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His Name
My name is Russell, not
Rassell, not Ressull, not Rossill or any other similar phonic invention that
can be pondered. It’s Russell. If we
just recently met, and somehow you got the impression that one of the above
mispronunciations was actually my name, I would probably try to tolerate your
misunderstanding for a while. However, if I corrected you several times, and
you insisted on referring to me by the wrong pronunciation, at some point I may
become somewhat impatient with you. After all isn’t learning the correct
pronunciation of someone’s name regarded as showing respect and being
courteous? I simply choose to use Yah and Yahshua (pronounced to the best of my
understanding and ability) as a means of respect and honor for the Sovereign
Creator of the Universe and His Holy Son. (Please re-read this paragraph as
necessary.)
I was surprised to learn,
through personal research, that the modern letter ‘J’ is less than five
hundred years old. You can confirm this fact using any respected encyclopedia
you like. Petrus
Ramus (1515-1572AD) was the first to make a distinction between I and J.
Originally the symbol ‘J’ was used as the capital for the letter i, but when the ‘J’ consonant
was developed the same symbol became the capital for its lower case
version, namely ‘j’. That is to
say, it was J/i but then became I/i when J/j was
introduced. A simple study of the
symbols themselves reveals the progression that took place. They even remained
next to each other in the alphabet. The
point is, there was no (modern) J/j in either biblical Greek or Hebrew
nor their (modern) phonic sound.
I was
also surprised, again through personal research, to learn that the modern
letter ‘W’ was not a part of biblical Greek or Hebrew. It had its birth around the 7th
century AD. The progression was as follows; first there was the letter ‘V’
which was phonically identical to our modern long ‘U’, there was
also the ‘double ‘U’ whose symbol was ‘W’ and pronounced as ‘oo’
as in the word “due”. Then came the
phonic ‘vee’ as our modern V and the phonic ‘waa’ as our modern W
and what was V/v became U/u hence the new symbols with the
old phonic sounds. Their progression was
also preserved in their placement in our modern alphabet. (i.e. ‘T. . . UVW . . . X’) Notice the
letters used on some of our own government buildings in Washington DC (and
other cities) and you will find the ‘v’ where ‘u’ is expected. Likewise, the point is, there was
no (modern) W or w in either biblical Greek or Hebrew nor its
phonic sound. Again, any respected encyclopedia you like.
Therefore, there are two
things we can know without a doubt. First, our Savior’s name was not ‘Jesus’
and our Father’s name was not Jehovah or Yehweh
or Yahweh or Yehvah or any other renderings that
involve the letters J or V or W with their modern phonic annunciations. The word ‘Jesus’ is a complete
fabrication that was never pronounced in His ears by His disciples/followers
while He walked in Galilee in the first century. Besides, His name is
most definitely Hebrew not Greek. At best the word ‘Jesus’ is a Latinized Greek
word. The Greeks did not have the Hebrew ‘Yod’ letter so they exchanged it with
their letter I. Later, much later, the ‘I’
was replaced with the modern ‘J’. Hence the progression:
Yah-sh-ua (Hebrew) to Ie-s-ous (Greek)
to Ie-so-us (Latin) to Je-s-us (Current English)
Many people believe that the
word ‘Jesus’ is an English transliteration of His
name and is somehow the best we can do. Bluntly speaking, this is wrong. The
correct English
transliteration of His
name is Joshua. (or better yet Ya-oo-shua – J-o-shua) My studies
have led me to believe, at this point, the correct pronunciation is either
Yahshua or Yah-u-shua (u = oo) with the ‘oo’ being as in ‘due’. Further, the
‘oo’ is pronounced without any emphasis what so ever. While I tend to believe
the Yah-oo-shua is correct I will spell it as Yahshua. Again, the ‘oo’ as in ‘due’)
and is understood and not written. This is an ongoing study and is subject to
greater revelation.
Please understand that I am not
suggesting that you adopt my practice. This is simply my current conviction and I believe I am, as all of us are,
instructed to make our yeas yeas and our nays nays. It is my sincere hope and
prayer that none of this is offensive or received as reason to disregard this
essay. I am not asking anyone to agree with this essay, but rather, to simply
consider its position. And as for the use
of Yah as an abbreviated form of our Fathers name YHWH (pronounced Yah-oo-ey)
(see: Psalm 68:4) “Sing unto Elohiym, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon
the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.” (Modern translations have
simply exchanged the ancient Hebrew letter ‘Yod’ ( é ) with the relatively modern
letter ‘J’. Therefore, it should actually read; “. . . by His name Yah . .
.” – Yah means “I am” or “self
Existent one”)
Strong’s: H3050 déˆ yaòhh
Contracted
for H3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name:—Jah,
the Lord, most vehement. Cp. names in “-iah,” “-jah.”
(Consider
this: We sing: Hal-le-lu-yah not:
Hal-le-lu-jah)