This morning, I want to discuss a bit of trivia that might impact the way you read your Bible. Did you know that the letter “J” is a medieval European invention? It was originally an alternative form of the letter “I” and was quite interchangeable for a long time.
That is why names like Jens Jensen are often pronounced Yens Yensen. I know that Jens or Yens is undoubtedly not a biblical character, but it seems to serve as a good illustration of the point.
So, what does this trivia have to do with the Bible? It means that since “j” had not even been invented in Bible times, every place you see the letter “J” in the Bible, you can count on it being the anglicized version of the word and replacing an “I” or a “Y.”
For example, the city of Jerusalem is actually Yerushalayim. Judah is actually Y’hudah. Jesus is Yeshua. Jehovah is YHWH, and the Jewish people did not put vowels in his name for fear of mispronouncing it. We might see it as Yahweh.
Sometimes, we see crosses in church with the letters INRI above them. This is Latin and reads “Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorvm”. Latin uses “I” rather than “J” and “v” rather than “u”. The English translation is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
The change from “I” or “Y” to “J” does not create a big problem because they are simply forms that we are used to seeing.
Did you know that most (if not all) of the proper names we see in the Bible differ from their biblical forms. One substantial change is found in the name James. James is a thoroughly English name, and some sources claim that the change from the Hebrew name was to honor the English king of that name, who was sponsoring the Bible translation.
So, what was the actual name of the half-brother of Jesus who wrote the earliest book of the New Testament? He was Ya’akov, a name translated elsewhere in the Bible as Jacob.
While we have changed the spellings of Bible names and place names, the underlying truth of the Bible remains unchanged. Since we are talking about changed names, I arbitrarily decided to work from the book of Ya’akov (James) this morning.
Who was this Ya’akov, this James? The most prevalent theory amongst conservative scholars and the testimony of much of the early church is that he was the half-brother of Jesus, along with Jude (Y’hudah), author of the New Testament letter that bears His name.
He doubted that Jesus was the Messiah but became convinced when the resurrected Lord appeared to Him. He went on to become a pillar of the church in Jerusalem until his death in 62AD.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. James 1:1
Many translations do not quite do justice to the opening of this verse. It is better rendered as “James, a “bondservant” …”
The Greek word doulos or bondservant means one who voluntarily placed themselves in the service of another. James has willingly committed himself into the service of “God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The use of the phrase “of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” is often overlooked in a causal reading of James, but it is quite a powerful statement. James was not just a follower of his half-brother Jesus.
He brings God and the Lord Jesus Christ onto the same level. James’ brother is more than a mere man; he is the “Lord Jesus Christ,” the promised Messiah. James makes it clear that Jesus is the Messiah, and the Messiah is God.
His words affirm Jesus’ divinity. That is pretty powerful stuff for the opening sentence of a letter.
From our vantage point 2,000 years later, with all of Scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide us, we know this to be true. James was making this bold and public claim within 15 years of the death of His brother. Transformed from disbelief to bondservant, James understood who Jesus was and proclaimed Him boldly.
Until next time, may you be as bold as James.
Kevin
You Might Enjoy
Some thoughts on Bible reading
