I am continually amazed by how many people write to our ministry and ask us questions like this one, which came in last week: “Some Christians say we have to use the Hebrew name, Yashua. They say calling on the name of Jesus is calling on Zeus. That Jesus is a disguise name for Satan. What answers do you have for this? Where can we prove the name of Jesus is correct to use in its English translation and pronunciation?”

As bizarre as these questions are, the fact that they keep coming up means that they need to be addressed, so here are some simple responses (for more details, see 60 Questions Christians Ask About Jewish Beliefs and Practices, question #38).

The original Hebrew-Aramaic name of Jesus is yeshu‘a, which is short for yehōshu‘a (Joshua), just as Mike is short for Michael. The name yeshu‘a occurs 27 times in the Hebrew Scriptures, primarily referring to the high priest after the Babylonian exile, called both yehōshu‘a (see, e.g., Zechariah 3:3) and, more frequently, yeshu‘a (see, e.g., Ezra 3:2). So, Yeshua’s name was not unusual; in fact, as many as five different men had that name in the Old Testament. And this is how that name came to be “Jesus” in English: Simply stated, this is the etymological history of the name Jesus: Hebrew/Aramaic yeshu‘a became Greek Iēsous, then Latin Iesus, passing into German and then, ultimately, into English, as Jesus.

Why then do some people refer to Jesus as Yahshua? There is absolutely no support for this pronunciation—none at all—and I say this as someone holding a Ph.D. in Semitic languages. My educated guess is that some zealous but linguistically ignorant people thought that Yahweh’s name must have been a more overt part of our Savior’s name, hence YAHshua rather than Yeshua—but again, there is no support of any kind for this theory.

The Hebrew Bible has yeshu‘a; when the Septuagint authors rendered this name in Greek, they rendered it as Іησους (I­­ēsous, with no hint of yah at the beginning of the name); and the same can be said of the Peshitta translators when they rendered Yeshua’s name into Syriac (part of the Aramaic language family). All this is consistent and clear: The original form of the name Jesus is yeshu‘a, and there is no such name as yahshu‘a (or,yahushua or the like).

What about the alleged connection between the name Jesus (Greek I­­ēsous) and Zeus? This is one of the most ridiculous claims that has ever been made, but it has received more circulation in recent years (the Internet is an amazing tool of misinformation), and there are some believers who feel that it is not only preferable to use the original Hebrew/Aramaic name, Yeshua, but that it is wrong to use the name Jesus. Because of this, we will briefly examine this claim and expose the fallacies that underlie it.

According to the late A. B. Traina in his Holy Name Bible, “The name of the Son, Yahshua, has been substituted by Jesus, Iesus, and Ea-Zeus (Healing Zeus).”

In this one short sentence, two complete myths are stated as fact: First, there is no such name as Yahshua (as we have just explained), and second, there is no connection of any kind between the Greek name I­­ēsous (or the English name Jesus) and the name Zeus. Absolutely none! You might as well argue that Tiger Woods is the name of a tiger-infested jungle in India as try to connect the name Jesus to the pagan god Zeus. It is that absurd, and it is based on serious linguistic ignorance.

Here is another, equally absurd statement:
Basically, to keep it simple, “Jesus” is a very poor Roman translation from Latin, that was also poorly translated from the Greek, which IN NO WAY resembles His Hebrew name, “Yahushua.” Whew! Get all that? Moreover, according to the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA, the name Ieusus (Jesus) is a combination of 2 mythical deities, IEU and SUS (ZEUS, a Greek god). In Gnostic and Greek mythologies they are actually one and the same pagan deity. So, it appears the name “Jesus” has some documented pagan origins. That’s not good! In fairness, some Messianic believers disagree and state that there is no definitive evidence to connect “Jesus” to “Zeus.” However, I disagree with them. (http://www.wwyd.org/)

The response to this statement (which has as much support as the latest Elvis sightings) is quite simple: We know where the name I­­ēsous came from: the Jewish Septuagint! In other words, this was not some later, pagan corruption of the Savior’s name; rather, it was the natural Greek way of rendering the Hebrew/Aramaic name Yeshua at least two centuries before His birth, and it is the form of the name found in more than 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. This is saying something! The name I­­ēsous is also found in Greek writings outside the New Testament and dating to that same general time frame.

Although it is claimed that the Encyclopedia Britannica says that “the name Ieusus (Jesus) is a combination of 2 mythical deities, IEU and SUS (ZEUS, a Greek god)” it actually says no such thing. This is a complete fabrication, intentional or not. In short, as one Jewish believer once stated, “Jesus is as much related to Zeus as Moses is to mice.”

Unfortunately, some popular teachers continue to espouse the Jesus-Zeus connection, and many believers follow the pseudo-scholarship in these fringe, “new revelation” teachings. Not only are these teachings and practices filled with error, but they do not profit in the least. So, to every English-speaking believer I say: Do not be ashamed to use the name JESUS! That is the proper way to say his name in English—just as Michael is the correct English way to say the Hebrew name mi-kha-el and Moses is the correct English way to say the Hebrew name mo-sheh. Pray in Jesus’ name, worship in Jesus’ name, and witness in Jesus’ name. And for those who want to relate to our Messiah’s Jewishness, then refer to him by His original name Yeshua—not Yahshua and not Yahushua—remembering that the power of the name is not in its pronunciation but in the person to whom it refers, our Lord and Redeemer and King.

- See more at: https://askdrbrown.org/portfolio/what-is-the-original-hebrew-name-for-jesus-and-is-it-true-that-the-name-jesus-is-really-a-pagan-corruption-of-the-name-zeus/#comment-915166

INTRESTING!

Hebrew name is ISSVE. Greek is Yashua. Italian is Joshua and English is Jesus. They all translate to Anointed.

orunto27:
Hebrew name is ISSVE. Greek is Yashua. Italian is Joshua and English is Jesus. They all translate to Anointed.

Hebrew name is YESHUA

Sirchucks:
INTRESTING!

Stay blessed and stay away from the confused who think Yeshua is more powerful than Jesus

Hebrew don't have vowel sound.Yeshua has three vowels and that is too many for a word in Hebrew. Issve is simply issue in English language and means "Jesus is the Issue in Christianity". Issv in Hebrew is pronounced Yeshua in Greeks, Joshua in Aramaic and Jesus in KJV. These are just tribal tongues and pronunciation s for a word that simply means "anointed".

orunto27:
Hebrew don't have vowel sound.Yeshua has three vowels and that is too many for a word in Hebrew. Issve is simply issue in English language and means "Jesus is the Issue in Christianity". Issv in Hebrew is pronounced Yeshua in Greeks, Joshua in Aramaic and Jesus in KJV. These are just tribal tongues and pronunciation s for a word that simply means "anointed".

Great contribution

orunto27:
Hebrew don't have vowel sound.Yeshua has three vowels and that is too many for a word in Hebrew. Issve is simply issue in English language and means "Jesus is the Issue in Christianity". Issv in Hebrew is pronounced Yeshua in Greeks, Joshua in Aramaic and Jesus in KJV. These are just tribal tongues and pronunciation s for a word that simply means "anointed".

orunto27:
Hebrew name is ISSVE. Greek is Yashua. Italian is Joshua and English is Jesus. They all translate to Anointed.

vooks:
Great contribution

Why didnt you correct him that Jesus doesnt mean nor translates to ''Anointed''
He's said it twice when it actually it's Christ that means ''Anointed'' where Jesus means Saviour.

MuttleyLaff:




Why didnt you correct him that Jesus doesnt mean nor translates to ''Anointed''
He's said it twice when it actually it's Christ that means ''Anointed'' where Jesus means Saviour.

My bad. Thank you for the correction

Why didnt you correct him that Jesus doesnt mean nor translates to ''Anointed''
He's said it twice when it actually it's Christ that means ''Anointed'' where Jesus means Saviour. No!!!!
Jesus means Anointed!!!! Christ means Savior!!!! He didn't save anything until He became Christ. At Jesus, He remains the Son of Man. But in Christ, He. regains His Son of God s status and becomes Heir to the Throne of Grace. These names further explain the Miracle of , His Trinity. Jesus was not a Pagan symbol. He came as the Character that God needs to rede us and to wipe out pagan memory of a symbol god.

orunto27:




Why didnt you correct him that Jesus doesnt mean nor translates to ''Anointed''
He's said it twice when it actually it's Christ that means ''Anointed'' where Jesus means Saviour. No!!!!
Jesus means Anointed!!!! Christ means Savior!!!! He didn't save anything until He became Christ. At Jesus, He remains the Son of Man. But in Christ, He. regains His Son of God s status and becomes Heir to the Throne of Grace. These names further explain the Miracle of , His Trinity. Jesus was not a Pagan symbol. He came as the Character that God needs to rede us and to wipe out pagan memory of a symbol god.

I said it was an oversight.
Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. His nature remained the same BEFORE, DURING and AFTER incarnation. Check your theology sir, it is fatally flawed

orunto27:
No!!!!
Jesus means Anointed!!!!
Christ means Savior!!!!
He didn't save anything until He became Christ. At Jesus, He remains the Son of Man. But in Christ, He regains His Son of God's status and becomes Heir to the Throne of Grace. These names further explain the Miracle of His Trinity.
Jesus was not a Pagan symbol. He came as the Character that God needs to rede us and to wipe out pagan memory of a symbol god

vooks:
Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever. His nature remained the same BEFORE, DURING and AFTER incarnation.
Check your theology sir, it is fatally flawed

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
- Matthew 1:21

And He continued by questioning them,
"But who do you say that I am?"
Peter answered and said to Him,
"You are the Christ" (i.e. ''You are the Messiah'' or ''You are the Anointed One'')
- Mark 8:29

vooks:

Stay blessed and stay away from the confused who think Yeshua is more powerful than Jesus

The Name Jesus saves anytime I call on it. Its force is awesome. I used it to defeat bad dream it has always worked for me. So I don't think it's important Wether we call it Jesus or Yeshua.

plappville:


The Name Jesus saves anytime I call on it. Its force is awesome. I used it to defeat bad dream it has always worked for me. So I don't think it's important Wether we call it Jesus or Yeshua.

You are blessed my broda.
The strength of the name Jesus is not in its pronounciation nor spelling but on the person behind it. As a matter of fact, the name was quite common in the first century, but when talking about Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, you are actually talking about the authority of Christ. And He moves, virtue flows from him

vooks:

You are blessed my broda.
The strength of the name Jesus is not in its pronounciation nor spelling but on the person behind it. As a matter of fact, the name was quite common in the first century, but when talking about Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus Christ, you are actually talking about the authority of Christ. And He moves, virtue flows from him

Exactement!!

plappville:


Exactement!!

Acts 3:6 (ESV)
6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Acts 3:16 (ESV)
16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Acts 4:7 (ESV)
7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

Note
1. Peter said 'Jesus Christ of Nazareth thereby distinguishing Jesus from other names by his office and also his home town
2. He says it is faith in his name.
3. And finally the rulers question, 'what power OR what name'

So name is a synonym of power. When you mention he name Jesus, it is not the name as such but the power of the one behind it. Myles Munroe once gave the example of a traffic cop, how by a wave of hand he can stop a 16-wheeler truck weighing several tons. It is the authority vested by the government in him that the driver recognizes when he sees his uniform. The uniform is nothing but pieces of well pressed fabric.

Likewise the name Jesus is just letters. But behind it is the authority of the King of Kings and Lord of Lord