The name of the Son of God was revealed in the Gospels when the angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus,” (Luke 1:31) and when an angel of the Lord said to Joseph: “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)
Yeshua is the original Hebrew name of our Lord; the English translation of Yeshua is “Joshua.” The Greek translation of Yeshua is ΙΗΣΟYΣ, which translates to “Iēsous” using the English alphabet, and from which “Jesus” is derived. Most English-speaking Christians use the name “Jesus” to refer to the Christ, rather than Yeshua or “Joshua.” Yeshua means “YHWH saves.” Therefore, the name “Jesus” means “God saves.”
IHS is a monogram for the Holy Name of Jesus; it is derived from the first three letters of the Greek translation for Yeshua: ΙΗΣΟYΣ. It has been used by Christians since the 3rd century up to the present time.
What is the significance of the Holy Name of Jesus for Christians?
The power of the Holy Name of Jesus is deeply rooted in the Sacred Scriptures. Several passages in the New Testament attest to the power of the invocation of the Holy Name: In Mark 9:38-39, demons were driven out; in Acts 3:6, Peter made a crippled man walk and in Acts 9:32-34, Peter healed a paralyzed man. Reverence for the name of Jesus is emphasized in Philippians 2:10: “That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth”. In his letter to the Romans, Paul reiterates the salvific nature of the Holy Name by stating that those who “call on the name of the Lord” will be saved (Romans 10:13).
We can pray using the Holy Name of Jesus. Repeatedly praying “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus” with a humble and attentive heart is one of the simplest ways to pray. Another way is to invoke the Holy Name of Jesus by praying: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” (cf. Matthew 16:16, Luke 18:13)