sanskrit was the first alphabet

[jivatman]

βαθμιαίο is correct, here I believe that Ra is simply referring to the fact that Sanskrit was an entirely oral language for a very long time, and was only written down much, much later, and with reluctance. Because of this, the sounds remained the same as they were in ancient times.

I go into more depth in this thread, with sources.
http://www.bring4th.org/forums/showthread.php?tid=4984