Have you ever encountered the term ‘Jesus H. Christ’? For Christians who hold faith, this name might ring familiar.
So, what exactly does the ‘H’ in Jesus H. Christ signify?
Many individuals lack a clear understanding of this term.
Some may speculate that the ‘H’ is not a middle name like ‘Hector,’ but rather a symbol rooted in Greek alphabet and Christian tradition.
What are your thoughts on this? What does the ‘H’ in Jesus H. Christ truly represent?
Let’s explore the origins of the name “Jesus Christ”
Firstly, the name Jesus is derived from the Latin name Iesus, which is itself a Latinized version of the ancient Greek name Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoũs).
While, This Greek name is a Hellenized rendition of Jesus’s original name in ancient Palestinian Aramaic, which was יֵשׁוּעַ (yēšūă‘).
This Aramaic name is a shortened form of the earlier Hebrew name יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (y’hoshuaʿ), meaning “Yahweh is Salvation.”
Despite the common misconception, “Christ” is not a surname for Jesus in contemporary language. It is, in fact, an epithet, serving as a descriptive title.
The term Christ is derived from the Latin word Christus, which, in turn, originates from the ancient Greek word Χριστός (Christós), signifying “anointed one.”
In the New Testament, Χριστός serves as the Greek translation of the Hebrew title מָשִׁיחַ (māšîaḥ), carrying a similar connotation.
‘H’ in initial is that it originated as a Christogram
According to Dr. Dan McClellan, a Biblical scholar at the University of Birmingham and avid TikToker, the ‘H’ initial is believed to have originated as a Christogram.
This theory suggests that the monogram represents Jesus.
This monogram is composed of letters and symbols representing Jesus.
Christograms can be observed on various artifacts, ranging from artworks and coins to gravestones and even ancient tattoos.
Surprisingly, there’s even one subtly integrated into the name of Jesus Christ itself.”
Where does the H in Jesus H. Christ come from?
Dan McClellan revealed the meaning of the ‘H’ in Jesus H. Christ.
“I’m Dan McClellan. As a scholar of the Bible and religion. I find that the most widely accepted theory is that it derives from a specific Christogram.”
While, Dan McClellan revealed that a Christogram is a one-, two-, or three-letter abbreviation.
It is used as a symbol to represent either the name Jesus, the title Christ, or the name Jesus Christ.
Christmas is sometimes abbreviated as Xmas, where the Χ represents the Greek letter Chi. Chi is the first letter in the title Christ.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, you might have seen a Χ with a tall P-looking letter in the middle.
While, This symbol is known as the Χρ Christogram or Chi-Rho, which represents Christ.
The first two letters in the title are part of another Christogram.
This one uses the first three letters of the name Jesus in Greek: Iota, Eta, and Sigma.
In Latin transliteration, this quickly became IHS.
However, there is another way to write the S called the lunate sigma, which resembles a C.
As a result, the first three letters of Jesus’s name transliterated into Latin could look like IHC.
Dan McClellan said: “Then in the 17th century, we developed the letter J, which is how Jesus’s name starts for English speakers”
Some Christograms were written as JHC, representing the first three letters of Jesus’s name transliterated from Greek into Latin.
Additionally, this combination resembles the initials J for Jesus and C for Christ, with the ‘H’ appearing as his middle initial.
As a joke, people started referring to Jesus as J. Christ.