The evolution of the name Jesus represents a complex and unparalleled linguistic journey.
While the origin of Jesus’ name remains a subject of debate, it is believed to have evolved through natural language adaptations; several widely accepted beliefs related to this theory are presented below.
Hebrew to Greek: The Greek name Iēsous is said to be the transliteration of the Greek name Ἰησοῦς which is the transliteration of the Hebrew name Yehoshua (or its shortened form, Yeshua), which means “Yahweh is salvation.” Yeshua is the Hebrew name for both Jesus and Joshua.
The Greek alphabet, unlike Hebrew, has distinct letters for vowels and consonants, which significantly altered the name’s written structure. For example, the Greek language does not have a “sh” sound, so a phonetic adaptation was necessary, and an “s” was added to the end of the name to conform to Greek grammatical rules.
Greek to Latin: The next morphological change was less significant. When the Greek scriptures were translated into Latin, Iēsous was eventually transliterated as Iesus.
Latin to English: The Tyndale, Geneva, and original King James Versions of the Bible all used the Latin transliteration “lesus.” With the introduction of the letter “J,” modern translations adopted the name “Jesus.” This change marked the completion of the evolution of the name Jesus.
Some might argue that the English name of Jesus is a translation of a transliteration of a transliteration of a transliteration. In fact, an AI inquiry regarding this statement produced the following response:
“The English name Jesus is indeed a multi-step process of transliteration (and a name change) starting from a Hebrew name, and it can be described as a transliteration of a transliteration of a transliteration.”
Bible commentaries typically state that Joshua and Jesus are both translations of the name Iēsous, which is the Greek transliteration of Ἰησοῦς, with an etymology from the name Yehoshua.
Although Joshua and Jesus appear to be different names, the variations in spelling arise from the translation paths of the source languages.
Is Jesus the transliteration of Yehoshua?
The evolution of the name Jesus, summarized in the first section of this article, is intriguing, but ultimately it remains a fanciful theory.
Whether the English name of Jesus is a translation of the Greek name Iēsous is irrelevant; neither name has an etymology or origin from Yehoshua.
Transliteration captures the sounds of the original name, while translation conveys the meaning of a word.
Linguistic rules for transliterating Biblical names are often disregarded. This is evident in most Bible translations, where proper names are both transliterated and translated, significantly altering their original pronunciation and, in some cases, the meanings derived from the source language.
To provide context, consider another name from the Bible that has not been subjected to convoluted linguistic changes.
The Greek transliteration of Ἰωσήφ (G2501) is iōsēph, which is pronounced “ee-o-safe” and translated as Joseph. This name has a Hebrew origin, and it is transliterated as yôsēp̄ in the Old Testament.
In contrast, the Greek transliteration of Ἰησοῦς (G2424) is Iēsoûs, pronounced as “ee-ay-sooce,” and translated as both Joshua and Jesus.
Clearly “ee-ay-sooce” does not sound anything like the transliteration of Yehoshua (H3091), which is pronounced “yeh-ho-shoo’-ah.”
However, the pronunciation “ee-o-safe” is very similar to the transliteration of Yosef (H3130), pronounced as “yo-safe.”
Even though the original transliteration of Yehoshua in the Old Testament was incorrectly translated as Joshua, Yeshua is not given as a secondary translation.
“The name Yeshua is not found in the scriptures, yet it is an important piece of the linguistic puzzle that is the evolution of the name Jesus.”
The name Jesus is not the transliteration of Yehoshua. To create the illusion that it is, the established linguistic rules that apply to transliterating names were altered.
Proper names should be directly transliterated from the source language to the target language and not transliterated through multiple languages.
Transliterating proper names involves converting sounds from one writing system to another in order to preserve the original pronunciation from the source language.
This rule was dismissed when the evolution of the name Jesus was introduced. It was replaced with a linguistic progression chart which was created to illustrate how this name evolved through five different languages.
Yehoshua (Hebrew)→ Yeshua (Hebrew/Aramaic) → Iēsous (Greek) → Iesus (Latin) → Jesus (English)
Are Jesus and Joshua the same Name?
To translate is to convey the meaning of words or phrases from one language to another. Proper names are not translated; names such as Joshua and Joseph are merely rendered as translations for readability purposes.
The decision to translate, transliterate, or substitute proper biblical names with titles, depended largely on the personal preferences and biases of the scribes and translators.
The rules regarding translations were also modified to accommodate the evolution of the name Jesus. In the Old Testament, Yehoshua is only translated as Joshua. However, in the New Testament, Iēsous, which is said to be the transliteration of Yehoshua, is translated as Jesus, Joshua, and Jesus (who is called Justus).
If Jesus is both God and the Savior of the world, how can His name be shared with mortal men (Colossians 1:16)?
If God gave Jesus “the name that is above every name,” it could not be derived from Yehoshua, as several people in the Old Testament also bear this name.
These contradictions—which also defy common sense—indicate that the evolution of the name Jesus is illogical and, therefore, invalid.
Are Jesus and Yahweh both Saviors?
Perhaps the greatest claim that is associated with the name Jesus is that he is the only one with the power to save us from our sins.
If salvation were only through the name of Jesus, the saints before his arrival would have known of him, but his name is not mentioned in any Old Testament scriptures.
In Isaiah 45:21, Yahweh declared that there is no other God apart from Him. He alone is both God and Savior; there is none other besides Him.
Can Yahweh, who is the only Savior in the Old Testament, be replaced by a different Savior in the New Testament?
The saints of the Old Testament did not call upon the name of Jesus, and New Testament believers rarely, if ever, call upon Yahweh. However, if not for the fact that the name of Yahweh has been removed from the scriptures, Old and New Testament believers alike would call upon Yahweh for salvation, as indicated in Isaiah 43:11 and Acts 2:21.
Acts 2:21 references Joel 2:31-32, indicating that at the end of this age, when Yahweh returns, those who call upon His name shall be saved.
When referring to God our Savior, it’s important to avoid thinking of “the Father” and “the Son” as two separate persons; this is a human concept. Instead, understand that the Son represents the visible image of the Father in human form. There is only one God revealed in one person. This is evidenced in many scriptures including John 14:7-9, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Colossians 1:15, and Hebrews 1:3.
Hidden in plain view are keys that Yahweh has provided us with, so that we can unlock the mysteries of the Holy Scriptures that he inspired.
Yahweh’s Scriptures—when they are properly deciphered—reveal that He is the sole source of our Salvation. The introduction of a second Savior is shown to be a false doctrine when examined in the light of this truth.
Our Messiah is Yahweh otherwise He cannot be our Savior (Isaiah 43:11, John 8:58, 1 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 1:15-17). Stated another way, Yahweh clearly states that He alone is the Savior; therefore, the Messiah can only be the Savior if He is Yahweh.
We read in Romans 10:9, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
In Romans 10:13, the term “Lord” is used as a substitute for the name Yahweh. So, what does confessing the Lord Jesus mean?
What is the name of the Lord?
Even if we were instructed to call upon the name of the Lord, that would require “the Lord” to have a name; the Lord’s name is not “the Lord.”
The name Yahweh (that is not found in the New Testament) is a crucial key that is required to correctly decipher the Holy Scriptures.
When we replace the word “Lord” with the name of Yahweh, the doctrine of the trinity ceases to exist.
The Doctrine of the Trinity – Fact or Fiction
When Yahweh’s name is restored in Romans 10:13, and Joel 2:32—replacing the misleading title of “the Lord”—it becomes evident that Romans 10:9 contradicts the accurate translation of Romans 10:13, thus invalidating it as a path to salvation, according to Yahweh.
“The Lord” is not a name we can call upon; those who call upon the name of Yahweh shall be saved.
Refer to the following revolutionary study guide below for an in-depth analysis of the Lords of the Old and New Testaments.
Is the name Jesus above all others?
The Old and New Testament scriptures must be harmonious and consistent rather than contradictory.
Yahweh’s name is meant to be “exalted.” However, it has been translated as “Lord,” a title that is also given to Jesus and human rulers. This misleading translation undermines numerous scriptures, including Isaiah 12:4 and Isaiah 42:8.
According to Philippians 2:9-10, God highly “exalted” Jesus, and gave him a name which is above all others, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. However, these passages contain major contradictions.
Isaiah 45:22-23 asserts, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself; the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess.”
To kneel before the Lord Jesus and the Lord God would be to kneel before two Gods.
Our Messiah declared, “Before Abraham was, I am.” He who is the personification of God in the flesh, could not have been named by God, for He is God.
Psalm 148:13 states: “Let them praise the name of Yahweh, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above the earth and heaven.”
How can the name Jesus be above all others, when Yahweh’s name alone is to be exalted?
In Luke 2:21, it is written, “And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”
Who named the child Jesus: God or an angel?
Isaiah 7:14 states: “Therefore, Yahweh himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Matthew 1:23 reinforces this scripture: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which, when interpreted, means “God with us.”
How can the child also be named Jesus in Matthew 1:21?
“Immanuel” translates to “God with us,” but this name would be interpreted as “Yahweh with us,” since the name of God is Yahweh. This clear connection reinforces the true identity of the one known as Immanuel and the Messiah; He represents the manifestation of Yahweh in the flesh.
Does God have many names?
The popular, yet false, teaching that God has multiple names is not only an inaccurate concept, but it also contradicts what Yahweh states in Isaiah 42:8.
Furthermore, the assertion that a name is not as important as the one behind the name contradicts what has been written in the Scriptures and taught by most preachers.
One of the pillars of the doctrine of the trinity states that the Son is God, and according to Acts 4:10-12, Jesus is the only Savior. In the New Testament scriptures, there is a unique authority associated with this name.
In fact, mankind is divided into two groups according to John 3:18. Those who believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God are not condemned, while those who do not believe in His name are already condemned. But does this mean that all Old Testament saints are condemned?
None of the Messianic prophecies mention the name Jesus. However, Psalm 118:26 states, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh.”
Isaiah 9:6 refers to the Son of God by the titles “The Mighty God” and “The Everlasting Father.” In John 14:9, the Messiah declares, “He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father?” Additionally, Isaiah 40:3 contains a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah: “Prepare the way of Yahweh; make straight in the desert a path for our God.”
The Word was with God and the Word was God?
Jesus is described as the one who created all things. How can His name be shared with those He created? (Colossians 1:16-17, 4:11).
And what was His name during the creation of the world before mankind existed? It certainly was not “the Word,” as suggested by the Trinitarian insertion found in John 1:1.
To assert that “the Word was God, and the Word was with God” implies the existence of two separate Gods.
John 1:12 states, “For those who believe in his name, were given the power to become the sons of God.”
The Messiah is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), whose name is Yahweh (Isaiah 42:8).
It is crucial to understand that the world was framed by the spoken word of God (Hebrews 11:3). “The word of God” is not a name, as suggested in Revelation 19:13. If it were a name, one could argue that the name of the Lord referred to in Romans 10:13 is “the word of God.”
Additionally, the second person of the Godhead called “the word,” did not create all things, as suggested in John 1:3.
Yahweh created the Heavens and formed the Earth by Himself, through “His spoken word,” as stated in Isaiah 45:18.
Why was the name of Jesus created?
Yahweh stated in Hosea 13:4: “You shall know no god but me; there is no Savior besides me.” Yahweh’s name was replaced with the title “the Lord,” which has also been attributed to another savior named Jesus.
The title of “the Lord” and the name Jesus were created to conceal this fundamental truth that was proclaimed in Isaiah 43:11, “I am Yahweh, and besides me, there is no Savior.”
The cornerstone for both the Old and New Testaments is Yahweh, who is both Savior and Messiah (unless one believes that there are two Saviors). Supporting scriptures include Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 40:3, 44:6, 45:21, Colossians 1:15, John 14:7-9, Hebrews 1:1-3, and 2 Corinthians 4:4.
Yahweh is the only Savior mentioned in the Old Testament. However, in the New Testament, there are references to two Lords and Saviors, as noted in Titus 2:13 and 1 Timothy 1:1. One Savior is referred to as Jesus, while the other remains unnamed.
According to Yahweh, there cannot be two Saviors. To reiterate, the one called Immanuel and the Messiah can only be our Savior if He is Yahweh.
What was proclaimed in Luke 4:8 is significant: “You shall worship Yahweh your God, and Him only shall you serve.”
Matthew 14:33 states, “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God.”
The only reason the Messiah could accept worship from others is that He personifies Yahweh in the flesh (as documented in Matthew 2:2, 2:11, 9:18, 15:25, 28:9).