Scientists reveal the real name of Jesus

Experts say that "Jesus Christ" may not be the name of the central figure of Christianity. Scientists believe that the real name sounded like his native language, Aramaic, and it is nothing like our modern version.

The name "Jesus" went through a long linguistic journey from Aramaic to Hebrew, then to Greek and to Latin before it could receive its modern translation in the 16th century. And the surname was supposed to be based on his hometown. That is, the real name of the Son of God was most likely Yeshua of Nazareth, MailOnline writes.

Scientists explain that the name "Jesus" even contains letters that were not used in written language until 1500 years after his death. Throughout the 2000-year history of Christianity, the original name of Jesus was hidden by layers of translation and transliteration.

The historical character Jesus and his disciples lived in a region of the Roman Empire called Judea, which is now part of Palestine and Israel. However, most scholars believe that Jesus was born and raised in the city of Nazareth, which is part of Galilee, a small province in the north.

"We cannot know for sure what languages Jesus spoke. However, given his family background in Nazareth, we can assume that his everyday language was Aramaic," says Professor Dineke Goatman, an expert on the relationship between Judaism and Christianity at the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands.

Aramaic is a language that first emerged on the territory of modern Syria and spread to a large part of the Middle East during the time of Jesus' life. Surviving papyri from the Galilee region show that it was a vernacular language among the Jewish population and was almost certainly the daily language of Jesus.

In addition, early Greek versions of the Gospel specifically record that Jesus spoke certain words in the original Aramaic.

"Most scholars agree that his name was Yeshua or possibly Yeshu, which was one of the most common names in first-century Galilee," the scholars say, adding that they have also gone to great lengths to investigate what Jesus' actual surname was. Because, contrary to popular belief, "Christ" is not a surname, but a title or honorific. It means "Messiah" or "God's anointed."

In the Roman period, people of high status used a three-name structure consisting of an individual name, a family name, and an additional nickname. Examples include such historical figures as Gaius Julius Caesar or Marcus Tullius Cicero. However, as a poor Jew, Jesus could not have had such a full name.

People who came from poor families did not have a last name but were identified by other means, such as their parents' name, place of origin, or other distinguishing characteristics.

"For example, someone might be called 'John the son of Zebedee' or 'Mary Magdalene,' with 'Magdalene' probably indicating that she was from a place called Magdala," explains Marko Marina, a scholar at the University of Zagreb.

Since Jesus is referred to in the Bible as "Jesus of Nazareth," he most likely used this as a practical way to distinguish himself from other people named Yeshu or Yeshua. This means that Jesus' full name would be "Yeshua of Nazareth."

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