# 1. Question Restatement: > Are there any non-biblical occurrences of Koine Greek? Are there occurrences prior to the Septuagint/NT? # 2. Defining "Koine Greek": I imagine the issue behind the question is the "artificial" use of the phrase "Koine Greek" in a way that excludes secular texts. That is because secular scholarship also uses different terms. **Koine Greek is also known as "Hellenistic Greek":** > [Koine Greek, Wikipedia][1] - (UK English /ˈkɔɪniː/,[2] US English /kɔɪˈneɪ/, /ˈkɔɪneɪ/ or /kiːˈniː/;[2][3] from Koine Greek ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, "the ***common*** dialect"), also known as ***Alexandrian dialect***, ***common Attic***, ***Hellenistic*** or Biblical Greek (Modern Greek: Ελληνιστική Κοινή, "Hellenistic Koiné", in the sense of "Hellenistic supraregional language"), was the common supra-regional form of Greek spoken and written during Hellenistic and Roman antiquity and the early Byzantine era, or Late Antiquity. **Referencing Non-Biblical Koine Texts is Very Necessary, to properly interpret New Testament texts:** The clear objection to the "theological use" of "Koine Greek" is that it has allowed "Christian" and "Jewish" specific grammars that narrowly/improperly apply to religious texts only, and allow theologians to claim "unique use / hapax" in Greek - when those phrases are not. (The most egregious examples are redefinitions of very common Greek words as "theological/spiritual", like "Xaris, Pistos, Dikaios, etc (Favor [Grace], Trust [Faith], Just [Righteous])" as purely theological concepts - to justify very specific theologies - when these words, and most others were not remotely used/interpreted with the theological connotations that were injected into them after.) We have several answers in this community that have wrongfully claimed "unique use / hapax" - because they do not consider these other texts. **Some Examples:** - **Polybius Histories (Probably THE most important non-Biblical koine text).** - Plutarch - (also very important). - [Hellenistic Greek Texts 1St Edition Edition, Amazon][2] - Apostolic Fathers - Joseph and Asenath **From Wikipedia, [Texts in Koine Greek][3]:** > **A** Apocalypse of Peter Argonautica **C** Cynic epistles **D** Discourses of Epictetus Divine Liturgy **E** Enchiridion of Epictetus Exhortation to the Greeks **G** Greek Vulgate **H** Heroninos Archive **L** Antoninus Liberalis On the Sublime **M** Manetho Meditations Metz Epitome Misopogon **P** Panarion Paschal troparion Patrologia Graeca Periplus of the Euxine Sea ***Searching for texts using other names of "Koine Greek", (like Alexandrian Greek or Hellenistic Greek), will help identify these other secular texts).*** [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koine_Greek [2]: https://www.amazon.com/Hellenistic-Greek-Texts-Allen-Wikgren/dp/0226896889 [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texts_in_Koine_Greek