How did the J get its sound?
“Both I and J were used interchangeably by scribes to express the sound of both the vowel and the consonant. It wasn’t until 1524 when Gian Giorgio Trissino, an Italian Renaissance grammarian known as the father of the letter J, made a clear distinction between the two sounds. Trissino’s contribution is important because once he distinguished the soft J sound, as in “jam” (probably a loan sound), he was able to identify the Greek “Iesus” a translation of the Hebrew “Yeshua,” as the Modern English “Jesus.” Thus the current phoneme for J was born. It always goes back to Jesus.” https://www.dictionary.com/e/j/
I’ve been noticing something, I think it’s peculiar, maybe it’s not… you be the judge.
For this discussion I’d like to ask if you’ve ever read, or heard, the bible verse John 3:17?
We’ve all heard, read, or seen John 3:16 somewhere… in the end zone of football games when the guy with the rainbow wig would be holding that sign up; and there’s a high probability that you heard it in a church service; maybe even in professional wrestling, with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin hijackin’ it with his AUSTIN 3:16, and Austin 3:16 doesn’t have quite the same message of John 3:16, but I think you get the picture.
Or do you? Do you understand what I’m talking about?
That is exactly what I’m talking about today.
“Understanding” ourselves… and trying to understand someone else.
Having understanding; coming to the place where you understand something; requires you to realize that there is something in your current information that only allows you to understand to a certain point.
So, “How do you “hear” new information?”
Are you even looking for any? On any topic? On any skill you may have or want to improve on? Like fixing a wheel bearing? Or understanding the name Jesus?
Do you know that you only know anything to a certain degree, and that to know that you don’t know more… places you in a different category of intelligence?
I’m not trying to confuse you. It’s a good level of intelligence.
Here is another example of the exact same thing we’re talking about. My sister came up to me at my book signing, for The Joker, after having read it she leans over to me and says, “Did you catch that one sentence that doesn’t make sense? Did you mean to say, “so n’ so”?
I answered her, “Did you read the very next sentence/comment made by the main character”?
She looked puzzled. So I informed her of the main characters comment, I said, “He says, “the kid is finally catching on.””
She then was like, “Oh yeah, I remember that now, now it makes sense!”
NOW IT MAKES SENSE.
So I thought, “Why now? Why not when she read it?”
I think it’s because she DID NOT HEAR IT when she read it.
Even though I wrote it in plain English. Her native language. I still had to EXPLAIN it to her.
The only reason I know anything about John 3:17 is because a friend once asked me the same question. He said, “You know John 3:16, but do you know John 3:17, or John 3:18?”
At the time of him asking me, I had been in the bible for quite some time already.
But we never “hear” those verses in a sermon; or at a football game; and most definitely not at a pro wrestling match.
I find that interesting.
I had a friend share with me recently their take on the name Jesus. He is newly on fire for the LORD and received some information that sounded good to him concerning how we should be addressing the LORD.
Now, having many more years in the bible, that statement hit my ears funny. So much so that I did a short study on “the name of Jesus.”
Through that study I was led to the Book of Acts, Chapter 2…
2 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%202&version=NIV
“What does this mean?” Have you asked that question about anything lately?
I’m not sure where you stand on believing if there is a god or not; and if you do wonder, you most likely wonder, at some point, what his name is; and then you would wonder how to pronounce it; and then to find out for sure you just might set yourself out on a personal path that is headed with the main destination being… BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
I know who I am, I am Dave; I know who you are, you are you; and Jesus is Jesus, and it doesn’t matter if you pronounce His name with a “gee” sound; a “hey” sound; or a “yesh” sound… because somewhere else the bible describes him as “never changing” and if that’s true, then it doesn’t matter when, or where, you come from, you will hear His name in your own language… in HIS timing.
I have learned we don’t hear him with our ears, we hear Him with our heart, and there is only one entity that I know of that can speak directly to a mans heart… even… An Emerging Man’s heart!
Take a moment to think about something… you THINK you understand, or think of a thing that’s been bothering you… and why you can’t understand it fully, then try to find the information that surrounds it, and fill in the blanks, and I think you will find that process peculiar and interesting.
You have to have an open mind for this exercise. Especially if you are trying to understand another person.
“One thing to remember is, people actually do see the world differently. It is not merely that they are possessed of ill-informed opinions. So you have to, first of all, stretch out your hand and say, “I get that you see the world differently than me, and I also understand that there is a place for you and a place for me, even though that is not the same place.”
Jordan B. Peterson
Take a moment to look up John 3:17 and John 3:18.
And remember, “It always comes back to Jesus.”
20 “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true.” 1 John 5:20
To know “him who is true”, and anything else we may want to know.
Like where the letter “J” came from.
Addendum: One other thing to think about. Have you ever noticed those people who may have an issue with the name Jesus, and its etymological languages, they never say anything about Peter, Paul, and Mary… Mark… or John himself?? Interesting.
The Emerging Man: writing to ENCOURAGE, EQUIP & ENGAGE! and offering up “Positivity with Work gloves!”
Let me know what you think, drop me a comment.
theemergingman.com 