The Name - A Banner for All Nations and Languages

The Name - A Banner for All Nations and Languages

By Richard Hewitt (Risbek), Lost Tribes Institute

Roughly seven centuries before Bethlehem, Isaiah pictured King David's family line as a felled tree, "the stump of Jesse" (David's father). Then Isaiah made an outrageous promise: "On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him" (Isaiah 11:1, 10). A root shoots from a stump to become a banner to which all nations rally. Sounds odd, right?

The Root's name was originally pronounced Yeshua, which means "the LORD saves" (Matthew 1:21). Today the nations developed hundreds of variations in their own sacred languages. In earlier essays I followed this name across Asia: variations of Isa and Iso in Central Asia, Jisu among the Karbi of India, Isua among the Mizo, and Yay-shoo (ယ့ၣ်ၡူး) among the S'gaw Karen of Myanmar and Thailand. China's Xi'an Stele of 781 adds a title rather than a name: Mishihe, the Syriac word for Messiah (Mshiha), written in Chinese characters. His many titles deserve an essay of their own; this one is about the diverse variations of his name.

Isa is the Qur'an's name for him (Arabic ʿĪsā), and where Islam had spread, translators of the Script (the Bible) adopted it rather than bring in a foreign pronunciation, like "Yeshua." The Somali Script names him Ciise. Tuareg translations write Ɣisa and Ɣaysa, one of them in their ancient Tifinagh alphabet: ⵗⵢⵙⴰ.

Ethiopia, Egypt, Georgia and Armenia took the name straight from the Greek Iesous: Amharic Iyesus (ኢየሱስ), Tigrinya Yesus (የሱስ), Coptic ⲒⲎⲤⲞⲨⲤ, Georgian Ieso and Armenian Yisus (Յիսուս). In Hebrew, Yeshua ends with a soft catch in the throat. Greek had no letter for that sound, so the Greek New Testament wrote Iesous without it, and most languages followed. Forms of Arabic kept the sound in its name Yasūʿ. The Kabyle (Berber) Script in Algeria most likely took its form from Arabic, so it writes Yasuɛ, with the last letter marking the same throat sound Yeshua had. Turkish has two translations: one uses the Muslim name İsa, the other the Hebrew Yeşua.

Orthodox churches, which received the faith in Greek, kept the two vowels that open the Greek name: Russian Иисус (Iisus), an 1894 Skolt Sámi Gospel printed in Russian letters as Іисусъ, and Iisus in Romania's Orthodox translation, while its Protestant and Catholic translations say Isus. Ukrainian, Belarusian, Serbian and Bulgarian dropped one of the two: Isus (Ісус, Исус). Farther east, Burmese (ယေရှု), Tibetan (ཡེ་ཤུ) and Nepali (येशू) all say Yeshu, which is Yeshua without its final "a."

Japan has a whole family of names. Today's Japanese Script says イエス (Iesu). Until the early Shōwa era (from 1926), many Japanese said Yaso (耶蘇), the Chinese characters for Jesus read the Japanese way. Japan's first Christians, the Kirishitan, taught by Portuguese Jesuits, said Zezusu (ゼズス) or Zezu; a 1593 manual calls him "ぜず‐きりしと," Zezu Kirishito, Jesus Christ. Through centuries of persecution the hidden Christians of Ikitsuki Island kept it: their 1952 prayer book still says "ぜずキリスタ" (Zezu Kirisuta), in a creed almost word for word from a 1600 prayer book, the Orashō no hon'yaku ("Translation of the Prayers"). Catholics long wrote イエズス (Iezusu), still used in the Franciscan translation. The Japanese Orthodox Church, founded by the Russian missionary Nikolai, followed the Russian Иисус: its Meiji-era (1868–1912) New Testament names him イイスス (Iisusu) in Matthew 1:21. An 1897 Ainu New Testament says Yesu. In 1908 Saeki Yoshirō argued that Uzumasa in Kyoto was the Japanese version of "Ishu Masha," Jesus the Messiah. Pastor Kawamorita Eiji heard Aramaic "Jesus" in the name Ise (伊勢). Not everyone accepts these ancient Japanese versions of the name, but historians like Arimasa Kubo, Dr. Kengo Naigami, and others find evidence of ancient Israelites and Jesus-centered clans coming to Japan 1500 years ago. I'd still like to see that research debated at the academic level. 

Every language reshapes the name. Pacific island languages have few consonants, so the name was simplified: Iesu in Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii, Kiribati and Tuvalu, and Iēsū in the Cook Islands. Māori has no S at all, so it says Īhu. Tonga says Sisu, Wallis Island Sesu, and Fiji Jisu, the same form the Karbi use. The Cherokee write it in their own syllable alphabet as ᏥᏌ, Tsisa; the Ojibwe say Ciisahs and the Inuit Jiisusi (ᔩᓱᓯ). In 1775 James Adair claimed the Cherokee called on Yo-He-Wah, which he took for Yahweh. But that hails back to the Lost Tribes of Israel and another article.

Empires also carried the name. Spain brought its own Jesús to the Nahuatl, Maya, K'iche', Aymara, Guaraní and Quechua. Elsewhere it was spelled as local people said it: Hesus in Tagalog and Papiamento, Jesúsu in Garifuna, Jesúsüin in Wayuu. From English came Jiizas in Jamaica, Jeezas in Belize and Jisas in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu; from French, Jezi in Haiti, Jézi in Saint Lucia, Zezi in Mauritius and Jezu among the Fon of Benin. 

In Italy he is Gesù: Neapolitan Giesù, Sardinian Gesùs and Gesus, Friulian Gjesù, Romansh Jesus; and nearby Malta, whose language descends from Arabic, says Ġesù. Across the rest of Europe: Irish Íosa, Scottish Gaelic Ìosa, Welsh Iesu (spelled that way already in 1567), Breton Jezuz, Icelandic Jesú, Finnish Jeesus, Hungarian Jézus, Lithuanian Jėzus, Czech Ježíš, Albanian Jezu, Romani Isus and Esperanto Jesuo. South of the Sahara it is Yesu (Hausa, Swahili, Lingala, Ewe), Jisọs (Igbo), Yeesu (ethnic Wolof), Jesu (Yoruba, Shona), uJesu (Zulu), Yezu (Kinyarwanda) and Jesoa (Malagasy).

Is any of this an accident? The prophets didn't think so. A royal psalm prays for a king whose name outlasts the sun: "May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed" (Psalm 72:17). The psalm ends with "the prayers of David son of Jesse" (72:20). Jesse again: the same family tree whose stump Isaiah saw. From him a banner rose and the nations gathered. And the Protagonist said it of himself: "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:16). Then he sent his disciples to gather that fold: “Therefore go and make disciplesof all nations…” (Matthew 28:19)

Isa, Īhu, Tsisa, Yasuɛ, Iisusu, Zezu: a banner calling nations from Somalia to Tonga, and nations seeking him in the voice their ancestors taught them. So is this just one name among many? Paul says it is The Name: "God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus the Anointed One is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:9–11). Paul was quoting Isaiah, where the God of Israel swears, "Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance" (Isaiah 45:23), and he applied that oath to Yeshua. Every Language. There is not one sacred or religious language. Every national rendition is holy. 

How does the Book in your people's language say his name? Did your grandparents know him by another variation of his name? Which form did I miss? Tell me, and I'll add it to the table. The next article will be about the unending list of titles attributed to the name.

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HIS NAME AMONG THE PEOPLES

AFRICA

• Yesu: Hausa people, Nigeria, Niger.
• Jisọs: Igbo people, Nigeria.
• Yeesu: Wolof people, Senegal.
• Iisaa: Fulani people (W. Niger), Niger.
• Iisaa: Fula people (Pular), Guinea.
• Iisaa: Fulani people (Maasina), Mali.
• Isa: Kanuri people, Nigeria, Chad.
• Isa: Songhai people (Koyraboro Senni), Gao, Mali.
• Ɣisa (Ghisa): Tuareg people (Tamasheq), Mali.
• Ɣaysa / ⵗⵢⵙⴰ (Ghaysa): Tuareg people (Tamajaq; Tawallammat), Niger, Mali.
• Ciise (Iise): Somali people, Somalia.
• ኢየሱስ (Iyesus): Amhara people, Ethiopia.
• የሱስ (Yesus): Tigrinya people, Eritrea, Ethiopia.
• Yesuus: Oromo people (West Central), Ethiopia.
• ⲒⲎⲤⲞⲨⲤ (Iēsous): Coptic Christians (Bohairic), Egypt.
• Yasuɛ: Kabyle people, Algeria.
• Jezu: Fon people, Benin.
• Yesu: Swahili speakers, East Africa.
• Yesu: Lingala people, DR Congo, Congo.
• Yesu: Ewe people, Ghana, Togo.
• Yesu: Chewa people, Malawi.
• Yezu: Rwandan people (Catholic, KBNT), Rwanda.
• Yesu: Rwandan people (Protestant, BYSB), Rwanda.
• Jesũ: Kikuyu people, Kenya.
• Jesu: Yoruba people, Nigeria.
• Jesu: Shona people, Zimbabwe.
• Jesu: Basotho people, Lesotho, South Africa.
• uJesu: Zulu people, South Africa.
• uYesu: Xhosa people, South Africa.
• Jesoa: Malagasy people (Catholic), Madagascar.
• Jesosy: Malagasy people (Protestant 1865), Madagascar.
• Iesoà: Malagasy people (Tandroy-Mahafaly), S. Madagascar.

EUROPE

• Jesú: Icelandic people, Iceland.
• Jesus: North Sámi people (2019), Norway, Sweden, Finland.
• Іисусъ (Iisus): Skolt Sámi people (Pasvik Matthew, 1894), Russia/Norway border.
• Jesus: Faroese people (modern), Faroe Islands.
• Iesus: Faroese people (1823 Matthew), Faroe Islands.
• Jezus: West Frisian people (Nije Fryske Bibel), Friesland, NL.
• Jesus: North Frisian people, Schleswig, DE.
• Jesus (Salver, ‘Savior’): Breton people (1897), Brittany.
• Jezuz: Breton people (modern), Brittany.
• Íosa: Irish people, Ireland.
• Ìosa: Scottish Gaels, Scotland.
• Iesu: Welsh people (Salesbury 1567), Wales.
• Jesus: Basque people (modern), Basque Country.
• Iesus: Basque people (Navarro-Labourdin, historic), Basque Country.
• Jesus (Jesum in the verse): Latin Church (Clementine Vulgate), various.
• Jeesus: Finnish people, Finland.
• Jeesus: Estonian people, Estonia.
• Jézus: Hungarian people, Hungary.
• Jēzus: Latvian people, Latvia.
• Jėzus: Lithuanian people, Lithuania.
• Jezus: Polish people, Poland.
• Ježíš: Czech people, Czechia.
• Jezus: Slovene people, Slovenia.
• Iesus: Slovene people (Dalmatin 1584), Slovenia.
• Jezuš: Slovene people (Prekmurje; 1928), NE Slovenia.
• Isus: Croatian people, Croatia.
• Исус / Isus: Serbian people (Daničić-Karadžić), Serbia.
• Исус (Isus): Macedonian people, North Macedonia.
• Исус (Isus): Bulgarian people, Bulgaria.
• Iisus: Romanian people (Orthodox), Romania.
• Isus: Romanian people (Cornilescu; Catholic 2020), Romania.
• Иисус (Iisus): Russian people (Synodal), Russia.
• Ісус (Isus): Ukrainian people, Ukraine.
• Ісус (Isus): Belarusian people, Belarus.
• Jezu: Albanian people, Albania.
• Isus: Romani people (Gurbet), Serbia.
• Ιησούς (Iisoús): Greek people (modern), Greece, Cyprus.
• Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous): Greek people (Koine, Textus Receptus), various.
• Ġesù: Maltese people, Malta.
• Jesuo: Esperanto speakers, various.
• יהושע/ישוע (Yehoshua / Yeshua): Yiddish speakers (Orthodox Jewish Brit Chadasha), various.

ITALY AND NEIGHBORS

• Gesù: Italian people (Diodati 1885; Riveduta 1927), Italy.
• Gesù: Sicilian people (Matthew, 1861), Sicily.
• Giesù: Neapolitan people (Matthew, 1861), Naples/Campania.
• Gesùs: Sardinian people (Logudorese; Su Fueddu), Sardinia.
• Gesus: Sardinian people (Campidanese; Su Fueddu), Sardinia.
• Gjesù: Friulian people (modern, Glesie Furlane), Friuli.
• Jèsu: Friulian people (1860), Friuli.
• Gesù: Venetian people (Fontana, 1859), Venice.
• Jesus: Romansh people (Rumantsch Grischun), Graubünden, Switzerland.

NEAR EAST AND CAUCASUS

• ישוע / יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua): Hebrew speakers (modern translation; Salkinson-Ginsburg), Israel.
• عیسی (Isa): Persian people (Old Version), Iran.
• عیسا (Îsa): Sorani Kurds, Iraq, Iran.
• İsa: Turkish people (Kutsal Kitap), Türkiye.
• Yeşua: Turkish people (Yeni Türkçe Çeviri), Türkiye.
• იესო (Ieso): Georgian people, Georgia.
• Յիսուս (Yisus): Armenian people (Zohrab 1805), Armenia.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH ASIA

• Иса / Ыйса (Isa / Yisa): Kyrgyz people, Kyrgyzstan.
• यीशु (Yeshu): Hindi speakers, India.
• یسوع (Yasu/Yesu): Urdu speakers, Pakistan, India.
• येशू (Yeshū): Nepali people, Nepal.
• যীশু (Jishu): Bengali people, Bangladesh, India.
• இயேசு (Iyesu): Tamil people, India, Sri Lanka.
• యేసు (Yesu): Telugu people, India.
• යේසුස් (Yesus): Sinhala people (Revised Old Version), Sri Lanka.
• ජේසුස් (Jesus): Sinhala people (New Revised 2018), Sri Lanka.
• ཡེ་ཤུ (Yeshu): Tibetan people (Central), Tibet.
• Jisu: Karbi people, Assam.
• Isua: Mizo people, Mizoram.

EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

• Есүс (Yesüs): Mongolian people (Khalkha), Mongolia.
• ယေရှု (Yeshu): Burmese people (Judson; Common Language), Myanmar.
• ယ့ၣ်ၡူး (Yay-shoo): S’gaw Karen people, Myanmar, Thailand.
• เยซู (Yesu): Thai people, Thailand.
• យេស៊ូ / យេស៊ូវ (Yesu): Khmer people, Cambodia.
• Jêsus: Vietnamese people (1925 / 2010), Vietnam.
• Giê-su: Vietnamese people (Bản Dịch Mới), Vietnam.
• 耶稣 (Yēsū) (Wikipedia only): Chinese people, China.
• 예수 (Yesu) (Wikipedia only): Korean people, Korea.
• Isa: Malay people, Malaysia.
• Īsa: Tausug people, Sulu, Philippines.
• Isa: Yakan people, Basilan, Philippines.
• Hesus: Tagalog people, Philippines.

JAPAN

• イエス (Iesu): Japanese people (modern translations), Japan.
• イエズス (Iezusu) (Wikipedia only): Japanese people (traditional Catholic; Franciscan translation), Japan.
• 耶蘇 (Yaso): Japanese people (Meiji to early Shōwa common name), Japan.
• ゼズス / ぜずす (Zezusu): Kirishitan (early Japanese Christians; 16th–17th c.), Japan.
• ゼズ / ぜず, ぜず‐きりしと (Zezu, Zezu Kirishito): Kirishitan (early Japanese Christians; 16th–17th c.), Japan.
• エス (Esu) (Wikipedia only): Kirishitan (early Japanese Christians), Japan.
• Iesus: Jesuit mission in Japan (Amakusa 1592), Japan.
• ぜずキリスタ (Zezu Kirisuta): Hidden Christians of Ikitsuki Island (1952 prayer book), Nagasaki.
• イイスス (Iisusu): Japanese Orthodox Christians (Meiji New Testament), Japan.
• Yesu: Ainu people (1897 New Testament), Hokkaido.
• 太秦 Uzu or Uzumasa, claimed to mean “Ishu Masha”: a place name in Kyoto. Advocates credit this reading to Saeki Yoshirō (1908).
• 伊勢 Ise, claimed to be Aramaic for “Jesus”: a place name in Mie, from Kawamorita Eiji.

AMERICAS AND CARIBBEAN

• ᏥᏌ (Tsisa): Cherokee people, USA.
• Ciisahs: Ojibwe people, Canada, USA.
• ᔩᓱᓯ (Jiisusi): Inuit people, Canada.
• Jesús: Nahuatl people (Huasteca Oriental), Mexico.
• JESÚS (Jesús): Yucatec Maya people, Mexico.
• JESÚS (Jesús): K’iche’ people, Guatemala.
• JESÚS (Jesús): Aymara people, Bolivia, Peru.
• Jesús: Guaraní people, Paraguay.
• Jesús / Jesus: Quechua people (Huallaga; South Bolivian), Peru, Bolivia.
• Jesúsüin: Wayuu people, Colombia, Venezuela.
• Jesúsu: Garifuna people, Honduras, Belize.
• Jeezas: Belizean Kriol people, Belize.
• Jézi: Saint Lucian people, St Lucia.
• Jezi: Haitian people, Haiti.
• Jiizas: Jamaican people, Jamaica.
• Hesus: Papiamento speakers, Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire.
• Yesus: Surinamese people (Sranan Tongo), Suriname.

PACIFIC AND INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS

• Īhu: Māori people, New Zealand.
• IESU (Iesu): Hawaiian people (1868), Hawaii.
• Iesu: Samoan people, Samoa.
• IESU (Iesu): Tahitian people, French Polynesia.
• Iesu: Kiribati people, Kiribati.
• Iesu: Tuvaluan people, Tuvalu.
• Iēsū: Cook Islands Māori people, Cook Islands.
• SISU (Sisu): Tongan people, Tonga.
• Sesu: Wallisian people, Wallis.
• Jisu: Fijian people, Fiji.
• Jisas: Papua New Guinean people (Tok Pisin), Papua New Guinea.
• Jisas: Ni-Vanuatu people (Bislama), Vanuatu.
• Zezi: Mauritian people, Mauritius.

WIKIPEDIA-ONLY FORMS (NOT CHECKED IN A TRANSLATION)

• Gejú: Ladin people, Dolomites, Italy.
• Jezù: Venetian people (modern spelling), Veneto.
• Gêxù: Ligurian people, Liguria.
• Gesü: Lombard people, Lombardy.
• Geṡü: Emilian people, Emilia.
• Gesù (in Gesù Cristu): Corsican people, Corsica.
• Yeshu: Sephardic Jews (Ladino), Sephardic diaspora.
• אותו האיש (oyse ho’ish, ‘that man’): Yiddish speakers (a traditional way to avoid saying the name), Ashkenazi Jews.