First of all I would like to say sorry about the lack of replies for the month – I have been very unwell but I am going to start getting to them now I am starting to feel better.

So today’s question is the following.

To a Jew, is there a difference between Jesus and Yeshua (or Yehoshua) or do you consider them the same?

In terms of the names then yes they are the same person (this isn’t a discussion if Jesus is seen as the son of G’d or not – I wrote about this before). The name Jesus comes from the Greek version of the Hebrew name – Yeshua.

In the Hebrew Bible, the name Yeshua is used quite often to what I recall but in terms of if any of these people are the Christian Jesus, the answer would be no. There are some people who believe that Jesus is referenced within the Talmud but that is beyond the answer I am providing here.

So to sum it up – it depends on the exact question you are asking. Are they the same name – yes. If they are the same people – no. There are many people called Yeshua within the Hebrew Bible but none of them is Jesus from a typical Jewish point of view.

If this question hasn’t answered it and its possible as we may be speaking about different things please post in the comments explaining further and I will update this article.