By: Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
A few years ago, while giving a creation presentation at a Black church in southern Ohio, I noticed on the bulletin board in the back of the church behind the sound equipment was a large colorful sign praising Yeshua (Ye su ah), our Savior.
After the prayer and visiting with the congregation, I asked the pastor about the sign. I recognized that Yeshua was the Hebrew name for Jesus, but wondered why it was mentioned on the bulletin board. “Do you have any Jewish congregants?” I asked.
“No, but what we want to do is get used to the correct name of our Lord. We feel that using another name does not show full respect for Him.
Your name is Jerry. How would you like it if everyone called you Alemán (pronounced al le man) which is Spanish for Jerry?” “Actually, I would not mind at all.” I replied.
“Maybe not, but your name is not Alemán. What about if you were given an award and everyone there called you Alemán? And the name printed on the certificate given to you at the ceremony was Alemán?
And also, in the paper in an article congratulating you for your award?” “That would be different. No one would know that I, Jerry, was given the award,” I replied. “I can see your point. How did we get Jesus out of Yeshua?” “The best explanation is a translation error.” “A translation error! You’re kidding.”
“The word Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek word Iesous, which in turn is a transliteration of the Hebrew word Jeshua, Joshua, or Jehoshua, meaning “Jehovah is salvation.”
The word Christ came from the word Christos, which is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means “the anointed.” Not even the term Jehovah is correct. That is another issue, though.
Suffice it to say that Jehovah is a vocalization of the four letters of the Tetragrammaton (Hebrew יהוה translated into English as YHWH). As was true of all written words in ancient Hebrew, the Tetragrammaton contained no vowels.
When ancient Hebrew was in everyday use, readers could easily provide the appropriate vowels. Today the vowels have to be added in the word, which is how we got Jehovah from the four letters of the proper name for God in the Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament).
When translating it, we now know that Jehovah is also wrong. The Correct translation when the vowels are added is Yahweh.” “It’s complex,” I added, somewhat overwhelmed at this point.
“Very true, but when it comes to names, we need to be correct if we can. I realize the whole world uses Jesus. Or a translation of the English word Jesus, as in Spanish is Heh soos, a very different word than in English, even though it is often spelled the same.”
I added, “I see your point, especially in view of the fact that the name Jesus Christ is often used as a swear word today and, at the least, is overused.”
“We are not going to change the world, but some denominations do stress what are the correct names, as far as we now know. I think, especially to us, the correct name of God and His Son, Jesus, is important.”
I added, “I agree, but, although I rarely use the correct term, I am aware of this issue, but will not likely change my habit. I do like the name Yeshua, as it sounds more Hebrew.
It also has a softer, almost musical sound. Also, I often recognize the tetragrammaton (יהוה) in ancient documents, which now has more meaning to me.
Many years ago, I bought a cup with my wife’s name, Dianne, printed on it. She responded by saying “you are very thoughtful, but that is not my name. My name is Diane, not Dianne.”
The problem was the only spelling offered in the store was the more common spelling which was Dianne.
Since then, I was very mindful of the correct spelling of my wife’s name. If someone gave me a cup spelled Jerri, instead of Jerry, I would thank him, but probably would not display the cup anywhere in the house.
After the pastor explained this, he quoted Luke 16:10 which says, “He who is faithful in little things is faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a little things is also dishonest in much.”
Postscript: I have another very interesting story about this church where I have often presented. I look forward to writing about it some sometime in the future. May the LORD Yeshua bless your day!
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Dr. Bergman is a multi-award-winning teacher and author. He has taught in the science and psychology area for over 40 years at the University of Toledo Medical College, Bowling Green State University, and other colleges. His 9 degrees include a Doctorate from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. He has over 1,800 publications in both scholarly and popular science journals that have been translated into 13 languages. His publications are in over 2,400 college libraries in 65 countries. Bergman has spoken over 2,000 times at colleges and churches in America, Canada, Europe, the South Sea Islands, and Africa.