The meaning of the name

Note again this statement from an account of the birth of Jesus: 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (KJV)
and also:

“And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.” Romans 5:9 (NLT)

Here the ‘deliverer’ or ‘saviour’ is plainly ‘Jesus’ as presented to us. The reason for the name is made explicit.

The Greek word translated as the English, ‘Jesus’, is actually used more widely, including of one Joshua, another ‘deliverer’ from earlier times. Doubtless the translators wish to avoid confusion by the differing renditions. [The name Jesus is also given today in some cultures.]

Looking at Bible occurrences we find the exceptions [all of which use the same Greek name, from the word Ἰησοῦς ]:

Numbers 13
16 … And Moses called Hoshe′a the son of Nun Joshua.
καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν Μωυσῆς τὸν Αυση υἱὸν Ναυη ᾿Ιησοῦν. [LXX - Greek OT]

Luke 3
29 the son of Joshua, the son of Elie′zer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, [RSV]

Acts 7
45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God thrust out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, [RSV]

Hebrews 4
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later of another day. [RSV]

A better title for my publication might be ‘Simply Christ’. That would say what this is about and perhaps what it is not about. The word ‘Christian’ does occur (three times) in the NT. However, I am reluctant to use “Christian” because I see and hear it so commonly used in cultural, presumptive, exclusive, nominal and proprietorial ways. I think it is used as a kind of religious identity or social label. I will not use the word “Christianity” [nor write about it]. That word is not found in the NT.

On the other hand the word “Christ” is common in the NT account. You will find that mostly [but by no means always] the word “Christ” occurs with the word “Jesus”. Various counts are available. For example, 468 times for “Christ” and 1088 times for “Jesus”. On the basis of the count I will be writing about ‘Jesus’.
 
['Simply Christ': The word “simply” is often used in the sense of being “ungreedy” or sparing of the earth or minimising the footprint you leave. I am not writing on those lines, very worthy though they are.]

My aim is to provide an uncomplicated and authentic reader’s guide. My guide is to Christ [ie, Jesus] according to his original interpreters and promoters, as found in the historic written collection known as the New Testament. [The abbreviation I will use for that collection is NT.] Hopefully you will be able to encounter our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. That is my “axe to grind”.

The result is in my suggested ‘reading plan’ - see another page. [I am also compiling an account drawn from the sources.]

I hope to avoid presumptions. This means some words peculiar to the account probably do need to be explained. If this proves to be so, rather than create distractions within the main text, the explanations will be in separate pages, again written progressively.

08/02/24 Addendum: Hoping to  shortly publish extension of this post
21/03/24 The image may be of the Aramaic form of the name of the man from Nazareth. This was created for a more recent post.

In written form, the name Jesus in 1st Century Palestine Aramaic may have been represented as "ܝܫܘܥ" (Yeshua).


https://jesussaviour4unme.blogspot.com/2024/02/jesus-name.html


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