October 2005

QUESTION #1: We were shocked to learn on [a certain website] that the Star of David is actually a hexagram, a satanic symbol with a connection to the occult. Why would the Jewish people adopt such an evil symbol?

ANSWER: We checked the website you mentioned and it is filled with all sorts of paranoid, anti-Semitic propaganda. If you don’t mind our saying so, you should be more discerning about the sites you visit on the Web. In the computer world, there’s a saying: GIGO (“garbage in, garbage out”). It means that if you input flawed information, chances are that your output will also be flawed. The most powerful computer in the world can easily yield the wrong answer if its operators feed the wrong data into it. Likewise, if you input propaganda and misinformation into your mind, your conclusions will be wrong!

Now let’s talk about the Star of David, since you asked about it. In Judaism, it’s actually known as the Magen David, or “Shield of David,” and yes, it’s true that it’s a very ancient symbol. In occult circles, it’s known as the Seal of Solomon. Many anti-Semitic hate groups and conspiracy web sites connect the Star of David with the occult in an effort to bolster their arguments to “prove” that the Jewish people are inherently evil and corrupt.

Remember that the devil is not a creator; rather, he is a counterfeiter, a thief, a liar, and a destroyer (Rev. 9:11). He takes things that are good and wholesome, and he perverts them so he can use them for his own purposes (John 8:44). The result is always the same—confusion, destruction, and even death (Heb. 2:14).

We must realize, then, that many symbols have been misused and perverted by evil people and hate groups. One of the most misused symbols in history, in fact, has been the cross. The so-called “Celtic Cross,” for instance, has been adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups. It consisted of a cross encompassed by a circle and is known to students of Norse mythology as “Odin’s symbol.” Adolph Hitler adopted the Iron Cross in 1939 as a national symbol and superimposed the Nazi swastika in its center.

So you see, anyone can take almost any kind of symbol and appropriate it for his own purposes. The fact that various movements have hijacked the cross, the Magen David, or other symbols, does not in itself make those symbols evil.

Actually, we know the Magen David was not associated with evil in New Testament times because it was used by the early church. In the 1960s, archaeologists working in an ancient grotto near the Tomb of David in Jerusalem discovered eight early second century artifacts bearing a unique, three-part symbol that incorporated a menorah, a Magen David, and a fish. You will find more information about this remarkable discovery at www.familybible.org/About/MessianicSeal3.htm. It is a fascinating find because it provides a clear link to the first (Jewish) church in Jerusalem.

If the Magen David was an occult symbol, or if it was associated with evil in any way, do you think the early church would have used it? Of course not.



QUESTION #2: How did we come to call Yeshua "Jesus"? Normally when someone's name crosses over into another language, the spelling may change but the pronunciation remains the same.

ANSWER: There is often more involved in taking a name from one language to another than merely transliterating and spelling it phonetically. For instance, how does the Hebrew name Jacob (Ya'akov) come into English as "James"? I have no idea. The two aren't even close. And in English, why do we call someone Jack when his real name is John? Who knows? That's just the way it is.

We know the Lord Jesus' original name was Yeshua because it's derived from the Hebrew word for "salvation." The angel said He would receive this name because He was coming to "save" His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). We also have confirmation of this from archaeological discoveries of inscriptions from the first century. The Lord's name, Yeshua—spelled in Hebrew yod-shin-vav-ayin—was actually a common name in ancient times. Yeshua is a contracted form of the name Yehoshua (Joshua), which means, "The LORD saves." The full title of His divinity is HaAdon Yeshua HaMashiach—the Lord Jesus Christ.

When the Lord was crucified, a crude inscription was placed over his head in the three languages that were most commonly spoken in the first-century Israel—Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention the inscription and quote portions of it, but John (19:19) gives the complete text: (This is) Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

Latin: Iesvs Nazarenvs Rex Ivdaeorum (INRI) Greek: Iesous Nazoraios Basileus Ioudaios Hebrew: Yeshua HaNotzri Melech HaYehudim

The ancient Greek name for the Hebrew Yehoshua (Johsua) was Iesous (pronounced Ee-YAY-sous), or Iesou (the dative masculine form). This is the name used for Joshua in the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament dating from 200 years before the Messiah's birth. Modern Spanish has adapted the name as Jesus (pronounced Hey-`soos), but English speakers treat the "j" differently and say, "Gee-zus."

By the way, the claim of certain Yahwist cults that the name Jesus means "Son of Zues" (Gee-Zues) is based purely on coincidental phonetics and has no basis in fact whatsoever. It's like saying that the English word for a cut-down tree (log) derives from the Greek logos. It doesn't make any sense because there is no etymological relationship between the English name Jesus and the Greek Zeus.