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Yehoshua, Yeshua or Yeshu;
Which one is the name of Jesus in Hebrew?
By Dr. James D. Price
Forward by Guy Cramer
The Jewish community has claimed the name of Jesus in
Hebrew is Yeshu the traditional Jewish
spelling of Jesus. Why do others spell Jesus as
Yeshua with four letters and sometimes spell it as
Yehoshua with five letters ?
Before we look at the answer lets look at the origin of
the name. The sixth book of the Old Testament is called
Joshua.
The title of the book is appropriately named after its
central figure, Joshua. His original name is Hoshea,
"Salvation" (Num.13:8); but Moses evidently changes it to
Yehoshua, "Yahweh (Jehovah) is Salvation" (Num.13:16). He is
also called Yeshua, a shortened form of Yehoshua. This is
the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek name Iesous (Jesus).
(NKJV, Thomas Nelson Inc.,1980, p.190)
Why is it important to find out which spelling to use?
Advanced mathematical research into the equidistant letter
sequences (ELS) discovered in the Hebrew Bible (see
The
Mysterious Hebrew Codes) needs the proper spelling of
words and names. The wrong spelling of a name can invalidate
all (ELS) research on that name. There is a great deal that
depends on this simple question.
(Guy Cramer)
The Names Yeshua and Yehoshua
by Dr. James Price, professor of Hebrew
Yehoshua in the Septuagint
Two things indicate that Yehoshua is the proper Hebrew
name for Jesus:
(1) In the Greek Translation of the OT known as the
Septuagint (LXX), the name Joshua is rendered *Iasous* =
Jesus.
(2) In the NT, Joshua is mentioned twice (Acts 7:45; Heb
4:8), and in both places the Greek NT spells the name
*Iasous* = Jesus.
Thus the Greek *Iasous* is the equivalent of Hebrew
*Yehoshua*
Yehoshua in the Hebrew Bible
As far as the Hebrew Bible is concerned, it is important
to note that in the early books, the name Joshua is
spelled as ( yod-hey-waw-shin-ayin) or on
rare occasions as ( yod-hey-waw-shin-waw-ayin).
However, in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the high priest
is named Jeshua the son of Jozadak ( yod-shin-waw-ayin); whereas
in the contemporary books of Haggai and Zechariah, the same
high priest is named Joshua the son of Jehozadak (
yod-hey-waw-shin-ayin
beth-nun). Thus, it can be concluded that in post-exilic
times of the Biblical era, the namesYeshua and
Yehoshua were regarded as equivalent.
Yehoshua in the Talmud
(From A.D. 200 to 500 ancient rabbis compiled their
commentaries on the Bible, Jewish social customs and
historical events in the Talmud. Because it was compiled by
rabbis who were leaders in rabbinical academies, the Talmud
is considered to be very authoritative by Jews, even to this
day. [Missler, Chuck, "The Creator Beyond Time and Space",
1996 The Word For Today, p.165] )
As far as the Talmud is concerned, it is evident that the
old uncensored editions of the Talmud associated Jesus of
Nazareth with the name Joshua. This is demonstrated by the
following passage:
Sotah 47a
Our Rabbis have taught: Always let the left hand thrust
away and the right hand draw near. Not like Elisha who
thrust Gehazi away with both his hands (and not like '
Joshua b. Perahiah who thrust one of his disciples away with
both his hands).11
Here, the editor's footnote reads:
[(11) MSS. and old editions read Jesus the Nazarene. R. T.
Herford sees in Gehazi a hidden reference to Paul. Cf. his
Christianity in Talmud and Midrash, pp. 97ff.]
Another interesting passage indicates that the Talmud
regarded the changing of the spelling of a name to be a sign
of divine disapproval. The following passage discusses the
change of a name from Yehoshua to Yoshua. Arachim 32b
And the other?13 - He [Ezra] had prayed for mercy because of
the passion for idolatry and he removed it, and his merit
then shielded them even as the booth. That is why Scripture
reproved Joshua, for in all other passages it is spelt:
Jehoshua, but here, Joshua.14
The editor's footnote reads:
[(14) For his failure to implore the Lord to remove the
passion for idolatry from the heart of the people. Just as
with Abram the enlargement of his name into 'Abraham' was an
expression of divine approval, so did this diminution of
Jehoshua into Joshua express divine disapproval. The reason
for Joshua's failure to implore the Lord to remove the
passion for idolatry was his assumption that he possessed
the land in its pristine holiness, so that it would in
itself help Israel to overcome its idolatrous tendencies.]
Perhaps that is the reason why the Talmud altered the
spelling of the name Jesus of Nazareth from Yeshua ha-Notzri
to Yesu ha-Notzri. However, it is clear that the editor of
the Talmud regarded this as the equivalent of Yeshua
ha-Notzri. Associated with the following passage in the
Talmud is an interesting footnote by the editor:
Sanhedrin 67a
For it has been taught: And for all others for whom the
Torah decrees death, witnesses are not hidden, excepting for
this one. How is it done? - A light is lit in an inner
chamber, the witnesses are hidden in an outer one [which is
in darkness], so that they can see and hear him,11 but he
cannot see them. Then the person he wished to seduce says to
him, 'Tell me privately what thou hast proposed to me'; and
he does so. Then he remonstrates; 'But how shall we forsake
our God in Heaven, and serve idols'? If he retracts, it is
well. But if he answers: 'It is our duty and seemly for us',
the witnesses who were listening outside bring him to the
Beth din, and have him stoned.12
The editor's footnote reads:
[(12) In the uncensored editions of the Talmud there follows
this important passage (supplied from D.S. on the authority
of the Munich and Oxford Mss. and the older editions) 'And
this they did to Ben Stada in Lydda ( . . .), and they hung
him on the eve of Passover. Ben Stada was Ben Padira. '.
Hisda said: 'The husband was Stada, the paramour Pandira.
But was nor the husband Pappos b. Judah? - His mother's name
was Stada. But his mother was Miriam, a dresser of woman's
hair? (. . . megaddela neshayia): - As they say in
Pumbaditha, This woman has turned away (. . .) from her
husband, (i.e., committed adultery).' T. Herford, in
'Christianity in the Talmud', pp. 37 seqq, 344 seqq,
identifies this Ben Stada with Jesus of Nazareth. As to the
meaning of the name, he connects it with ** 'seditious', and
suggests (p. 345 n.1) that it originally denoted 'that
Egyptian' (Acts XXI 38, Josephus, Ant. XX, 8, 6) who claimed
to be a prophet and led his followers to the Mount of
Olives, where he was routed by the Procurator Felix, and
that in later times he might have been confused with Jeshua
ha-Notzri. This hypothesis, however, involves the disregard
of the Talmudic data, for Pappos b. Judah lived a century
after Jesus (Cit. 90a), though the mother's name, Miriam
(Mary), would raise no difficulty, as . . . megaddla
neshayia may be the result of a confusion with Mary
Magdalene (v. also Box, The Virgin Birth of Jesus, pp. 201f,
for other possible meanings of Ben Stada and Ben Pandira)
Derenbourg (Essai note 9, pp. 465-471) rightly denies the
identity of Ben Stada with Jesus, and regards him simply as
a false prophet executed during the second century at
Lydda.]
Note that the editor spells the name of Jesus as Jeshua
ha-Notzri when he transliterated it.
From this evidence it can be concluded that in
post-exilic Bible times the names Yehoshua and Yeshua were regarded as equivalent
names of the same person. Also the Talmudic evidence
indicates that historically the Jews regarded the name of
Jesus as Yeshua, perhaps omitting the *hey* as their sign of divine
disapproval, and then subsequently omitting the *ayin* as further disapproval.
James D. Price
Dr. Price is Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at
Temple Baptist Seminary in Chattanooga, TN. He holds the
following degrees:
B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Purdue University
M.Div. Northwest Baptist Seminary
Ph.D. Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning
Dr. Price remains skeptical about the validity of ELS
codes in the Bible.
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