Editing Yeshua (section)

==Original name for Jesus==
The English name ''Jesus'' derives from the [[Late Latin]] name {{lang|la|Iesus}}, which transliterates the [[Koine]] Greek name {{lang|grc|Ἰησοῦς}} {{Transliteration|grc|Iēsoûs}}.

In the [[Septuagint]] and other Greek-language [[Jewish]] texts, such as the writings of [[Josephus]] and [[Philo of Alexandria]], {{lang|grc|Ἰησοῦς}} ({{Transliteration|grc|Iēsoûs}}) is the standard Koine Greek form used to translate both of the Hebrew names: Yehoshua and Yeshua. The Greek {{lang|grc|Ἰησοῦς}} or {{Transliteration|grc|Iēsoûs}} is also used to represent the name of Joshua son of Nun in the New Testament passages Acts 7:45 and Hebrews 4:8. (It was even used in the Septuagint to translate the name ''Hoshea'' in one of the three verses where this referred to Joshua the son of Nun—Deuteronomy 32:44.)

During the second Temple period (beginning 538 BC–70 AD), Yeshua first became a known form of the name Yehoshua. All occurrences of Yeshua in the Hebrew Bible are in 1 [[Book of Chronicles|Chronicles]] 24:11, 2 Chronicles 31:15, [[Book of Ezra|Ezra]], and [[Book of Nehemiah|Nehemiah]] where it is transliterated into English as [[Jehoshua|Jeshua]]. Two of these men (Joshua the son of Nun and Joshua the High Priest) are mentioned in other books of the Hebrew Bible where they are instead called Yehoshua <ref>Price, James D. [http://www.direct.ca/trinity/yehoshua.html Yehoshua, Yeshua or Yeshu; Which one is the name of Jesus in Hebrew?], accessed March 6, 2006.</ref> (transliterated into English as Joshua).

The earlier form Yehoshua did not disappear, however, and remained in use as well. In the post-exilic books, Joshua the son of Nun is called both Yeshua bin-Nun (Nehemiah 8:17) and Yehoshua (1 Chronicles 7:27). The short form Yeshua was used for [[Jesus ben Sirach]] in Hebrew fragments of the [[Wisdom of Sirach]]. (Some concern remains over whether these fragments faithfully represent the original Hebrew text or are instead a later translation back into Hebrew.)<ref>William Chomsky, ''Hebrew: The Eternal Language'', Jewish Publication Society of America, 1957 p.140</ref> The earlier form Yehoshua saw revived usage from the [[Hasmonean]] period onwards, although the name Yeshua is still found in letters from the time of the [[Bar Kokhba Revolt]] (132–135 AD).

In the documentary ''[[The Lost Tomb of Jesus]]'', archeologist [[Amos Kloner]] stated that the name Yeshua was then a popular form of the name Yehoshua and was "one of the common names in the time of the [[Second Temple]]."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mendel |first=Roi |title=Ha-"chasifa" shel qever Yeshu: qiddum mkhirot |journal=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]] |date=25 February 2007 |url=http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3368783,00.html |access-date=2007-02-27}}</ref> In discussing whether it was remarkable to find a tomb with the name of Jesus (the particular ossuary in question bears the inscription "Yehuda bar Yeshua"), he pointed out that the name had been found 71 times in burial caves from that time period.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pilkington |first1=Ed |last2=McCarthy |first2=Rory |title=Is this really the last resting place of Jesus, Mary Magdalene – and their son |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 February 2007 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/religion/Story/0,,2022252,00.html |access-date=2007-02-27}}</ref>

Thus, both the full form Yehoshua and the abbreviated form Yeshua were in use during the Gospel period – and in relation to the same person, as in the Hebrew Bible references to Yehoshua/Yeshua son of Nun, and Yehoshua/Yeshua the high priest in the days of Ezra. An argument in favor of the Hebrew reduced form {{lang|he|ישוע}}, {{Transliteration|he|Yeshua}}, as opposed to Yehoshua, is the [[Central Neo-Aramaic|Western Syriac language]], in which the pronunciation is ''Yeshuʿ'' {{IPA|/jeʃuʕ/}}.

===East Syriac {{Transliteration|syc|Ishoʿ}}===
[[File:Early Syriac alphabet form of the name of Jesus.svg|thumb|{{Transliteration|syc|Yeshuuʿ}} or {{Transliteration|syc|Ishoʿ}}, the Syriac name of [[Jesus]]]]
[[Aramaic]] and [[Classical Syriac]] render the pronunciation of the same letters as '''{{lang|syc|ܝܫܘܥ}}''' {{Transliteration|syc|yeshuuʿ (yešuʿ)}} {{IPA|/jeʃuʕ/}} and '''{{lang|syc|ܝܫܘܥ}}''' {{Transliteration|syc|ishoʿ (išoʿ)}} {{IPA|/iʃoʕ/}}. The Aramaic Bibles and the Syriac [[Peshitta]] preserve these same spellings. Current scholarly consensus posits that the New Testament texts were translated from the Greek, but this theory is not supported directly at least by the name for Jesus, which is not a simple transliteration of the Greek form as would otherwise be expected, as Greek did not have a "sh" {{IPA|[ʃ]}} sound, and substituted {{IPA|[s]}}; and likewise lacked and therefore omitted the final {{Transliteration|he|[[ayin|ʿayn]]}} ({{IPA|[ʕ]}}). Moreover, [[Eusebius]] (early 4th century) reports that [[Papias of Hierapolis]] (early 2nd century) reports that Jesus's disciple [[Matthew the Evangelist]] wrote a [[gospel]] "in the Hebrew language". (Scholars typically argue the word "Hebrew" in the New Testament refers to Aramaic;<ref>{{cite book |title=Wycliffe Bible Dictionary |publisher=Hendrickson Publishers |year=1975 |entry=HEBREW LANGUAGE}}</ref> however, others have attempted to refute this view.)<ref name="Buth & Pierce">Buth, Randall, and Pierce, Chad. "Ebraisti in Ancient Texts: Does Ἐβραϊστί ever Mean "Aramaic"?" Buth and Notley, ed., ''The Language Environment in First Century Judea''. Brill, 2014.</ref> The Aramaic of the Peshitta does not distinguish between ''Joshua'' and ''[[Jesus]]'', and the Lexicon of [[William Jennings (Syriacist)|William Jennings]] gives the same form of {{lang|syc|ܝܫܘܥ}} for both names.<ref name="Jennings"/> The Hebrew final letter {{Transliteration|he|ʿayin}} ({{lang|he|ע}}) is equivalent to final {{lang|syc|ܥ}} in Syriac varieties of Aramaic. It can be argued that Aramaic speakers who used this name had a continual connection to the Aramaic-speakers in communities founded by the [[Twelve apostles|apostles]] and other students of Jesus, thus independently preserved his historical name Yeshuuʿ and the Eastern dialectical {{Transliteration|syc|Ishoʿ}}. Those churches following the [[East Syriac Rite]] still preserve the name {{Transliteration|syc|Ishoʿ}}.
 
In the [[Talmud]], only one reference is made to the spelling Yeshuaʿ, in verbatim quotation from the Hebrew Bible regarding Jeshua son of Jozadak (elsewhere called Joshua son of Josedech). The Talmud does refer to several people named Yehoshua from before (e.g. [[Joshua ben Perachyah]]) and after Jesus (e.g., [[Joshua ben Hananiah]]). In references to [[Jesus in the Talmud]], however, where the name occurs, it is rendered Yeshu, which is a name reserved in Aramaic and Hebrew literature from the early medieval period until today, solely for Jesus, not for other Joshuas. Some scholars, such as [[Johann Maier (talmudic scholar)|Maier]] (1978), regard the two named "Yeshuʿ" texts in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 43a and 107b) to be later amendments, and not original.<ref>J. Maier ''Jesus von Nazareth'' 1978. G. Theissen, ''Historical Jesus''. 1998. R. Voorst ''Jesus outside the New Testament'' 2000</ref>

===Rabbinical commentary on the difference Yeshuʿ/Yeshuaʿ===
In general rabbinical sources, the name Yeshuʿ is used, and this is the form to which some named references to [[Jesus in the Talmud]] as Yeshu occur in some manuscripts of the Babylonian Talmud, though some scholars, such as [[Johann Maier (talmudic scholar)|Maier]] (1978) have argued that the presence of the name Yeshuʿ in these texts is a late interpolation. Some of the Hebrew sources referencing Yeshu include the {{Transliteration|he|[[Toledot Yeshu]]}}, ''[[The Book of Nestor the Priest]]'', Jacob ben Reuben's {{Transliteration|he|[[Milhamoth ha-Shem]]}}, {{Transliteration|he|[[Sefer Nizzahon Yashan]]}}, {{Transliteration|he|[[Sefer Joseph Hamekane]]}}, the works of [[ibn Shaprut]], [[Moses ha-Kohen de Tordesillas]], and [[Hasdai Crescas]].{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

The name Yeshu is unknown in archeological sources and inscriptions, except for one ossuary found in Israel which has an inscription where someone has started to write first "Yeshu.." and then written "Yeshuaʿ bar Yehosef" beneath it.<ref name="Witherington & Schanks"/> There are 24 other ossuaries to various Yeshuas and Yehoshuas. None of the others have Yeshu. All other "Joshuas" in the Talmud, rabbinical writings, modern Hebrew, are always Yeshua or Yehoshua. There are no undisputed examples of any Aramaic or Hebrew text where Yeshu refers to anyone else than Jesus.<ref>Jesus outside the New Testament p124 Robert E. Van Voorst – 2000 "This is likely an inference from the Talmud and other Jewish usage, where Jesus is called Yeshu, and other Jews with the same name are called by the fuller name Yehoshua, "Joshua" (e.g., b Sanh. 107b on p. "</ref>

Some of rabbinical sources comment on the reasons for the missing {{Transliteration|he|ʿayn}} from Yeshu, as opposed to the Hebrew Bible Yeshuaʿ and Yehoshuaʿ. [[Leon Modena]] argues that it was Jesus himself who made his disciples remove the {{Transliteration|he|ʿayn}}, and that therefore they cannot now restore it. (Modena was a 17th-century polemicist and does not have reliable linguistic evidence for the claim.) A tradition states that the shortening to Yeshu relates to the Y-SH-U of the {{Transliteration|he|[[yimach shemo]]}}, "may his name be obliterated."<ref>Michael H. Cohen A Friend of All Faiths – Page 42  – 2004 "In Hebrew school, one of my teachers had explained that Yeshu (Hebrew for Jesus), rather than meaning "Saviour," in fact was an acronym that stood for yimach shemo ve-zichrono: "may his name and memory be erased "</ref><ref>Proceedings: Volume 4 Aḳademyah ha-le'umit ha-Yiśre'elit le-mada'im – 1969 "Perhaps the most significant of these is the passage where instead of the printed 'that certain man' we find 'Jesus the Nazarene — may his name be obliterated' (thus also in a Genizah MS, British Museum, Or. 91842). "</ref> Against this [[David Flusser]] suggested that the name ''Yeshu'' itself was "in no way abusive," but "almost certainly" a Galilean dialect form of Yeshua.<ref>New Testament theology [[Joachim Jeremias]] – 1977 "... deliberate truncation made for anti-Christian motives; rather, it is 'almost certainly' (Flusser, Jesus, 13) the Galilean pronunciation of the name; the swallowing of the ''ʿayin'' was typical of the Galilean dialect (Billerbeck I 156f.</ref> But E.Y. Kutscher showed that the {{Transliteration|he|ʿayn}} was still pronounced in Galilee, refuting a thesis by Paul Kahle.<ref>E.Y. Kutscher, Studies in Galilean Aramaic, 1976.</ref>