WHAT'S IN A NAME  

Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty five places in the Holy Quran, he is also addressed with respect as: "son of Mary"; as Messiah often translated as Christ, "servant of God" and "Messenger of God"

He is spoken of as "the word of God", as "the spirit of God, as a "sign of God ", and numerous other epithets of honor spread over fifteen different chapters. The Holy Quran honors this mighty messenger of God, and the Muslims have not fallen short in doing the same.

There is not a single disparaging remark in the entire Quran to which even the most bigoted person can take exception.

The Holy Quran refers to "Eesa", the Arabic for Jesus, and this name is used more times than
any other titles because this is his "christian" name. In fact his proper name was Esau in Hebrew from the classical name Yeheshua which has through the ages been Latinised to Jesus.

Neither the "J" nor the second "S" in the name Jesus are to be found in the original language - they are not to be found in the original Semitic languages.

The word is very simply ESAU - a very common Jewish name, used more than sixty times in the very first book of the Bible called Genesis.

There was at least one "Jesus" sitting on the "bench" at the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Josephus the Jewish historian mentions some twenty-five "Jesus" in his "Book of Antiquities".

The New Testament speaks of "Bar-Jesus" - a magician and sorcerer, a false prophet (Acts 1 3.6); and also of "Jesus-Justus" - a Christian missionary, a contemporary of Paul (Colossians 4.11).

These are distinct from Jesus, the son of Mary.

Transforming Esau to (J)esu(s) - Jesus makes it unique. This unique (?) name has gone out of currency amongst the Jews and the Christians. Among the Jews, because it came to be a name of ill-repute - the name of one who blasphemed in Jewry; and among the Christians because it came to be the proper name of their god (?) incarnate.

The Muslim will not hesitate to name his son "Eesa" because it is an honored name, the name of a righteous servant of God.