Critical Thoughts

It is a common Christian argument that Jesus’ (P) original name is “Yeshua`“, which they claim means “salvation” in Hebrew. However, the entry “Yeshua`” in Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon elicits an interesting entry that is contrary to what they are claiming.

[H. W. F. Gesenius (S. M. Tregelles [tr.]), Gesenius’s Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon To The Old Testament Scriptures, 1881, Samuel Bagster & Sons: London (UK), p. 373]

We can see from the scanned entry above that the word means “that which is delivered, safe”, with the evidence of usage in Isaiah 26:1, 18. “Yeshua`” does not exist as a word other than as this name. Another name involving this root is “Jeshua`” (Joshua), which means ‘God + save’, just like many other Hebrew names, such as “Yehonatan” - ‘God gave’, “Yehoshafat” - ‘God judged’. In other words, “Yeshua`” is clearly related to a group of words meaning “save”.

If Jesus’ name was indeed “Yeshua`” as Christians have claimed with no real evidence, it would only support the other theory that Jesus(P) was not resurrected but survived the crucifixion as God Almighty says in the Qur’an:

“That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not” [Qur'an, 4:157]