Is it ok to call the messiah Jesus???

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Is the english name Jesus pagan?

Is it ok to call the Hebrew messiah by a non Hebrew name?

And above all, WHERE DID THE BIG DEAL OF THE MESSIAHS NAME FIRST ORIGINATE?

Below are the answers to all 3 questions.

In  Neh.  8:17,  Joshua’s  name  is  100%  identical  to  the  name  which  today’s  Messianic Jews use for the Messiah, Yeshua (uwvy).

Strong’s confirms this pronunciation, and tells us that  there  were  ten  Israelites  in  the  Bible  who  bore  this  name  (#3442).  Therefore  the shortening  of  Yehoshua  to  Yeshua predates  the  Christian  era  by  at  least 500 years, and cannot be the result of a Jewish conspiracy to hide the Savior’s true name.4 To claim that the shortened form Yeshua is the result of a Jewish conspiracy is to ignore the facts of history and the facts of the Hebrew Scriptures. The form Yeshua existed for several hundred years before the Messiah was even born. Even in the pre-Christian Septuagint, we see the Greek form IHSOUS (Yesous) in the title of the Book of Joshua. (This is also proof that Yesous has no connection to the pagan god Zeus.)

Why  is  the  Yahshua  form  used  by no one but Sacred Name believers and people who have been influenced by Sacred Name believers? Probably because no such name exists in the Hebrew Bible and, to my knowledge, no such name exists in any extra-Biblical Hebrew literature.  It  appears  that  Dr.  Ben-Gigi  is  correct  when  he  says  that  people  invented  the name Yahshuato fit their theology. In one popular booklet published by a well-known Sacred Name organization, the anonymous author makes this statement: "Most reference works agree with Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the NT statement on page 284, which states that the name Yahoshua was shortened after the exile to the short form Yahshua.” This statement makes it sound like Kittel uses the forms Yahoshua and Yahshua. I went to the library and looked at this page in Kittel’s. The words YahoshuaYahshua do not appear even one time on this page. This can be verified by going to a library and looking up this page. (It’s in Volume III.) If your library does not have Kittel’s, I can send a photocopy of this page to any skeptics.

Daniel botkin http://messianicfellowship.50webs.com/Name.html

In March 1937 Elder Dodd started publishing THE FAITH Magazine. At first it seemed the purpose was to let the brethren KNOW exactly how he believed and stood on THE FEASTS, FOR I have a copy of the FIRST "THE FAITH" in which he explained how he stood on this subject, but Vol. 1, No. 1 did not contain a date. I have the July Aug. 1937 FAITH, Vol. 1, No. III which of course is dated.

Not long after starting the publication of this paper someone (I did know who, but do not have that certain "FAITH" now) sent in a clipping about the Saviour's Name, which, as Elder Dodd explained that he even thought sounded a bit strange, but he published it as a little FILLER in THE FAITH (for he himself was still using Jesus, Lord, God, etc.) and it really caused a STIR, i.e., different ones began to write Elder Dodd and inquire what he meant by this. And asked, "What does it actually mean?" So different ones who looked into this subject started to write.

Here is the statement, "It is interesting that throughout his life Jesus Christ never heard himself called by that name. 'Jesus' was the Greek word for the Hebrew 'Joshua' or 'Jeshua'; and 'Christ' or 'Christus' was the Greek word for 'Messiah' or 'Redeemer', page 241, Man's Great Adventure, by Edwin W. Pahlow, professor of the teaching of history, Ohio State University." This quotation was sent to Elder Dodd by someone in Michigan, which resulted in Elder Dodd's beginning to use the form Jehovah for the Creator at first, also Jahovah and Yahovah and Yah-oshuah and Jahoshua in the October 1938 FAITH magazine. This edition contained an article by A.B. Traina, "What Is His Son's Name?" in which he used Jahovah for the Father and Jah-oshuah for the Son. In this same issue of THE FAITH was an article by Wm. Bishop and John Briggs, THE KING JAMES' VERSION REGARDING SACRED NAMES, in which they quoted from The Empatic Diaglott, the King James Version, Encyclopedia Britannica, Smith's Bible Dictionary, Webster's New International Dictionary, and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, concerning the different forms of the Creator's Name that had been used, also different forms for the FOUR Hebrew letters used for the Name, such as IHVH, JHVH, JHWH, YHVH AND YHWH, JAHAVEH, JAHVAH, JAHVE, JAHVEH, YAHVE, YAHVEH, YAHWE, YAHWEH, etc.

The "Kadesh Name Society, 936 Campbell Street, Detroit, Michigan," was listed at the end of this article. I understand that this society started as early as 1936, maybe earlier. But in my discussion with Wm. (Bill) Bishop, Paul Penn a Jewish believer) and John Briggs, it seems that John Briggs and Paul Penn were the FIRST to pronounce and use the Name Yahshua, later Bill Bishop and Squire LaRue Cessna used it. But according to Bill Bishop and Paul Penn, John Briggs was considered FOUNDER of the Name Yahshua, especially. My information shows that John Briggs and Paul Penn met at A. B. Traina's in New Jersey in 1936 and John Briggs told Paul Penn that he privately prayed in the NAME "YAHSHUA". And in December of the same year Bill Bishop accepted the Name "Yahshua" from John Briggs, also in the same year and month Bill Bishop rented a church for 3 months so they could preach THE NAME. It seems that Bill Bishop was really the FIRST to go out and evangelize in the NAME Yahshua and that John Briggs really started or continued on in earnest to preach THE NAME, Feb. 13, 1937. From about 1938 onward especially, different Name groups using different spellings of the Name sprang up and began proclaiming the NAME as they saw it, so altogether all these groups have spread the NAME QUESTION all over the world. This subject began to be discussed and published by different church groups, Seventh Day Adventist, Methodist, Assembly of God, Baptist, Salvation Army, Pentecostal groups, etc. Our group in Fort Smith, Arkansas had a sign up, THE ASSEMBLY OF YAHWEH, though we taught and pronounced this, YAHVAH just as we use it now, having made the change to this spelling in 1950.

So to SUM UP what I have written, here are the names of the men who have had a part in Publishing the NAME MESSAGE which really started in the late 30's;

John Briggs,

Paul Penn,

Bill Bishop,

Squire LaRue Cessna,

Joseph Owsinski,

Marvin Gay,

Elder Dodd, A. B. Traina,

Arthur Barnes,

J. D. Bagwell,

J. A. McClain,

L. F. Wilds,

C. J. Ayers,

W. L. Bodine,

and L. D. Snow.

And of course the wives of these ministers had a part, also Sis. Pearl T. Smith of Lansing, Michigan, who for a number of years was in charge of CAMP YAH near Lansing. Honor to whom honor is due. From the information I could gather, I feel John Briggs and Paul Penn should be given the honor of having started people to thinking on the Name, YAHSHUA. Elder Wm. (Bill) Bishop FIRST, together with John Briggs and Paul Penn, later joined by Squire LaRue Cessna, should be given the honor of being the FIRST to EVANGELIZE in the NAME "YAHSHUA" in the USA. To Elder C. O. Dodd should be given the credit for having reached the most people with the Name message while he was living, through the PRINTED PAGE, THE FAITH magazine, and tracts, preaching, etc., especially following when this message first started in the 30's. 

Next I feel that the conference the ministers of the Salem Church of God, 7th Day, held during the Camp-meeting at Galena, Kansas in 1936, really prepared the hearts of the ministers of the Church of God who later accepted THE NAME when it first began to be preached and published. It seems that credit should be given to Squire LaRue Cessna for having played a great part in teaching the full form of the Creator's Name, Jehovah, first, in the late 20's, and "YAHVAH" in the early 30's, also to Elder Israel Klar, a Jewish brother who knew and taught Hebrew. He wrote and printed the NAME in HEBREW, and "YAHVAH" in English. And I am happy for the part my wife and I have had in helping spread the NAME MESSAGE far and near, through the printed page and by traveling and preaching in more than 40 states and 6 foreign countries, after we began using THE NAME in 1943. HalleluYah! I do not feel that this brief history would be complete unless I gave some thought to the question, "Do you mean that THE NAME is no older than when those mentioned in this write-up first started using it in the 1930's?" It seems only just, that, for the wide acceptance of THE NAME during the 30's until now (1966), honor should go to Alexander MacWhorter of Yale University who published a book, THE MEMORIAL NAME, or YAVEH CHRIST, more than a HUNDRED YEARS ago, in 1857, and to the great Bible teacher and Hebrew scholar, F. L. Chapell, who delivered Six Lectures, NAMES OF THE DEITY. Dr. Chapell was Resident Instructor of the A. J. Gordon Missionary Training College, Boston, Massachusetts around 1900.

His wonderful lectures were published in THE STANDARD BEARER by John J. Scruby, Dayton, Ohio, Jan.-March 1911. We published most of these lectures in THE ELIYAH MESSENGER a few years ago. Next I feel that the conference the ministers of the Salem Church of God, 7th Day, held during the Camp-meeting at Galena, Kansas in 1936, really prepared the hearts of the ministers of the Church of God who later accepted THE NAME when it first began to be preached and published. It seems that credit should be given to Squire LaRue Cessna for having played a great part in teaching the full form of the Creator's Name, Jehovah, first, in the late 20's, and "YAHVAH" in the early 30's, also to Elder Israel Klar, a Jewish brother who knew and taught Hebrew. He wrote and printed the NAME in HEBREW, and "YAHVAH" in English Concerning THE NAME and this great scholar, Mr. McWhorter, I here quote the lectures of Dr. Chapell, "...But there has been, especially during the last fifty years (Remember these lectures were published Jan.-March 1911), a great interest, among the scholars, in this name. "I remember the stir that was caused in this country by the publication of a little book called "Yaveh Christ: or, The Memorial Name." The author, Mr. McWhorter, seemed to have been raised up just to do that work and to set the Christian world thinking on this subject." p. 50, THE STANDARD BEARER, Jan.-March 1911. Notice that Dr. Chapell speaks about the interest among scholars, in this NAME, during the last FIFTY YEARS from the time he delivered these lectures which, the best we can determine, was around 1900.

Notice also the STIR which the book, Yaveh Christ, or THE MEMORIAL NAME, published by Mr. McWhorter (1897) caused in THIS country, which really set people to THINKING ON THIS SUBJECT (Mal 3:16,17). This is why I said that I felt credit or honor should go to Mr. McWhorter for having paved (prepared) the way for people to accept and really start a WORLD WIDE NAME MOVEMENT, as was started in the 30's by the men mentioned in this writing, also by others in other places in America. In the book, THE MEMORIAL NAME by McWhorter he made mention of the FACT that THE NAME is derived from the Hebrew verb "havah" the OLD FORM of "hayah", meaning to EXIST, or THE EXISTING ONE, which EXACTLY AGREES with Strong and Young's Concordances on these verbs from which THE NAME is derived.

[This article has been reproduced from The Eliyah Messenger, May and June, 1966] EXCERPTS

http://www.giveshare.org/churchhistory/snowsacrednamehistory.html