The Names Of Jesus - “Jesus” Part 3

The Names Of Jesus - “Jesus” Part 3

Acts 14:12

“And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.”

That verse is the only time that Zeus is mentioned in the Bible. How, then, can people confuse the name of Jesus and Zeus?

I have actually heard people articulate the idea that the name Jesus is actually just another way of saying Zeus. That means, they say, that when we call out to Jesus we are actually calling out to a pagan god. Let’s look at the facts.

That’s just not how language works. Zeus and Jesus do not come from the same languages trees. They don’t sound alike nor do they have any similarities in their roots.

The name Zeus (Greek: Ζεύς) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root Dyeus, meaning “sky” or “shining,” and is related to words for “god” in various Indo-European languages.

Jesus is simple how an average Roman/Greek speaker pronounced the Hebrew name Yeshua. Most Greek and Latin names end with a -us. Paul is “Paulus” in the Bible. Timothy is “Timotheus.” Mark is Marcus. Luke is Lukus. Julius, Augustus, Josephus, Titus and so on were Grace-Roman names.

So, where does this silly idea come from and why? The -sus at the end of Jesus sounds vaguely like Zeus but that’s just how Greco-Roman names are. The Hebrew name Yeshua, when it is spelled and written by Greeks, becomes Yesus.

Don’t take my word for it. The scholarly consensus is this:

“There is no credible linguistic, historical, or theological connection between Jesus and Zeus. The claim is mostly based on superficial similarities, misunderstandings of language evolution, and attempts to fit Christianity into a broader pagan framework. In reality, Jesus’ name comes from Jewish tradition, while Zeus’ name originates from an ancient Indo-European sky god concept.”

Tomorrow: what if we are actually mispronouncing the name of Jesus? What does that mean for those of us who call out to the name Jesus?