Did Jesus Have a Last Name? No.

The most reliable source for information detailing everything about Jesus’ life is the bible. Some other sources are digging much deeper beyond what the bible says. Some information about Jesus’ siblings, his names, and other factors in his life is backed by biblical scholars’ evidence.

Jesus did not have a last name. Jesus lived during a time when common people were referred to by either their place of origin or their familial relations. This is why Jesus is often said to have been from Nazareth. Surnames were not normalized until many years after Christ’s departure.

Below, we address some of the details pertaining to Jesus’ name and archaic naming conventions of the region in which he was active.

What Was Jesus Full Name?

Jesus’s name was conceived out of creativity. The term “Jesus” might mean Joshua. Also, the original translation points it to be Yeshua. The translation is also a Greek name derived from “Lesous,” in English, ‘Jesus.’

The Bible also points out that anyone who calls on the lord is saved. However, there is a controversy over how Jesus should be called. For example, the messianic Jews Jesus as Yeshua even though there isn’t a correct way of calling Jesus. 

Over the centuries, the name Jesus has been commonly used among many people regardless of religious background and beliefs. However, as previously noted, not everyone identifies Jesus with his name but by other names.   

All the Jesus followers were Jewish. Meaning they had Hebrew names even though they spoke Aramaic. The evidence of this is clear in instances where Jesus called other things by his contemporaries.

“Yeshua,” was a common Jewish name during Jesus’s time, according to many scholars who believed it was used widely to identify Jesus. Seventy-one burial sites in Israel have that name engraved on them, according to archeologists.
Many have wondered that if there were men named “Yeshua,” at around the time Jesus was alive, then the name must have been considered unique.

There is speculation of the name Jesus originating from Switzerland, even though pinpointing the place of origin for the name is difficult. According to the Swiss pronunciation of “Y,” it is more like “J” or “le,” hence “lesus.”

Today, the last name is the name that identifies which family you come from or belong in. A similar practice was common among the people near the East. It was purposely for identifying who was whose son or daughter. In addition, they might also use the name of a prominent ancestor.

In some instances, other people were identified by the occupation or places they were from. For example, Matthew the tax collector or Jess of Nazareth. Also, other forms of names were used in identifying fathers; for example, Smithson is the son of Smith, Jefferson, the son of jeff.

Note that Christ is a title and not the last name of Jesus. It is derived from a Greek word meaning “the anointed.” Also, the messiah has the same form in both English and Hebrew, referencing the choosing of kings.

The disciples and apostles all referred to Jesus as the Christ or messiah proclaiming that he is the king quoted in the Hebrew scriptures as the prophesied restorer of Israel. According to (1 Samuel 16), King David is anointed by the prophet Samuel. The promise was that a great descendant would emerge to be a greater king.  

Even though non-believers don’t identify Jesus with his name, they call his so since the name is associated with him. So, if you say, Jesus Christ, you’re proclaiming him as the king. God has many names throughout the Bible, such as El Roi, Elohim, Prince of peace, and others.

Though the name Jesus might have different pronunciations and spellings, it still has the same meaning. Some prominent Sources claim that Yeshua Hemashiach is Jesus’s full name. The meaning of that full name is Jesus the Messiah.

What Was Mary’s Last Name?   

According to the Greek Orthodox Bible, version of the Christian Bible, the name of Mary’s father was Joachim. But before Mary was married to Joseph, his name was BatJoachim. The word “bat” in the name means “becoming.” So, Mary was ‘becoming’ when she was born. 

As society has it, once a woman is married to a man, she takes the man’s last name. So, what was Joseph’s name? Well, Jacob was the name of Joseph’s father. In other words, in the name Benjacob, the word “ben” has a Hebrew meaning, son.

The Catholic Encyclopedia points out that Mary’s real name was Myriam. The name has also been denoted in the Old Testament as the name of Moses’ only sister. The name has evolved other the years and changed to “Miriam.”

Scholars believe that the name has great symbolism. Additionally, biblical scholars have their Hebrew meaning. Mar, meaning bitter, and yam, meaning sea. Conclusively, it can be translated as Mary’s bitter suffering and many tears of sorrow.

In other translations, the word mar makes Mary’s name mean “drop of the sea.” In Latin, it is identified as still Maris. Eventually, Stella (star) Maris was what the name that was later changed into. So, the name means “star of the sea.”

Catholic encyclopedia has many names in correspondence to Mary’s identity. These names have been derived based on Middle Ages writing known as “Litany of Loreto.” Some of these names are;

•    Holy Mary Mother of God: Mary is considered the God-bearer. Even though she is not divine, she contributed to half of the genetic composition of Jesus. Divinity is a considerable element as Jesus is divine.             

    Holy Virgin of virgins: Mary’s virginity is viewed as a sign of a church’s perfect realization. That means she is the keeper of purity and the entirety of faith she pledges to her spouse.  

•    Mother of good counsel: Here, the conception of Mary’s name of her painting is said to be a miraculous phenomenon. According to the folk, there was exquisite music and mysterious clouds that obliterated the parish’s unfinished wall. The cloud formed a beautiful fresco of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary.

•     Mystical Rose: According to some paintings from Latin America, Mary is surrounded by flower roses. The roses are considered divine, and for very hail Mary, you say, you pick a rose from her feet.

On the other hand, Joseph’s father is mentioned in (Matthew 1:16). The scripture passage outlines that Jacob was the father of Joseph and husband of Mary, who bore Jesus the Messiah. According to this evidence, Mary’s name would have been Mary Batjacob. On the other hand, Jesus’s full name would have been Jesus BatJoseph.

Did Jesus Have Siblings?

Jesus’ conception was as a result of a mystical union between Mary and the holy spirit. Even though some sources maintain that Jesus was an only child, some Bible scriptures say otherwise. At the time of Jesus’ birth, Mary was a virgin, which means Jesus was the eldest of his siblings.

As previously said, bible verses point out Jesus’s siblings. It is worth noting that these siblings aren’t mentioned anywhere in the scriptures up until Jesus begins his ministry.

At the time Jesus and Mary were headed to Capernaum, his siblings were believers in his messianic mission all through to the end. Some sources, though, claim that they made believers upon his resurrection. 
According to (Mark 6:3), a crowd is heard saying, “isn’t the carpenter, son of Joseph and Mary…”. The group is also heard mentioning the names of the siblings, i.e., Judas, Joses, James, and Simon.  

They’re heard hinting at Jesus’s sisters when they say, “aren’t his sisters our neighbors.” In (Mark 3:31), the scripture also hints at the siblings, i.e., his brothers and mothers have arrived.

It is said that James and Joses were the sons of Mary of Cleophas in (Mark15: 40). Blessed mother is known to be Mary of Cleophas’ sister according to (John 20:25). To some extent, it is said that the two Mary were cousins. So, James and Joses must have been cousins to Jesus. During those times, they weren’t referred to as cousins but brothers. 

The scripture is also vague on the meaning of the word “brother.” The word “Adolphos,” a Greek, is what the original gospel text refers to brighter. That word did not mean brothers related by blood or born of the same parent.
In place of stepbrother or half-brother, “adelphos” was used instead. It also acted as a word for cousins, uncles, nephews, among others. 

The word is commonly used in (Genesis 18:14 and 14:14-16) in describing the relationship between Abraham and lot. Note that these men were never related by blood but by an uncle-nephew relationship. Laban was also an adelphos of Jacob, meaning that Laban was Jacob’s uncle. So, in general, the word Adelphos means relative.

On the other hand, Judas was the son of James (not the apostles), and according to (Luke 6:15), James the Alpheus was the father to James the lesser. So, John and James the greater were sons to Zebedee with blessed Mary. According to (Matthew 13:56), there’s also the mentioning of Jesus’s sisters, but none is mentioned or the how many of them they were. 

Additionally, there’s a controversy that joseph was in another marriage before being engaged to Mary. So, Jesus’s siblings are known to be from another marriage, that is why so sources claim they aren’t Jesus’s blood siblings.    

Did Jesus Have a Wife?

Many sources seem to point out that Mary Magdalene was Jesus’s wife. As the Bible clearly states, Mary Magdalene traveled with Jesus, saw him through crucifixion, and was among the first to know of Jesus’s resurrection.

Over the centuries, church leaders, novelists, and other scholars have gone through the story of Mary Magdalene elaborately. Through this, they have diminished her importance with claims that she was a prostitute. In addition, the claim also points out that she was a ruined woman who was saved by Christ’s teachings.

Also, early scriptures claim that Mary Magdalene was not just any other follower but Jesus’s trusted companion. The interpretation of this meant that she was his wife.

According to the Bible, the four New Testament canonical books, i.e., John, Matthew, Mark, Luke, have noted Mary Magdalene’s presence during the crucifixion. On the other hand, Luke further elaborates her role in Jesus’s Christ, i.e., being among the women healed of the evil spirits.  

Luke also says that Mary Magdalene became part of the women who followed Jesus and the 12 disciples. Note that the name Magdalene is not a surname but rather a name derived from a city in Galilee called Magdala.

 Another possibility is that Mary is mentioned several times in the scriptures. Jesus had many followers whom we don’t know by name. So, she is mentioned in the four canonical books means that she was of utmost importance to Jesus.
After the crucifixion, she visited Jesus’s tomb alone, according to the book John. Other scriptures also say that she visited the tomb with other women and found the tomb empty. She was among the women to spread the news of the resurrection of Jesus.

The gospel of John also points out that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene alone after the resurrection, telling her to inform his disciples of his return.

Other text evidence that appeared in Egypt in 1896, dating back to the second century A.D, shows that Mary Magdalene was more important to Jesus than his male disciples. Her role’s significance is projected in terms of influence and Knowledge.

In addition, some text dating back to the second century written by the early Christians known as the Gnostic gospels also shows her hinted role as Jesus’s wife. 

One of these Gnostic gospels, i.e., the gospel of Philip, claims that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than the disciples as a companion. The text also claims that “Jesus used to kiss Mary on the….” preceding that is unreadable writing which the scholars have concluded to be ‘mouth.’

Dan Brown’s book, The Davinci Code, has generated theories about Jesus and Mary ever having children. Some modern texts claim that Mary had two children with Jesus.

Conclusion

Information within this article has clearly outlined what is not revealed in the Bible. Many other scholars have also formed models of analyzing Jesus’ life and work in-depth based on hints from the Bible and also solid evidence backing. Even though there might be varying controversies on Jesus’ life, the available evidence shows that he had a different life apart from his ministry. 

Gene Botkin

Gene is the director of the Theosis Christian Project. He studied physics and military science before founding the Project. Gene is currently pursuing his doctorate in systems engineering at an engineering college in the Ozarks. The Theosis Christian Project is his attempt to expand Holy Orthodoxy in America.

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