IESU CHRIST is the KING of kings and LORD of lords. We have only one true GOD; He is our LORD, the Creator of the universe. The notice fastened on the cross read: IESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek (John 19:19-20). Out of these three languages, Latin is the only language using Roman alphabet then and today! "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:11b) The name of the Messiah is the name of the Father. Since The One True God was manifested in the flesh, His holy name was made known to the people (John 17:6a, 26a) with the meaning "YHWH saves". The original pronunciation of this holy name should be close to Aramaic name "Eashoa", Greek name "Iesou" (See Greek Bible Matthew 1:1 & Revelation 22:21) or Latin name "Iesu". The ending "s" of "Iesous" or "Iesus" exists in the NOMINATIVE case only, while Greek name "Iesou" and Latin name "Iesu" are used in VOCATIVE, DATIVE, and GENITIVE cases. For example, we say: "Come LORD IESU!", "Believe in IESU", or "In the Name of LORD IESU". In historical linguistics, it has a tendency to "simplify" both grammatical and phonetic forms. As in the modern English language, "Jesus" used in all cases, therefore, it is okay to use "IESU" in all cases, and say "IESU CHRIST IS THE LORD GOD".
Some suggests that "Yahshua" should be the correct pronunciation of the Lord's name. 'In Biblical history, the approximately 400 years that seperate the time of Nehemiah from the birth of Christ are known as the intertestamental period (c.432-5B.C.). Sometimes called the "silent" years, they were anything but silent.' (The NIV Study Bible, ed. by Kenneth Barker, 1985, p.1431). 400 years is a long period of time. Language has changed dramatically as the time passed. The Jews in Christ's time no longer spoke their ancestral Hebrew language, they spoke Aramaic instead. The Lord's name in Aramaic is "Eashoa".
(Acts 7:45a,59) "which also (was) brought in (by) our fathers with Joshua...And they stoned - Stephen invoking (GOD) and saying, LORD IESOU, receive my spirit." (Check Greek text) The pronunciation of Greek "IESOU" is [I-EE-SU] or [ee-eh-s-oo], similar to [yesu], which is also similar to Aramaic "Eashoa" and Latin "IESU".
When Apostle Peter said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12), or when Apostle Paul said, "Therefore GOD exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name." (Philippians 2:9), they certainly did not think the name of their LORD IESU is the same as Joshua (Yahshua) who lived thousands of years ago. Even though the meanings of the two names are the same (Yah saves). It is believed, by God's will, the name of the LORD should be unique, no comparison with any other name. This name should be above every name. IESU CHRIST is the name of the LORD GOD.
"Most of the New Testament writers were Jews. Their normal use of Greek was influenced naturally by their Hebraic background. When we find a Hebraism, the writer is most often using language that is normal for him." (Learn New Testament Greek, second ed., by John H. Dobson, p. 257) There are various Aramaic and Hebrew words, written in Greek letters (in English expressions): Immanuel, Hosanna, Abba, Amen, Talitha Koumi, Boanerges, Golgotha, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, Eloi, Eloi, Lama sabachthani, (Lit. Aramaic: "Eil, Eil, l'mana sh'wik-thani"), Ephratha, Rabbi, Messiah, Cephas, Bethesda, Siloam, Gabbatha, Rabboni, etc. Why did not these Jewish writers use Yahshua as the name of the LORD in the Greek New Testament? Why did they use Iesou [yesu] instead? In Matthew 1:16 Greek New Testament, the Hebrew names Iacob, Mariam & Ioseph were used, but why not Hebrew name "Yahshua"? As a matter of fact, Greek name "Iesou Kristos" was used in the same verse!
It is significant that it was the Greek, not the Hebraic or Aramric, title which was attached to Iesou. When Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens!...", did he not speak Greek? Did he not use LORD & GOD? When he was chosen by God, Apostle Paul heard a voice saying to him in Aramaic (or Hebrew), 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' Then Paul asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' 'I am Iesous, whom you are persecuting,' the Lord replied. (Acts 26:14,15) It is a reasonable statement that Apostle Paul must have recorded the holy name accurately. He heard the Aramaic (or Hebrew) name, then recorded it in (or later translated into) Greek, this name was surely not JESUS!
The New Testament uses IESU CHRIST to distinguish this holiest name from Yahshua (Joshua) or Aramaic name Eashoa. But no matter what the original scribal language (Greek ,Hebrew, or Aramaic) was, the first translation of the holy name should be very close to the original sound (These three languages had been used at the same time). The pronunciation of the Lord's name should be close to [yesu] or [yesua], and far from the modern English pronunciation of "Jesus"! The reason that we use the name IESU is because it is written in Latin, and English borrows a fair number of words from Latin, and it is a phonetic form of the original Greek name Iesou. The pronunciation of IESU is also close to Hebrew name Yeshua or Aramaic name Eashoa, except the ending light sound of "-a". We certainly should not say, it has been changed for hundreds of years, if it is so important, why God not give us a sign to correct the mistake? There are so many sins in the world, just because God does not destroy all the sinners right away, can we say that God permit the sins? God has His own plan, His own schedule. He has endured much with mankind. Whenever we acknowledge the existence of mistakes, we should do our best to correct them, and not to find all kinds of excuses and tolerant the mistakes. Especially this is a matter of the name of God, the commandment. We should love the LORD our GOD with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength and with all our mind. IESU is the Name. IESU CHRIST is the LORD GOD!
Top of Page
The contents of this webpage are free of copyright. They can be copied, printed and distributed for noncommercial, educational, personal, and religious purposes. |
