unilad homepage
unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Film and TV
    • News
    • DC Comics
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Netflix
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Scientists claim Jesus 'wasn't called Jesus' and that the Son of God actually went by something else
Home>News>US News
Published 21:02 21 Jan 2025 GMT

Scientists claim Jesus 'wasn't called Jesus' and that the Son of God actually went by something else

'Jesus Christ' wasn't Jesus' full, first or second name, according to historians

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

Throughout our entire lives we've 'understood' that Jesus is called Jesus... I mean, if we're told someone is called something, you don't really question it.

But according to scientists Jesus 'wasn't called Jesus' and in fact, the Son of God went by a different name.

Jesus was born around 2,030 years ago - if we're to believe the historians.

Advert

"The narrowest date one can confidently arrive at for Jesus’s birth seems to be the month of March, during the years 6, 5, or 4 BC," explained Professor Lawrence Mykytiuk of Purdue University in Indiana, to the MailOnline.

Anyway, scholars believe 'Jesus Christ' might not be the lord's name at all, with historians citing that the Son of God's name would have been in his native language of Aramaic, which doesn't sound anything like it does now.

Then there's the fact that the name 'Jesus' didn't actually exist when he was alive, and there's even letters that wouldn't have appeared in written language until around 1,500 years after Jesus' death.

Then, as the story of Jesus was shared, the name transitioned from his native language to Hebrew, then Greek, followed by Latin and in the 16th century... English. So, his name went through a lengthy period of translation, it would appear.

'Jesus Christ' would not have gone by the name 'Jesus Christ' while he was living (Getty Stock Images)
'Jesus Christ' would not have gone by the name 'Jesus Christ' while he was living (Getty Stock Images)

So, what is Jesus' real name?

Professor Dineke Houtman of the Protestant Theological University, in the Netherlands, has claimed it would have most likely been Yeshua or possibly its shorter name, Yeshu.

Professor Houtman told the MailOnline: "His name would probably have been in Aramaic: Yeshua.

"It is likely that this is also how he introduced himself. Another possibility is the shorter form Yeshu which is the form used in later rabbinic literature."

It makes sense as Jesus wasn't English and being in the Middle East, it's safe to say he wouldn't have spoken our tongue either - also names beginning with a hard 'J' as we'd pronounce it, didn't exist either.

Yeshu Nazareen doesn't have as much of a ring to it! (Getty Stock Image)
Yeshu Nazareen doesn't have as much of a ring to it! (Getty Stock Image)

While an expert on early Christianity from the University of Birmingham, Professor Candida Moss, backed up Houtman's belief.

She told the publication: "Most scholars agree that his name was Yeshua or possibly Yeshu, which was one of the most common names in first-century Galilee."

So, is Jesus' real name Yeshua Christ?

Well, no. Christ derives from the Greek word 'Christos' which means 'anointed one'.

His surname would have likely been related to his hometown of Nazareth, with his name likely to have been Yeshu Nazareen.

Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image/Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Topics: Religion, History, Science

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

20 mins ago
an hour ago
5 hours ago
8 hours ago
  •  SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
    20 mins ago

    Donald Trump demands E. Jean Carroll return $5.6 million payout after losing final appeal

    Lawyers for the former president have launched a fresh legal bid demanding the writer return the court-disbursed funds

    News
  • Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    Pete Hegseth repeatedly interrupted by anti-war protesters as he begs Congress for $95 billion for war

    He was forced to stop his opening testimony four times in quick succession as demonstrators shouted "stop bombing our children"

    News
  • Instagram/Justin Alvo
    5 hours ago

    Man who left the US for remote Amazon tribe reveals 'biggest misconceptions' people have

    From creating a record-breaking baby to hunters shooting twenty-foot blowgun shots, Justin's experienced a lot since moving to the Amazon

    News
  • Universal Pictures
    8 hours ago

    The Odyssey fans are just spotting one mistake in movie days after release

    Christopher Nolan shot The Odyssey flick on IMAX 70mm frames, enhancing the viewer experience like never before

    Film & TV
  • Scientists discovered ancient temple where Jesus 'performed miracle' in major breakthrough
  • Scientists discover two miracles by Jesus 'actually happened' in breakthrough revelation
  • Scientists claim Neanderthals never truly went extinct because of one shocking reason
  • Researcher reveals telling evidence in Shroud of Turin mystery after it was thought to be Jesus' burial cloth