Petergdi

The more important a name is the more likely we are to use a naturalised form of the name. If you try saying Julius Ceasar's name the way the ancient Romans said it, people will think you are being highly pretentious. We used to use natualised names more often than the current fashion: the kings of France whose names appear as "Lvdovigvs" or some abbreviation thereof on their coins were known as "Lewis" in English at the time. But we still call many important cities and coumtries by names that are somewhat or entirely different from the names used by their inhabitants. While Calvin's works may be indexed as "Jean Calvin" in most libraries; English speakers normally call him "John Calvin" to indicate that he belongs to the world and not just France and Geneva.

Most Christians do not attach any special properties to the literal name of Jesus. The "name of Jesus" at which every knee shall bow is neither "Jesus" or "Yeshua" nor any other possible spelling or pronunciation, but that Jesus made God present to us. The reference in Philippians 2 is to God exalting Jesus by giving to him God's own name. While God's name is held to be very sacred - the thing that makes it sacred is that it is a token for who God is.

Peter.

Transient

Thanks.
Only thing is: if we know what God's name is and we know what his son's real name is, then why the heck do we choose to ignore both names and use "god" and "Jesus"?
Seems totally inept to me.
It seems like christendom just shrugs it's shoulders and says "dunno and don't care".
God gives us his name and then later the name of his son - so what do his believers do? They just ignore both and make up their own names - ludicrous at best.

Analyst

A lot of it is fashion and no one knows why it changes. "The Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson is very helpful. For example, words like knight, knave, knife were once spoken with the k sounded which would seem very odd. And as a popular program makes clear, Dalziel is pronounced Diehl in some places.

Transient

Ok I think I have a better understanding of it all now.
From this site: http://iesous.org/
It would seem that is all just a gradual change that has had the most effect with the J sound changing in common use from a "Y" sound that is like an "I" to the current "J" sound.
I hadn't realised that when the "J' was introduced it was pronounced like a "Y" not the current "J" sound.
I can see now that there was no conspiracy etc just some natural choices that lead to the current differences in pronunciation.
So the english used to pronounce it Yeah-sous but the J sound changed gradually to our current Jesus

Seitsuman

You can add to this that Z in the Bible nearly always represents the Hebrew Tsaddi, not Zain and that Zain itself at that time may have sounded more like the English J. It's very common in India, where Z is an introduced sound, to confuse it with J (which is native) just like V and W get confused although to our ears they are entirely different sounds.

Bunky

In spanish it's "hay-soos".

Two cents, please!

Sheshbazzar

I think I have two cents here for you.
My mothers name was Bessie, I was named Jessie, she died when I was three.
My given name is her living memorial.
My well meaning Mexican playmates and friends used to tell me that my name was Jesus- "hay-soo" in Spanish, and as a young man I did not have much to say.
When I got older, in religious discussions about the Saviours name, my Christian Mexican acquaintances began to force the issue, in their language my name was properly "Jesus"-"Hey-sooce", I continue to point out that my mother's name is Bessie, and that she never intended that I should be called "Jesus" or any other.
I even bought a Spanish language Christian Bible and pointed out to them the name of "Jesse" the father of David, was even in their own Bibles distinct from the name "Jesus" the son of Joseph, to no avail, because I must be "Hey-sooce" in their language even if my mother is "Bessie".
(I never could get them to deal with the proper pronunciation of her name in Spanish- anyone here know for certain how to say the name "Bessie" in Spanish?)
I am certain that I do.
In as much as I absolutely detest the christian religion, and the name "Jesus", there is no way in the world that I'd ever accept "Jesus" as an acceptable replacement for the name that my mother and father gave me.