Jesus is part of this land, and like all things connected to this place he has many faces and many names - it all depends on your perspective. As a man born in Bethleham, with parents from Nazarath who at some point traveled to Egypt (by one account at least) Jesus has been entangled with all the regions of the land. It makes sense then, that he has different names which encompass historical changes, theological views and linguistic developments. Let’s explore the different names of Jesus you might hear if you visit this beautiful land.
Isa - عِيسَى
If you travel in Haifa, Jerusalem or Bethlehem where Arabic is spoken widely, don’t be surprised if Jesus will be called Isa. Isa is the name used in the holy book of Islam - the Quran. Christian Arabs however, use one of the Hebrew names while the Islamic name more closely resembles the Aramaic name of Jesus - Eesho. It is unknown why the Islamic text chose a different name than the one used by Arab speaking Christians but there are several speculations. Some say it is merely a copying error which happened at a certain time. Others suggest it is done to make his name closer to that of Moses - Which in the Quran is pronounced Musa. After all, for muslims Jesus is also considered a prophet who spoke to god. No matter the reason, for many inhabitants of this land Jesus is Isa.
Yeshua - ישוע
This is the name used in Hebrew translations of the new testament and accepted by Christians as the Hebrew name. The word Yeshua stems from the Hebrew word Yeshuah (ישועה) which means deliverance or salvation. It is also an abbreviation of the Hebrew name Yehushua (Joshua in English) and the biblical Joshua is called Yeshua in certain parts of the bible. Since this name has miraculous connotations Hebrew speaking Jews don’t use it - opting for the more common Yeshu.
Yeshu - ישו
This is the name used by the majority of Hebrew speakers and if you walk the streets of Tel Aviv, Ra’anana or Beer Sheva you will most likely hear this variation of the name. It is commonly believed this name is an acronym which stands for: May his name and memory be wiped from the earth (ימח שמו וזכרו)
While tempting to believe, this is not true and is a myth developed later on since the name existed prior to Jesus of Nazarath. There are several Jewish scholars referenced in the Talmud named Yeshu, however their names were corrected in later versions to Yehusha to distance them from the Christian icon. Why is the name different then? There is no one clear explanation but there are two common speculations. In the region of Galilee, Where some of the scholars of the Talmud resided, they didn’t pronounce the letter ‘ע’ which makes the ‘ah’ sound in Yeshua. It is possible that’s why the common Hebrew name lacks that sound. It is also possible the name is influenced from the Greek language in which the name is pronounced Yisos, a similar pronunciation.
Oto Ha Ish - אותו האיש
No relation to the German name Otto, this is actually how you say ‘that man’ in Hebrew. Since Jesus is considered by religious Jews as a false Messiah, some observant Jews believe it is a sin to say his name out loud. It was also historically used by Jews in predominantly Christian lands at certain points, so they can discuss the man without alerting the Christian Majority. You will most likely hear this phrase in reference to Jesus In Bnei-Brak where Ultra Orthodox Jews reside or in the settlements where the Ultra Nationalists Jews despise anything they perceive as a foreign influence.
Comments