Jesus

The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:

“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”

While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, ọYẹsọ, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).

Click or tap here to read more.


In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).

In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).

The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).

Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))

There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)

Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):

  • Indo-Iranian languages: Persian, Dari, Central Pashto, Southern Pashto all use Eysa (عيسی or عيسىٰ for Southern Pashto), Sindhi uses Eysey (عيسيٰ), Southern Balochi Issa (ایسّا), Central Kurdish (Sorani) and Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) use Îsa (عیسای and Иса respectively), Turkmen has Isa, and Tajik Isoi (Исои — compare Iso/Исо in the Tajik Qur’an)
  • Turkic languages: Turkish uses İsa, Kazakh, Kumyk, Nogai, Crimean Tatar all have Isa (Иса), Kirghiz has Iysa (Ыйса), Uzbek has Iso (Исо — compare Iiso/Ийсо in the Uzbek Qur’an), Bashkir uses Aaisa (Ғайса), North Azerbaijani İsa, Uighur uses Eysa (ئەيسا), and Kara-Kalpak İysa (Ийса)
  • Caucasian languages: Bezhta and Lezghian use Isa (Иса), Avaric has Aisa (ГІиса), and Chechen Iza (Иза)
  • Various African languages: Somali, a Cushitic language, has Ciise, Kabyle has Ɛisa and Tahaggart Tamahaq has Yeswa (both Berber languages), the Saharan languages Central Kanuri, Manga Kanuri have Isa, the Atlantic-Congo languages Dagbani, Mampruli, and Bimoba use Yisa, and the Chadian Arabic Bible has Isa (عِيسَى)
  • In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
  • Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)

In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)

In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )

In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)


“Jesus” in German Sign Language (source )

Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYC XPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.

source (c) Jacques Mercier and Alain Mathieu

Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)

Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.

Other visual representation of Jesus in TIPs include several non-Western styles of art: traditional Korean art, traditional Chinese art, modern Chinese abstract art, northern and central Thailand’s popular art, Indian Hamzanama style, traditional Vietnamese art, or Japanese prints.

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

Translation commentary on Titus 1:1

For apostle see 1 Tim 1.1. In his two letters to Timothy, Paul identifies himself as an apostle, and he does the same thing here. But he adds another designation, namely, servant of God. Many New Testament writers also call themselves servants, but of Jesus Christ rather than of God (see, for example, Rom 1.1; James 1.1; 2 Peter 1.1; and Jude 1). In these cases the meaning of servant is almost identical to “slave” (which is the literal translation of the Greek word), and the emphasis is on being owned by Jesus Christ and being committed to him in complete obedience. In the present case, however, the proper background is that of the Old Testament characters who are designated in the same way, as for example Moses (1 Chr 6.49; 2 Chr 24.9; Neh 10.29; and Dan 9.11), Daniel (“servant of the living God,” Dan 6.20), David (Psa 89.3), and Abraham (Psa 105.42). The focus, then, is on being called by God and designated to perform certain tasks among God’s people. In cultures where “slaves” are unknown, one may translate, for example, “I, Paul, who serves God with complete obedience.”

The word order Jesus Christ is used here, whereas the usual order in the Pastoral Letters is “Christ Jesus.” Another exception is 2 Tim 2.8, for which see discussion there.

To further the faith is literally “according to the faith,” which opens up two possibilities of reading the Greek text.
(1) Faith is a further description of the nature of Paul’s apostleship; in fact it is its distinctive mark and, together with knowledge and hope, is the standard by which it is measured. So Revised English Bible “marked as such by the faith of God’s chosen people….”
(2) Faith defines the purpose of Paul’s apostleship; “according to” can then be understood as “for the sake of” (New Revised Standard Version). A further concern then is to define more closely how in fact Paul’s apostleship benefits the faith of God’s elect, and here there are several possibilities as well:
(a) Paul’s purpose is to initiate faith, that is, to make believers out of unbelievers (so New Jerusalem Bible “to bring those whom God has chosen to faith”). This is in agreement with 2 Tim 2.10. But does it make sense to make God’s elect believe? Unless of course the term God’s elect refers only to Jews, but then that would go against the very claim of Paul that he was sent as an apostle to the Gentiles. Or unless the term God’s elect is a definite entity that includes those who already believe and those who have not yet believed! It is suggested that one way out of this dilemma is to read the text to mean that the purpose of Paul’s apostleship is to initiate among nonbelievers the same kind of faith that is possessed by the elect.
(b) Paul’s purpose is to build up the faith of the elect. This is the option followed by Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and some other translations (for example, Translator’s New Testament “to build up the faith”). This interpretation at least avoids the problems mentioned in (a) above (compare Contemporary English Version “encourage God’s own people to have more faith”), and this is the interpretation recommended by this Handbook.

For faith see 1 Tim 1.2, 4. Here it can be taken subjectively, referring to trust in and commitment to Jesus Christ, or objectively, referring to accepted teaching or doctrine. This second option is possible only when “according to” is taken to mean “build up” (point 2b above).

For elect see 1 Tim 5.21, where the term is used in connection with angels, and 2 Tim 2.10, which has the same meaning as here.

For knowledge of the truth see 1 Tim 2.4.

For godliness see 1 Tim 2.2 (“godly”) and 4.7. How is truth related to godliness? The Greek here is literally “truth according to godliness,” which presents us with a similar problem that was encountered at the beginning of this verse. Several possibilities may be mentioned: (1) Truth agrees with godliness. This is the popular choice of most translations. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation choose this option, although they vary in their interpretation of godliness, with Revised Standard Version taking it as a quality of life (compare Phillips “a God-fearing life”), and Good News Bible as referring to the Christian faith as a religious body. (2) Truth results in godliness (see, for example, New Jerusalem Bible “truth that leads to true religion,” New International Version “truth that leads to godliness”). Here definitely godliness has to be taken in its moral or ethical sense, that is, living as God wants.

Alternative translation models for the final part of this verse are:

• They [God and Jesus Christ] sent me to help God’s people to believe more strongly and to gain a better understanding of the true teachings about Christ, which will help them to live as God wants them to live.

Or:

• … and to gain a better understanding of the true doctrine which our [inclusive] religion teaches.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to Titus. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1995. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Titus 1:1

Paragraph 1:1–3

1:1a

Paul: The apostle Paul was the writer of this letter. He began the letter with his name. In some languages it is not natural for a person to refer to himself only by his name, as Paul did here. If that is the case in your language, you may want to say:

I, Paul

Paul did not use a verb here. In some languages, it may be natural to supply a verb. For example:

I, Paul, am sending/writing this letter
-or-

This letter is from me, Paul

a servant of God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant normally refers to an unpaid servant or slave. Paul said that he was God’s slave. This implied that he belonged to God and that he served God by doing what God told him to do.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a slave of God (NET Bible)
-or-
a worker of/for God
-or-

I serve God

1:1b

an apostle of Jesus Christ: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as an apostle means “a messenger” or “a person who is sent on a mission.” It refers to a person who is given authority to do a task or give a message. This person represents the person who sent him and has his authority. In this context, Paul was sent by Jesus Christ to represent him and do the task that Jesus gave him.

Here are some ways to translate the phrase an apostle of Jesus Christ:

a person sent to speak/act on behalf of Jesus Christ
-or-
a special messenger from Jesus Christ
-or-
a representative of Jesus Christ
-or-
a man with authority from Jesus Christ

See how you translated apostle in Romans 1:1b, 1 Corinthians 1:1a and 1 Timothy 1:1b. Translate here in the same way that you did there. Be careful to choose different terms for “apostle,” “angel,” “elder,” and “prophet.”

of Jesus Christ: In the phrase Jesus Christ, Jesus is a personal name and Christ is a title. The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Your translation should not imply that Christ is a surname.

To make it clear that Christ is a title, you may want to:

• Put the title before the name. For example:

Christ Jesus

• Translate it as “Messiah” or “the Messiah.” For example:

Messiah Jesus
-or-
Jesus the Messiah

• Indicate in some other way that Christ is a title. One way to do this in English is to use the article “the” before a title. For example:

Jesus the Christ

1:1c

for the faith of God’s elect: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for here probably indicates purpose. It introduces Jesus’ purpose in choosing Paul to be his apostle. Scholars have interpreted the phrase for the faith of God’s elect in at least two ways:

(1) It means that Paul was made an apostle to help believers to believe more strongly in Jesus. For example:

to help the faith of God’s chosen people (New Century Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), Good News Bible, NET Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Revised Standard Version)

(2) It means that Paul was made an apostle in order to explain the gospel to people who were not yet believers, so that they would begin to believe. For example:

to lead God’s chosen people to faith (God’s Word)

(New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), God’s Word)

Both were Paul’s job, and we cannot be certain which one Paul was focusing on here. If you can translate this verse so that it can mean both things, you may do so. If you must make a choice, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the term God’s elect most naturally refers to those who are already Christians. Of the two interpretations given for 1:1c, probably the first is closer to Paul’s meaning. In this letter to Titus, Paul talks about teaching believers true teachings and how believers should behave. So it is more likely that in 1:1c he is talking about helping believers to believe more strongly. Also, in other places in the NT, the word elect (Greek: eklektos) refers to people who are already believers (for example, see Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 1:1–2, 2:9, Revelation 17:14).)

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

in order to encourage the faith of God’s chosen ones
-or-
for the sake of the faith of God’s elect (New Revised Standard Version)

In some languages it may be natural to supply a verb and translate this as a complete sentence. For example:

I was sent to help the faith of God’s chosen people (New Century Version)
-or-
I encourage God’s own people to have more faith (Contemporary English Version)

God’s elect: This phrase refers to the people whom God chose to believe in him and be his special people.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

those chosen of God (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
those chosen by God
-or-
the people whom God chose to be his own/special people

1:1d

and their knowledge of the truth: This phrase indicates the second purpose for which Paul was made an apostle. Paul was also made an apostle in order to help God’s chosen people know the truth better. The word truth refers to the gospel message, that is, the teachings of Christianity and the truth about Jesus Christ and his work.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

and to strengthen their knowledge of the true things about Jesus
-or-
and to help them know the truth (New Century Version)

In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a separate sentence. For example:

I teach them to understand his true message (Easy English Bible)

1:1e

that leads to godliness: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as godliness:

(1) It means a way of life that pleases God. For example:

that shows people how to serve God (New Century Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Century Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible)

(2) It means religion. For example:

taught by our religion (Good News Bible)

(Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Paul was saying that this true teaching causes people to behave in a way that honors God.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

that shows them how to live godly lives (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
As a result they will live in a way that pleases God. (Easy English Bible)

© 2000 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.