The Names Of Jesus - “Jesus” Part 2

The Names Of Jesus - “Jesus” Part 2

Luke 2:21

“…His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel ...”

Over the years, I’ve heard people say that Jesus could not be His name. Jesus is a Greek name and Mary and Joseph were Jews who spoke Aramaic, similar to Hebrew. In fact, some have said, Jesus is actually a form of the name Zeus. So, when we call on the name Jesus, we are calling out to a Pagan god.

Now, let me say this; I have studied languages all my life. It’s a hobby and has been part of my education. I’ve studied Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic throughout my schooling and privately. I’m not an expert but I know something about biblical languages. I can tell you that most of what these people say about the name of Jesus is based on partial truths and personal feelings rather than vocabulary and an understanding of how languages work. Some of what I’ve heard is correct but much is not. Let’s sort it out.

Mary and Joseph were Jews living in Judea where Aramaic was the predominant language. They were probably not Greek speakers, yet Jesus is clearly a Greek name.

Let’s be careful how far we go with that. It is a historical fact that the name Jesus was a very common name in the period of the Second Temple. There was a hope and expectation of the coming Messiah and the Jews had no problems with naming a boy Yeshua.

Wait … Yeshua?

That’s the Aramaic form of the name Jesus. It is a shortened version of Yehoshua. Both names mean “God Saves”. If Yeshua sounds familiar it’s because Joshua, Jeshua, Hosea and even the name Isaiah, to a degree, are all forms of it. These names were all very popular.

So, the Angel that appeared to Joseph and Mary, likely told them to name their child Yeshua. How, then, does the name Jesus appear in the Bible? Is it a real name? Is it wrong to call our Savior Jesus instead of Yeshua? Even more importantly, is the name Jesus just another form of the pagan name Zeus?

We’ll look at these questions over the next couple of days but, first, let me quell your fears: No! There is no direct etymological connection between the name Jesus and the Greek god Zeus.