JESUS and the Old Covenant [closed]

Question

This is my first question. I’m not trying to rock the boat.

I believe what the New Covenant says about God’s name. The New Covenant says there is ONE NAME. The New Covenant doesn’t say there are two, or three, or four, or 10 names it says there is ONE NAME.

Colossians 2:9 settles this is for me. The GODHEAD has ONE NAME. It doesn’t say Yah, or Jah, or Yahweh, or Yahuah, or Yehovah, or Jehovah, or Yahshua, or Yahushua, or Yeshua or any of the other 50 transliterations from ‎( י ה ו ה), Yod~Heh~Vav~Heh. To me Colossians 2:9 says JESUS the FATHER, JESUS the SON/CREATOR/CHRIST, & JESUS the HOLY SPIRIT. Personally I don’t see room for Yahweh.

Revelation 1:8 says Yahweh is the ALPHA & OMEGA. No it doesn’t. Revelation 1:8 says JESUS is the ALPHA & OMEGA. ‎( י ה ו ה), Yod~Heh~Vav~Heh is the God of the Jews. Yod~Heh~Vav~Heh has nothing to do with Christianity. See for yourselves. https://youtu.be/UYM6Sb5nB0Y?si=7p-VFgJaFXNyag5Q

Jews are not Israelites. I know most people will Jews are Israelites. According to (John the 8th chapter) and to (John 10:26) Jews are not Israelites.

The Dewey Rheims Bible from 1582 does not use the word Jew, Jews, or Iews rather Judeans or Judahites. At the moment I can’t remember which it just doesn’t say Jews.

Keeping with this line of thinking, does anyone know of the existence of a much older version, copy, or obscure or covered up translation that uses ‎𐤉 𐤄 𐤑 𐤄, І︮С︯Х︮С︯, ΙΗΣΟΥΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, IESOUS CRISTOS, JESUS CHRIST as GOD the FATHER in the Old Covenant?

Answer 1

The English translations that use the name "Jesus" for the Son of YHVH (or as some write it YHWH) are using a derivative from the Greek spelling. He was never called "Jesus" when He walked on this earth. Names are not translated, they are transliterated. But, the Hebrew letters for His name could not be written in Greek letters. So the Greek spelling was phonetic in an attempt to sound like the Hebrew pronunciation.

In the Greek and the Latin languages the "I" before a vowel made the "y" sound. So, an "Ie" would sound like "yeh," and an "Ia" would sound like "yah;" "Io" sounded like "yoh;" and "Iu" or "Iou" sounded like "you." The Greek spelling of Jesus' name was "Ieous" which many people try to sound out in English as "eeaaasous."

Masculine names in Greek never end with an "ah" sound, so they used the case definitive "ous" in its place. And, there isn't a Greek letter for a "sh" sound, so they used a accent mark over the "s." If we sound out the Greek letters properly it would be "Yeh shus," which was close, but should have been "Yeh shu ah".

When the Bible was translated from the Greek into the Latin, the spelling of the Greek "Iesous" became shortened to "Iesus", where in the Latin the "e" had a long "aaa" sound and His name began to sound like "Yaaa sus."

The English translators (possible Tyndale) created the letter "j" to distinguish it from the Greek and Latin "i" because in the English the "i" was pronounced as a long "eee" sound. So they added a hook at the bottom of the "i" to make the "y" sound, and pronounced "Jesus" as "Yaa sus." Over the years with the French and English influences the "J" was slurred from the "Y" sound to a "zhe" or soft "g" sound, and we have become used to a pronunciation that is not original to His name. In German, it is still pronounced with the "Y" sound of "Yaa sus," or often "Yaa su."

All of the "J"s in the OT scriptures were originally pronounced as "Y"s. So that Jacob would sound like "Yacob" or "Ya a cov;" and Jehosaphat would have sounded like "Yehoshaphat;" Joshua was "Yehoshuah"; Jeremiah was "Yirmeyah;"Judah was "Yehudah;" and Jerusalem was "Yerushalayim." All of the OT names ending in "iah" still are pronounced as "yah" which means "of God," and is the shortened name for YHVH. (Isaiah, Hosiah, Jeremiah, etc.) Yah is the first part of God's name, and in English it was written as Jah.

The original and proper form of Jesus' name is "Yeshua," and it is a variation of "Yehoshua" or Joshua from the OT which means "God is deliverance" or "God saves." Recognizing that the languages have changed the spellings of the names in the Hebrew scriptures when read in English helps. The English pronunciations are not the original forms of their names. The Hebrew names are still used in the Complete Jewish Bible and the Orthodox Jewish Bible which you can find at Biblegateway.com.

Answer 2

This question contains so many questions I hardly know where to begin. Thus, I will take the matters in what I hope is a logical order, but not those of the OP.

1. Jesus Christ in the OT

"Jesus" and "Christ" are NT Greek words and so do not ever appear in the OT. However, "Jesus" is the Greek equivalent of "Joshua" and "Christ" is the translation of "Messiah - both mean "Anointed One".

In the OT we never have a person called Joshua Messiah.

2. Jehovah in the NT

In exactly the same way, the name "Jehovah" never occurs in the NT. However, we frequently have allusion to Jesus being the Jehovah of the OT - see appendix below.

3. Jesus and the New Covenant

Jesus initiated the New Covenant with some memorable pronouncements such as:

• Matt 21:43 - Because of this I say to you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a people producing its fruits.
• Matt 23:37, 38 - O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! Look, your house is left to you desolate.
• Luke 22:20 - and the cup likewise, after having supped, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is being poured out for you.

Paul continues this theme in several more places:

• Rom 9:6-8 - For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are Abraham’s descendants are they all his children. ... So it is not the children of the flesh who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as offspring.
• Gal 3:26-29 - You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.

SUMMARY

All the OT titles of Jehovah are applied to Jesus in the NT. Jesus initiated the New Covenant with His own blood and all who wish to be members of the kingdom of God may do so by faith in Christ through grace. Eph 2:8-10.

APPENDIX - Jesus as Jehovah

Unique titles of Jehovah God from the Old Testament are often applied to Jesus in the New Testament.

Attribute	Old Testament	New Testament
God	Deut 4:35, 6:4, 32:39, Isa 44:6, 45:5, 6	Matt 1:22, 23; John 1:1, 18, 20:28; Col 2:9, Rom 9:5, Heb 1:8, 9, Phil 2:5-8
“My Lord”	Ps 35:23 (LXX: κύριός μου), Ps 110:1	John 20:13, 28, Luke 1:43, Phil 3:8; Matt 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42; Acts 2:34
“I AM”	Ex 3:13-15; Deut 32:39, Isa 41:4, 43:10, 13, 25, 45:19, 46:4, 48:12, 51:12, 52:6 (LXX)	Matt 14:27, Mark 6:50, Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8, Mark 14:62, Luke 22:70, John 4:26, 6:20, 8:24, 28, 58, 13:9, 18:5-8
Creator	Isa 44:24, 45:18	John 1:3, 10, Col 1:16, 17, Heb 1:2
Savior	Isa 43:3, 11, 45:17, 21	Matt 1:21; Acts 4:12; 2 Tim 1:10; Tit 1:4, 2:13, 3:6; 2 Pet 1:1, 11
Glory	Isa 42:8, 48:11	John 17:5, 24
Rock	Isa 44:8; Deut 32:3,4,15; Ps 92:15	1 Cor 10:4; Matt 16:18
Shepherd	Psalm 23:1; Eze 34:11ff	John 10:11-16; Heb 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25, 5:4; Rev 7:17
Bridegroom	Isa 49, 54, Jer 2,	Hosea; Mark 2:19, Matt 9:15, Luke 5:34, 35
First & Last	Isa 41:4, 44:6, 48:12	Rev 1:17, 18, 2:8, 22:13
Angels	Job 4:18, Ps 91:11, 103:20	Matt 13:41, 24:31, Mark 13:27
Venerable	Ex 20:3, 34:14; Deut 8:19; 2 Kings 17:35-38	Matt 2:11, 14:33, 28:9, 17; Luke 4:8; 24:52; John 9:38; Rev 5:6-12; Rom 10:9, Heb 1:5, 6, Phil 2:10 (Compare Matt 4:10; Acts 10:25, 26; Rev 19:10, 22:8, 9)
Light	Ps 27:1, Micah 7:8	John 1:9, 8:12, 9:5, 1 John 1:5-7
Search hearts and minds	Jer 11:20, 17:10, 1 Sam 16:7	Rev 2:23
Lord of Lords	Deut 10:17, Ps 136:3, 26	Rev 17:14, 19:16
Lord of All	Deut 10:17, Josh 3:11, 13	Acts 10:36, Rom 10:12, Col 1:15; Ps 97:5, Zech 4:14, 6:5, Mic 4:13
Seven Eyes of the LORD	Zech 4:10 (& Zech 3:9)	Rev 5:6 (Lamb)

OT Quotations

There are a number of places where OT passages about YHWH Jehovah are applied directly to Jesus in the NT such as:

• Deut 32:43 (LXX) quoted by Heb 1:6
• Ps 45:6, 7 quoted by Heb 1:8, 9
• Ps 102:25 - 27 quoted by Heb 1:10 - 12.
• Isa 45:23 quoted by Phil 2:10, 11
• Isa 40:3 quoted by Matt 3:3 (cf v11)
• Joel 2:32 quoted by Rom 10:13