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Greek was the universally understood language, so that missionaries did
not have to learn a new language. The Old Testament was translated into
Greek, the New Testament was written in Greek, and the first-century
preaching of the gospel was done in Greek. Most people knew their
native tongue plus Greek. A good example of this is seen in Acts
14:8-18 where a cripple was healed. The people got so excited that they
reverted to their native tongue. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas did not
know what was happening until they saw the animal sacrifices and the
pagan priests. Acts 14:11 explains that the people excitedly spoke in
the language of Lycaonia, their native language. When they reverted to
their native tongue, Paul and Barnabas were left in the dark in terms of
what was being said.
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