class-meeting structure created the largest 18th-century evangelical revival. Closely associated with Charles Wesley (his hymn-writing brother) and George Whitefield (early co-revivalist, later doctrinal opponent). For an intellectual contrast, see George Whitefield, Calvinist evangelical revivalist — Whitefield's predestinarian Calvinism vs Wesley's free-grace Arminian theology split the early Methodist movement permanently in the 1739-41 break. The founding evangelical Calvinist-Arminian schism — the two parallel evangelical traditions American Christianity descends from.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Wesley expresses a preference for ancient Greek above all other languages for speaking and communication. He values Greek for its precision, philosophical richness, and expressive range — qualities that make it uniquely suited for conveying complex theological and intellectual ideas with clarity and nuance that other languages struggle to match.
Relevance to John Wesley
Wesley was a classically trained Oxford scholar who read the New Testament in its original Koine Greek daily. His theological precision depended on accessing scripture without translation intermediaries. Greek mastery allowed him to interpret scripture directly, forming the exegetical foundation of Methodist doctrine and his meticulous sermon-writing that reached millions.
The era
In 18th-century England, classical education centered on Latin and Greek, but vernacular preaching was transforming religion. Wesley bridged both worlds — using scholarly Greek expertise while preaching in plain English to common people. The Enlightenment elevated rational inquiry, and Greek remained the prestige language of philosophy, medicine, and original Christian scripture.
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