Yeshua is the Hebrew spelling or equivalent of the name Jesus. Therefore, some Messianic Jews and others claim He should be referred to by this name. What does the Bible teach?
The New Testament was originally written in Greek. The Greek name for Jesus is Iesous (pronounced YE-soos in English). "Jesus" is the English equivalent of this word. English-speaking people have, therefore, traditionally used the word "Jesus." The use of the Hebrew spelling and pronunciation or the English version is acceptable. The same is true in other languages, whether Isus in Romanian or Is in Arabic.
Those who emphasize the use of Yeshua as the name of Jesus typically do so to emphasize the Hebrew or Jewish background of Jesus. While this background is important and is certainly helpful in understanding many biblical concepts, the use of Yeshua is not required. Using Yeshua instead of Jesus to refer to the Messiah does not make a person more or less spiritual. We are commanded to call on the name of the Lord, whether we do so in Hebrew, Greek, English, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, or any other language.
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