WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE MESSIAH?

Does the Name of the Messiah Matter? HaShem thought it did:

“She will give birth to a son; and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

One might ask, “But I thought his name was Jesus?” It might surprise the reader to know that the name “jesus” has (literally) only existed in human language for less than 400 years. It was created in 1632 CE. Prior to that date, not a single person knew the name “jesus” nor did they call upon the Lord with that title. In fact, the name “jesus” was not even used in the original 1611 King James version of the Bible. In its original print, the 1611 – 1632 KJV bibles used Iesus which is a transliteration of the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Name Yeshua into English letters. Moreover, the very first time that the name “jesus” was used among men, it was in a civil court case in Amsterdam regarding the unlawful printing of bibles from 1632.

Isn’t the name “jesus” just an English Translation of the Hebrew Yeshua?

No, it is not. Nor is it a transliteration. However, this is the most prevalent objection to the discussion of the real Name of the Messiah. Here is why this assertion is false as it relates to etymology (the study of the origins and evolution of words).

Transliteration is the process of transferring a word from the alphabet of one language to another. Transliteration helps people pronounce words and names in foreign languages.

ישוע (Yeshua) = Ιησούς = Iesous

Therefore, “jesus” is NOT a transliteration. Is the name “jesus” a “translation” of the Hebrew Name Yeshua? No. In fact, since “jesus” is very much a made-up name it has absolutely no meaning. Much in the same way, for example, that the made-up name “Shanoi” has no meaning as it too is a made-up name.

Translation is the process of reworking text from one language into another to maintain the original message and communication.

The Name Yeshua is the shortened form of Yehoshua. The translation of that name into English is “Joshua”. The meaning is “salvation”.

Thus, if – for some reason – one felt the need to transliterate the Hebrew guah into Greek then the name would be Iesous. The transliteration of the Hebrew into English is Yeshua. The TRANSLATION is Joshua or Salvation. Indeed, one of the eaelriest old English names of the Messiah was Hǣlend which simply meant “savior”.

The Name “jesus” was Born in 1632

The first time the English Name JESUS was spelled precisely in this way in a secular sense was first noted June of 1632 within an English legal brief prepared from the Court of the High Commission in London England. Matthew Phillips’ answer to If the letter J wasn’t invented until 1600, how did Jesus get his name 2013 years ago?

The Name “jesus” is an English word and is considered an exceptionally modern construct cemented by Gentiles, with an initial origin of ~385 years. This English name was created AFTER 1,600 years of filtration through 4 previous languages (the details are listed below). [Considering illiteracy — this English name Jesus remained uncommon until the 18th century]. The original HEBREW Name guah [Yeshua], on the other hand, is authentic and ancient, it has been known to exist officially in excess of 9,000 years.

A bit more detail: Ironically, the English name was spelled this way in an official lawsuit filed against a pair of Gentile owners (Richard Barker and Martin Lucas) of an Amsterdam print shop who were printing Bibles for gain (profit) – their edition bears the date 1631 – 1632. The pair willfully engaged in dishonorable publishing and “made grievous errors.” The evidence was their production of a Bible without quality, a printing disgrace known commonly as ‘the wicked Bible.’ [One noted printing mistake:

“Thou Shalt commit Adultery” (the word ‘NOT’ was missing)].

The pair were sued for printing subpar quality and lost – having to pay a 500£ fine. King Charles I ordered every copy of the Wicked Bible to be gathered and burned. Not all the Wicked Bibles were destroyed. At least 11 copies survived. Needless to say, the spelling “jesus” which was only written within the court’s document (never written within their version of the Bible), and which occurred just once, remained to become the most recognized Western Brand Name in all of human history; an English word is now commonly used among Gentiles to identify a very famous Jew whose Name was actually Yeshua.

Why Translate the name of the Messiah?

The Name of the Divine Messiah was given to us by God. Yosef and Miriam were told that His Name SHALL BE…..Yeshua. It is clear that Heaven wanted the Messiah to have a specific Name. So, why change it? Why translate it? Why not call the Messiah by His actual Name? That is the question that the reader is going to have to answer for themselves. Should we call the Messiah by the name that God gave Him or should we continue to use the one created by men just a few hundred years ago?