The Name of Jesus

If you’re like me, you’ve probably heard people say that the name of Jesus is actually yeshua. There are even those who claim that yeshua is the most or only correct way to call on His name. Why do we call him Jesus, then?

The shortest answer I can give is that Jesus evolved from the middle English Iesu, an adaptation of the Latin IESVS which is a transliteration for the koine Greek Iēsous Ἰησοῦς, which is itself a transliteration of the Hebrew names יהושע and ישוע (yehoshua and yeshua – Joshua and Jeshua). A longer, nerdier answer appears below.

The English Name for Jesus

We begin our journey with an examination of how we arrived at the modern English name for Jesus. Prior to the broad evolution of how vowels sound, English speakers called him Iesu, mirroring the Latin Iesu.

Iesu evolved from the original latin name for Jesus, IESVS. Scholars transliterated this name from the koine Greek name Iēsous Ἰησοῦς, which is what the authors of the gospels called Jesus.

Of interest, names in Latin and Greek received different suffixes depending on their case usage. English has no equivalent. Thus, Jesu/Iesu and Jesus/Iesus in poetry and music seem interchangeable to the modern English speaker.

The Greek Name for Jesus

We’ve reached two thousand years into history and arrived at the Greek name for Jesus, Iēsous Ἰησοῦς. However, Jesus wasn’t a Greek. He was a Jewish man with the Hebrew name. The best bridge I have found to grasp this leap from Hebrew to Greek requires that we travel even further back.

Translators created the Septuagint, the first translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus (3rd century BCE). This text provided Hellenistic Jews with access to the scriptures, as they lacked proficiency in Hebrew.

I cannot say with certainty that there is not an older source for the translation of Hebrew names into koine Greek. But, the proliferation and importance of the Septuagint would certainly have set the standard for the authors of the New Testament in translating Hebrew names into koine Greek.

Indeed, we see the Greek Iēsous used throughout the New Testament for Jesus. Joshua son of Nun appears twice in the New Testament (Hebrews 4:8 and Acts 7:45). In both instances, he is called Iēsous Ἰησοῦς.

Jesus is Not Zeus

I must stop and address a nonsense theory which I’ve come across repeatedly in researching this subject. The name of Jesus in koine Greek, Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), has absolutely nothing to do with Zeus (Ζεύς). Jesus is not Zeus.

It should be fairly transparent to anyone looking at the Greek, that there is no link between these words except for our current pronunciation of them. Iēsous is a transliteration of yeshua (ישוע), not a pagan or demonic scheme. Please use wisdom when weighing the words of others. Even mine. Especially mine.

The Hebrew Name for Jesus

The Greek name for Jesus, Iēsous Ἰησοῦς, appears many times in the Septuagint. This is the transliteration for both Joshua יהושע (yehoshua) and Jeshua ישוע (yeshua). The Hebrew name for Jesus was yeshua ישוע.

Interestingly, Joshua yehoshua and Jeshua yeshua are theophoric names that convey the same meaning. Theophoric names incorporate the name of a deity into them. Here, the most holy name of God, the Tetragrammaton, is paired with the hebrew verb “to save”.

And, what do we know of the meaning Jesus’s name?

“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Joshua vs Jeshua

What is the difference between Joshua vs Jeshua? They are nearly identical in pronunciation, spelling, and meaning. It is possible that Hebrew speakers dropped the middle syllable from yehoshua to yeshua as a natural part of language evolution, to make it easier to pronounce.

I find it difficult to believe that Jewish culture would have lightly accepted such a careless alteration of the theophoric element. This is especially true of the sopherim whose job it was to copy the manuscripts of the Hebrew scriptures.

I give more credence to the theory of Christian David Ginsburg. He surmised that this linguistic shift from the yeho- prefix to the yo- prefix revealed a deliberate attempt to safeguard the Tetragrammaton, by at least one school of Jewish thought.

No one could inadvertently speak the name of God with the omission of the ה. Likewise, no one could mistakenly hear someone else speaking it. Also, the elimination of a vowel or syllable is called elision, in case you were looking for a word you’ll probably only ever need once in your life.

Does it Matter?

I’ve spent a lot of time looking into the etymology of Jesus’s name. Perhaps too much to doubt myself, now. But, if you find yourself asking, “Does it matter, really?” I think you’d find yourself in good company. I don’t think it does.

God cares far more for the state of your heart than for the words of your mouth. He makes that crystal clear throughout the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament. Therefore, I don’t believe that yeshua is more correct than Jesus.

The power granted by the living God into the name of Christ transcends our created human languages. So, call him Jesus, Iesu, Ἰησοῦς, ישוע, or any other name by which mankind knows Him. Call on His name in brokenness and repentance, and He will save you.