Part 4 β Is the Name Jesus Pagan?
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Some believers have been taught that calling the Messiah Jesus is invoking a pagan god, or that salvation requires using a particular Hebrew pronunciation of His name. Such teachings can leave Christians frightened that years of prayer and worship were directed toward someone other than the Messiah. I've seen how arguments over sacred names can divide people who share faith in Yeshua. We need to examine these claims carefully.
The Assemblies of Yahweh teaches in paragraph 4 of its Statement of Doctrine that accepting the names Yahweh and Yahshua is necessary and important to salvation.
That's a documented teaching.
The separate accusation that Jesus comes from Zeus requires its own evidence. We shouldn't attribute that claim to an organization without demonstrating that it teaches it.
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Yeshua is a Hebrew name related to Yehoshua, which we ordinarily render Joshua.
The Greek form is IΔsous. Latin adopted it as Iesus, and English eventually developed the spelling Jesus.
This isn't a connection to Zeus. It's the history of a Jewish personal name passing through other languages.
The Greek Scriptures themselves use IΔsous for Yeshua.
Why would the apostolic writings use that form if speaking His name in Greek were inherently pagan?
Matt. 1:21 explains the significance of His name by connecting it with salvation from sins.
Acts 4:12 teaches that salvation is found in no other name.
But does that mean salvation depends upon reproducing particular Hebrew sounds?
Rom. 10:9 says that if we confess the Lord Jesus and believe God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.
Paul wrote those words in Greek.
Acts 2:21 likewise speaks of calling upon the name of the Lord.
The emphasis is upon the person we confess and trust.
I prefer to call Him Yeshua. His Jewish identity is important, and using His Hebrew name helps us remember the world in which He lived.
But I cannot tell a Christian that calling Him Jesus makes their prayers pagan or invalidates their salvation.
Scripture doesn't authorize that accusation.
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Study the languages. Learn the Hebrew names. Recognize the difference between translation, transliteration, and worship.
If you've frightened someone about the name Jesus, consider correcting that teaching and reassuring them.
Hebrew Roots believers have helped many Christians rediscover Yeshua's Jewish identity. That's valuable. Keep pursuing that understanding without making pronunciation a test of salvation.
B"H!
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β’ Matt. 1:21; Acts 4:12; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:9β13.
β’ Assemblies of Yahweh, *Statement of Doctrine*, paragraph 4.
https://assembliesofyahweh.com/statement-of-doctrine/
β’ Eran Shuali, βYeΕ‘u or YeΕ‘uaβ? A Sketch of the History of Jesus' Names in Hebrew from Antiquity to the Present,β *Revue des Γ©tudes juives* 179 (2020): 161β179.
https://www.persee.fr/.../rjuiv_0484-8616_2020_num_179_1...
β’ Online Etymology Dictionary, βJesus.β
https://www.etymonline.com/word/Jesus