English
Jesus
Jesus comes from Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς, and goes back to Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ.
- Biblical Hebrewc. 1000–200 BCEיֵשׁוּעַyēšū́aʿ
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἸησοῦςIēsoûs
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEIēsūs
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Jhesus
- Englishearliest quotation 1621Jesus
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Biblical Hebrewc. 1000–200 BCEיֵשׁוּעַyēšū́aʿ
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἸησοῦςIēsoûs
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEIēsūs
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500Jhesus
- Englishearliest quotation 1621Jesus
Earliest quotation: 1621, William Laud, Sermon preached before His Majesty: “For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, is Head…”
The story
From Middle English Jhesus, Iesus, from Latin Iēsūs, from Ancient Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs), from Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (yēšū́aʿ), a contracted form of יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (yəhōšúaʿ, “Joshua”), meaning "the Lord saves". The form יֵשׁוּעַ (yēšū́aʿ) is attested in some of the later books of the Hebrew Bible (Ezra–Nehemiah), and translated as Jeshua or Yeshua in some English editions (the former appearing in the King James Version). The Greek texts make no distinction between Jesus and Joshua, referring to them both as Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs). In the Wycliffe Bible (Middle English), the forms used are Jhesus and Jhesu.
Every English word from Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ
Today it means
name Jesus of Nazareth, a first-century Jewish religious preacher and craftsman (commonly understood to have been a carpenter) from Galilee held to be a prophet, teacher, the Son of God, and the Messiah, or Christ, in Christianity; also called "Jesus Christ" by Christians. Held to be a prophet by Muslims and Baháʼís. Also called "the historical Jesus" from a historiographic viewpoint or a secular one.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ / Jesus