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Position:Home>History> Why 'Jesu' and not 'Jesus'?Question: Why 'Jesu' and not 'Jesus'!? I've just finished reading 'Sovereign' by C J Sansom (thoroughly enjoyed his Shardlake books), and the characters keep saying 'Jesu', e!.g!. 'Jesu, we were almost killed'!. The books are set in Tudor times!. Was this just accent!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Its purely down to the Latinisation of Christianity!. This was prevelant in the Tudor period!. The correct term for Jesus is actually Yeshua in Hebrew or Eshu (or Esho) in Aramaic, including Modern Aramaic(Assyrian)!. Many Christian names have been altered from their Hebrew or Aramaic origins: James - Yaacov, Thomas - Touma, John, Yonan, Jonathan,- Yokhannan, Jessie - Ishai, Joel - Yoel, Simon - Shimon or Shimun, Samuel - Shmuel, Moses - Moshi, Joseph - Yosep, Jacob - Yakob etc etc So most of the Christian names we used in Tudor times, as today, are corruptions of original Semitic names anyway!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Jesu (IPA: /??i?zu?/, from Latin Iesu) is sometimes used as the vocative of Jesus in English!. Latin Iesu besides the vocative ("O Jesus!") also represents the genitive case ("of Jesus") and the dative and ablative cases ("to/from/for Jesus")!. The Latin forms derive from Greek ?ησο? (Iēsou), the vocative, genitive and dative-locative of ?ησο?? (Iēsous)!. Use of the inflected Latin forms in English is now considered an archaism!. It is, however, still encountered in Early Modern hymns and prayers: most famously in Johann Sebastian Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Historians say the name would have probably been Jeshua ben josef,with the "j" pronounced as a "y",,Spanish speaking countries still use the name "jesus" as a christian name pronouncing it "hairsoos",so Jesu is just a localised form of the name,,nothing more,,Www@QuestionHome@Com These types of notations ie 'names and references' were often utilized to forego any sacriligous undertones in print!. Other reasons may be given, but many authors use this type of mention as a way of misdirecting attention!.Www@QuestionHome@Com "Jesu" is the latin version of the English "Jesus"!. If you really want to say it correctly, it's "Yeshua" in Hebrew!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Hi TH!. My, everyone has been busy researching and answering your question!. Personally, I believe it's simply a misspelling!. There is only Jesus!. Cathorio!.Www@QuestionHome@Com There were only 14 letters in the alphabet at the time!. Translation would have been "Jeeshah"!. Latin translated it to Jesus!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Check out how catholocism used LATIN!.Www@QuestionHome@Com maybe its multipal jesus' like jesu!?!Www@QuestionHome@Com |