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Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament: Difference between revisions

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''See related article: [[Rabbi]]''.
''See related article: [[Rabbi]]''.


[[Mary Magdalene]] calls Jesus [[Aramaic of Jesus#Rabboni .28.CE.A1.CE.B1.CE.B2.CE.B2.CE.BF.CF.85.CE.BD.CE.B5.CE.B9.29|Rabboni]].<ref name="rab1">{{nasb|John|20:16|John 20:16}}</ref> In other places, Jesus is called [[Rabbi]],<ref name="rab2">e.g., {{nasb|Mat|26:25|Matthew 26:25}};{{nasb|Jhn|1:38|John 1:38}};{{nasb|Jhn|3:2|John 3:2}}</ref> though Jesus himself disparaged the title.<ref name="rab3"> {{nasb|Mat|23:8|Matthew 23:8}}</ref> A rabbi is a Jewish teacher, usually referring to a religious teacher.
[[Mary Magdalene]] calls Jesus [[Aramaic of Jesus#Rabboni .28.CE.A1.CE.B1.CE.B2.CE.B2.CE.BF.CF.85.CE.BD.CE.B5.CE.B9.29|Rabboni]].<ref name="rab1">{{nasb|John|20:16|John 20:16}}</ref> a variation on the term "rabbi", which is also used for Jesus in other passages,<ref name="rab2">e.g., {{nasb|Mat|26:25|Matthew 26:25}};{{nasb|Jhn|1:38|John 1:38}};{{nasb|Jhn|3:2|John 3:2}}</ref> although Jesus himself disparaged the title.<ref name="rab3"> {{nasb|Mat|23:8|Matthew 23:8}}</ref> A rabbi is a Jewish teacher, usually referring to a religious teacher.


===Apostle===
===Apostle===

Revision as of 23:54, 29 March 2006

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A large variety of names and titles are used in the New Testament to describe Jesus.

Personal name

The name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iesus, which in turn comes from the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous).[1]

The earliest uses of Iēsous are found in the Septuagint[2] and in Philo of Alexandria, where it transliterates the Hebrew name Yehoshua (יְהוֹשׁוּעַ). Yehoshua means "the Lord is salvation" (literally "Jehovah is salvation").[3] This is the name that Moses gave to his successor as leader of the Israelites.[4] It is commonly transliterated into English as Joshua.

The Aramaic form of the name (ישׁוע Yēšûaʿ), was used in documents from the time period, as well as in the exilic and post-exilic portions of the Old Testament, which may indicate that it was an accepted cognate: "in any case it came to be associated with ישע [salvation], [5]

Older English and German forms include Yeshua and Jeshua. More recent transliterations include Yahshua, Yahshuah, Yahoshua, Yaohushua and other similar variants.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph was directed by an angel to name Mary's son "Jesus" because "He will save his people from their sins." [6]. According to the Gospel of Luke, the Angel Gabriel gave Jesus this name [7]. Because the name was fairly common in the first century, the New Testament sometimes refers to him as Jesus the Nazarene,[8] Jesus of Nazareth,[9] or Jesus, Son of David.[10]

Christ

See related article: Christ.

Christ is not a name but a title, and comes into English from the Greek Χριστός (Christos), via the Latin Christus. It means "anointed one".[11] The Greek is a translation of the Hebrew mashiyakh (משיח) or Aramaic m'shikha (משיחא), from which we derive the English word Messiah. The title occurs in the Old Testament and there it signifies a "high priest" or "king" – a man, chosen by God or descended from a man chosen by God, to serve as a religious, civil, and/or military authority.

Other titles in the New Testament

The New Testament uses many titles to refer to Jesus, including: God, Prophet, Lord, Son of man, Son of God, Lamb of God, King of the Jews, Rabbi and Emmanuel. Many Christians understand these titles as attesting to Jesus' divinity. Some historians have argued that when used in other texts of the time, these titles had other meanings, and therefore may have had other meanings when used in the Gospels as well.

God

See related article: God.

In 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter refers to Jesus by the title "God", as does Thomas in John 20:28. In John 10:30, Jesus says: "I and the Father [God] are One"; and likewise for a number of other passages.[12] A number of other verses may indirectly refer to Jesus as God as well.[13]The meaning of this title, as applied to Jesus is a matter of dispute, but most Christians understand it as an unequivocal affirmation of divinity.

Prophet

See related article: Prophet.

According to the New Testament, many Jews of the time thought of Jesus as a prophet.[14] The New Testament also indicates that Jesus considered himself to be a prophet.[15] In the Hebrew Bible, prophets were generally men who spoke for God, proclaiming God's words to the people, and often predicting future events.

Lord

See related article: Lord.

The Gospels and Acts frequently use "Lord" as a title for Jesus. The Hebrew Bible distinguishes between "lord" and "God"; the word "lord" does not necessarily imply divinity, although God is often described as "the Lord". Surviving inter-testamental texts frequently use the term to mean "the Lord", that is, God — but they also provide evidence it was used for personal titles (for example, used to address a husband, father, or king).

Son of Man

See related article: Son of man.

Jesus is rarely described as Son of man in the Bible outside of the Gospels, but in the Synoptic Gospels Jesus is referred to by this title over sixty times. Some Christians take this as an allusion to Daniel dan 7:13, which associates "one like a son of man" with a messianic vision. Other contemporary texts indicate that the phrase was used to mean simply "man" or "human," or as a way by which a speaker may refer to himself in a humble manner.

Son of God

See related article: Son of God.

The New Testament frequently refers to Jesus as the son of God. Christians almost universally understand this title to be synonymous with divinity. The Hebrew Bible, uses the phrase "son of God" in other senses as well: to refer to heavenly or angelic beings; to refer to the Children of Israel, and to refer to kings.

King of the Jews

See related article: King of the Jews.

The title of "King of the Jews" is used to refer to Jesus in two recorded episodes during his life. It is first used by the Magi, who ask of King Herod "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him".[16] The teachers of the law answer that he will be found in Bethlehem, according to the prophesy of Micah.[17]

It is again used in Jesus' trial. In all of the gospels, Pilate is recorded as asking Jesus "Are you king of the Jews?", to which Jesus replies "You have said so".[18] This may imply that the Sanhedrin told Pilate that Jesus had claimed this title. Pilate then orders the written charge on the sign on Jesus' cross to read "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews".[19] John reports that the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.[20] In Latin this can be translated as "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum". The abbreviation INRI is therefore used to represent this in many depictions of Jesus' crucifixion.

Lamb of God

See related article: Lamb of God.

A title of Jesus used exclusively by John the Apostle,[21] though "lamb" is used by other New Testament writers. Paul specifically identifies Jesus with the Paschal lamb.[22] Geza Vermes averred that the title Lamb of God does not necessarily refer to the metaphor of a sacrificial animal. He points out that in Galilean Aramaic the word talya, literally "lamb," had the common meaning of "male child". This is akin to "kid" meaning "child" in modern colloquial English. The female equivalent of Talya was Talitha, literally "ewe lamb" and figuratively "girl" (the word is found in the Narrative of the Daughter of Jairus[23]). Thus, "Lamb of God" could have been a slang means of saying "Son of God" or "God's Kid". The Greek word for "lamb" used by John does not have the "child" connotation.

Rabboni/Rabbi

See related article: Rabbi.

Mary Magdalene calls Jesus Rabboni.[24] a variation on the term "rabbi", which is also used for Jesus in other passages,[25] although Jesus himself disparaged the title.[26] A rabbi is a Jewish teacher, usually referring to a religious teacher.

Apostle

See related article: Apostle.

In Hebrews, Jesus is called an Apostle.[27] An apostle is one who is sent on a mission for some purpose who represents the authority of another, similar to an emissary. The NASB translation for Hebrews 3:1 cross-references John 17:3.

References

  1. ^ Strong's Concordance G2424
  2. ^ Walter Bauer et al., Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature: "Ἰησοῦς (יֵשׁוּעַ Jeshua, later form for יְהוֹשׁוּעַ Joshua; [extensive references cited])". Cf. (Deut 3:21, (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ) Ex 17:9, (יֵשׁוּעַ) Neh 8:17)
  3. ^ Strong's Concordance H3091
  4. ^ Numbers 13:16
  5. ^ cf. Mat I.21;".Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon
  6. ^ (1:21 mat 1:21Template:Bibleverse with invalid book)
  7. ^ (1:31 luke 1:31)
  8. ^ e.g., 2:23 mat 2:23Template:Bibleverse with invalid book; 10:47 Mark 10:47; 24:19 Luke 24:19; 18:5 John 18:5
  9. ^ e.g., 26:71 mat 26:71Template:Bibleverse with invalid book; 4:34 Luke 4:34; 26:9 Acts 26:9
  10. ^ 10:47 Mark 10:47; 18:38 Luke 18:38
  11. ^ Strong's Concordance G5547
  12. ^ peter 1:1 2pe 1:1Template:Bibleverse with invalid book;20:28 john 20:28;1:1 john 1:1;2:5 phili 2:5Template:Bibleverse with invalid book;10:33 john 10:33;10:30 john 10:30
  13. ^ John 1:18; 2:9 col 2:9; 17:5 john 17:5
  14. ^ 21:11 mat 21:11Template:Bibleverse with invalid book; 7:16 luke 7:16
  15. ^ 6:4 mark 6:4; 13:57 mat 13:57Template:Bibleverse with invalid book; 4:24 luke 4:24
  16. ^ 2:2 mat 2:2Template:Bibleverse with invalid book, TNIV
  17. ^ mic 5:2
  18. ^ Mark mark 15:2 and parallels
  19. ^ John john 19:19 and parallels
  20. ^ 19:20 john 19:20
  21. ^ 1:29 john 1:29, john 1:36; cf. 5:6 rev 5:6, passim
  22. ^ corinthians 5:7 1cor 5:7
  23. ^ 5:21-43 mark 5:21–43
  24. ^ 20:16 John 20:16
  25. ^ e.g., 26:25 Mat 26:25Template:Bibleverse with invalid book;1:38 Jhn 1:38Template:Bibleverse with invalid book;3:2 Jhn 3:2Template:Bibleverse with invalid book
  26. ^ 23:8 Mat 23:8Template:Bibleverse with invalid book
  27. ^ 1:3 Heb 3:1
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