Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Copernic · 01-02-2004, 07:28 PM

I've read that the name 'Jesus' is similar (as spoken in Aramaic & Hebrew) to the name Joshua.

If true, would it make sense that the promoters of 'Jesus as the new Messiah' subtley promote him as a second coming of Joshua, a historical superhero to the Jewish community. The name similarities and notion of a conquering leader of the Jewish people would more easily resonate with the potential followers.

Also, I understand that the bulk of Kings 1 and 2 was written centuries after the supposed happenings, around the 7th Century BCE. This was right around the time Josiah, king of Judah, after the destruction of the northern nation of Israel, promoted the story of Joshua and the conquering of Canaan as a justification (and retelling) of his assimilating the weakened northern nation and re-establishing the mythical Davidic "empire" of Israel.

So, for the sake of argument, we have another instance of similar stories, with similar sounding protagonists, each trying to draw comparisons and warm fuzzy feelings from their contemporaries to justify their attempts at messianic fulfillment.

Assuming this premise is at all valid, my question (finally) is this.

Do the names Josiah, Joshua, and Jesus sound the same in the original Aramaic or Hebrew and only look/sound different after translated through Hebrew, into Greek, then Latin, then English?

Regards
J

Hazel-rah · 01-02-2004, 07:32 PM

Not to say that this site is the bottom line, but I've found most of the information on it sound:

Behind the Names

JESUS m Theology, Biblical
Pronounced: JEE-zus
English form of Iesous, which was the Greek form of the Aramaic name Yeshua. Yeshua is itself a contracted form of Yehoshua (see JOSHUA).

JOSHUA m English, Biblical
Pronounced: JAW-shu-wa, JAW-shwa
From the Hebrew name Yehoshua which meant "YAHWEH is salvation". The name Jesus was a variant of the name Joshua.

JOSIAH m Biblical, English
Pronounced: jo-SIE-a
Means "YAHWEH supports" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah famous for his religious reforms. He was killed fighting the Egyptians at Megiddo.

So, though Joshua and Jesus are related, Josiah has a different etymology.

Toto · 01-03-2004, 12:36 AM

Joshua and Jesus are the same name.

21 Jesuses

Quote:

"Jesus son of Naue." This is the Scriptural Joshua son of Nun. It is a distinct coincidence that the heir and successor to Moses in Hebrew history has the same Greek name as the heir and successor to Moses in Christian doctrine. The name "Iesous" in the Greek texts applies equally to Jesus and to Joshua.

I recommend reeading Leidner's Fabrication of the Christ Myth for someone who agrees with your idea. Leidner's thesis is that the Jesus of the gospels was a personification of the historical Joshua.

tracer · 01-05-2004, 10:49 AM

I thought the plural of Jesus was "Jesi". (At least, that's what J.R. "Bob" Dobbs says.)

01-02-2004, 07:28 PM	#1
Copernic Regular Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: St. Louis, MO, USA Posts: 446	Josiah, Joshua, Jesus.... I've read that the name 'Jesus' is similar (as spoken in Aramaic & Hebrew) to the name Joshua. If true, would it make sense that the promoters of 'Jesus as the new Messiah' subtley promote him as a second coming of Joshua, a historical superhero to the Jewish community. The name similarities and notion of a conquering leader of the Jewish people would more easily resonate with the potential followers. Also, I understand that the bulk of Kings 1 and 2 was written centuries after the supposed happenings, around the 7th Century BCE. This was right around the time Josiah, king of Judah, after the destruction of the northern nation of Israel, promoted the story of Joshua and the conquering of Canaan as a justification (and retelling) of his assimilating the weakened northern nation and re-establishing the mythical Davidic "empire" of Israel. So, for the sake of argument, we have another instance of similar stories, with similar sounding protagonists, each trying to draw comparisons and warm fuzzy feelings from their contemporaries to justify their attempts at messianic fulfillment. Assuming this premise is at all valid, my question (finally) is this. Do the names Josiah, Joshua, and Jesus sound the same in the original Aramaic or Hebrew and only look/sound different after translated through Hebrew, into Greek, then Latin, then English? Regards J

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01-02-2004, 07:32 PM	#2
Hazel-rah Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,628	Not to say that this site is the bottom line, but I've found most of the information on it sound: Behind the Names JESUS m Theology, Biblical Pronounced: JEE-zus English form of Iesous, which was the Greek form of the Aramaic name Yeshua. Yeshua is itself a contracted form of Yehoshua (see JOSHUA). JOSHUA m English, Biblical Pronounced: JAW-shu-wa, JAW-shwa From the Hebrew name Yehoshua which meant "YAHWEH is salvation". The name Jesus was a variant of the name Joshua. JOSIAH m Biblical, English Pronounced: jo-SIE-a Means "YAHWEH supports" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of a king of Judah famous for his religious reforms. He was killed fighting the Egyptians at Megiddo. So, though Joshua and Jesus are related, Josiah has a different etymology.

01-05-2004, 10:49 AM	#4
tracer Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Silicon Valley, Calif., USA Posts: 2,270	I thought the plural of Jesus was "Jesi". (At least, that's what J.R. "Bob" Dobbs says.)

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