Common questions about Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the etymology of the name Jesus in the New Testament?
The name Jesus traces back to the Biblical Hebrew form Yehoshua, meaning YHWH saves, which shifted to Yeshua and was transliterated into Koine Greek as Iēsous before evolving into the modern English form. This name was chosen by an angel instructing Mary in the Gospel of Luke and Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew to signify the act of salvation. The theological significance of the name establishes a salvific attribute that has been central to Christian theology since the earliest days of the Church.
How did the title Christ originate and what does it mean in the New Testament?
The title Christ derives from the Greek word Christos, meaning anointed one, and serves as a loan translation of the Hebrew mashiaħ from which the English word messiah is derived. In the Gospel of Mark, the text begins by calling Jesus the Son of God, and the title Christos is used so closely with Jesus that early Christians felt no need to claim that Jesus is Christ as that was considered widely accepted. The Apostle Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God, a statement that Jesus accepted and called a divine revelation.
What is the significance of the title Kyrios in the New Testament?
The Greek word Kyrios appears 775 times in the New Testament, referring to Jesus as Lord, God, or master, and represents his lordship over the world. Pauline writings further established the theological consequences of the Lord concept, emphasizing attributes of Jesus as not only referring to his eschatological victory but to him as the divine image in whose face the glory of God shines forth. The high frequency of the use of the term Kyrios in the Acts of the Apostles indicates how natural it was for early Christians to refer to Jesus in this way, and the title persisted as the predominant perception of Jesus for centuries.
How does the Gospel of John define Jesus as the Logos?
The Gospel of John calls Jesus the Logos, often used as the Word in English translations, and this identification appears only at the beginning of the Gospel and in two other Johannine passages. The series of statements regarding the Logos build on each other, asserting that the Logos existed at the beginning, was with God, and was God, thus stating the unity of Jesus with God the Father and affirming his divinity as God the Son. After the First Council of Nicaea in 325 and Council of Chalcedon in 451, the Logos and the second person of the Trinity were often used interchangeably.
What is the difference between the titles Son of God and Son of Man in the New Testament?
The title Son of God is applied to Jesus in many cases in the New Testament, often used to refer to his divinity, from the beginning in the Annunciation up to the Crucifixion. In contrast, the title Son of Man appears many times in all four gospel accounts, yet its proclamation has never been an article of faith in Christianity, serving instead as a natural counterpart to Son of God that affirms the humanity of Jesus. The term Son of Man appears 25 times in Luke and 30 times in Matthew, and some gospel passages equate them, as in Mark 14:61, where Jesus responds to the high priest by saying, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power.
What are the meanings of the titles Son of David and Lamb of God in the New Testament?
The title Son of David indicates Jesus' physical descent from David, as well as his membership of the Davidic line of kings, establishing the claim of Jesus Christ to the Davidic Throne based on the promises God made to King David through Nathan the prophet. The title Lamb of God, or Agnus Dei, only appears in the Gospel of John, with the exclamation of John the Baptist: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Book of Revelation includes over twenty references to a lion-like lamb, which is of the tribe of Judah and the root of David, found worthy to take the judgment scroll from God and break the seals.