Isa (name)
Encyclopedia
Isa is an Arabic name corresponding to Jesus in English. It is a common male given name for Arabs and Muslims.
Arabic-speaking Muslims refer to Jesus
as Isa, while Arabic-speaking Christians refer to Jesus as Yasu
(Arabic
: يسوع, Yasū‘). Jesus is considered a prophet
in Islam
(see Jesus in Islam), and his name is used in these two forms in the Qur'an
and in Arabic versions of the Bible, respectively.
-speaking Christians use Isa as nameform for Jesus.
Isa is also a female name meaning "iron" in Teutonic, "rainbow" in Chamoru, or a short form of Isabella.
(ישוע), which is in turn a shortened form of Hebrew Yehōšua (יהושע) or "Joshua" in English. There is a major discrepancy between the Hebrew and Muslim Arabic forms of this name, since the original Hebrew form of this name has the voiced pharyngeal
`Ayin ע or `Ayn ع consonant at the end of the name (as does Christian Arabic يسوع yasū`), while the Muslim Arabic form عيسى `īsā has the `Ayn at the beginning of the name. For this reason, some (such as Ahmed Deedat
) claim the Arabic name Isa is related to the Biblical name Esau
(which begins with a pharyngeal); it is also similar in the vowels to the Aramaic
version of Jesus, viz. Eesho (Aramaic forms of the name, however, still have the voiced pharyngeal `Ayn consonant at the end of the name).
The Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān (2003) gives the view that Muhammad adopted Isa from the polemical rabbinical form Yeshu (minus the final ayin
, hence no longer "YHWH saves") used of Jesus in the Talmud
, without realising that the normal Aramaic form, used in the Talmud for other rabbis with the name "Joshua", was Yeshua
. Christoph Luxenberg
's Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Quran equates the name with Hebrew Jesse. However, neither Yeshu nor Jesse begins with a pharyngeal consonant in their original Hebrew forms.
Arabic-speaking Muslims refer to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
as Isa, while Arabic-speaking Christians refer to Jesus as Yasu
Yasu
Yasu may refer to the following:* The name for Jesus in some languages including Arabic as spoken by Christians and Malayalam...
(Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: يسوع, Yasū‘). Jesus is considered a prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
(see Jesus in Islam), and his name is used in these two forms in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and in Arabic versions of the Bible, respectively.
Non-Arabic uses
PersianPersian
Persian means of, from, or related to Persia , or the Persian-speaking world. See:* Persian people, the majority ethnic group of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan* Persian language, an Iranian language of the Indo-European family...
-speaking Christians use Isa as nameform for Jesus.
Isa is also a female name meaning "iron" in Teutonic, "rainbow" in Chamoru, or a short form of Isabella.
Etymology
The English form of the name "Jesus" is derived from the Latin Iēsus, which in turn comes from the Greek (Iēsoûs). The Greek is a Hellenized form of the Hebrew/Aramaic name YēšuaYeshua (name)
Yeshua, was a common alternative form of the name Joshua "Yehoshuah" in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple Period...
(ישוע), which is in turn a shortened form of Hebrew Yehōšua (יהושע) or "Joshua" in English. There is a major discrepancy between the Hebrew and Muslim Arabic forms of this name, since the original Hebrew form of this name has the voiced pharyngeal
Pharyngeal consonant
A pharyngeal consonant is a type of consonant which is articulated with the root of the tongue against the pharynx.-Pharyngeal consonants in the IPA:Pharyngeal consonants in the International Phonetic Alphabet :...
`Ayin ע or `Ayn ع consonant at the end of the name (as does Christian Arabic يسوع yasū`), while the Muslim Arabic form عيسى `īsā has the `Ayn at the beginning of the name. For this reason, some (such as Ahmed Deedat
Ahmed Deedat
Ahmed Hussein Deedat was a Muslim writer and public speaker of Indian South African descent. He was best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as pioneering video lectures, most of which centered around Islam, Christianity and the Bible...
) claim the Arabic name Isa is related to the Biblical name Esau
Esau
Esau , in the Hebrew Bible, is the oldest son of Isaac. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and by the minor prophets, Obadiah and Malachi. The New Testament later references him in the Book of Romans and the Book of Hebrews....
(which begins with a pharyngeal); it is also similar in the vowels to the Aramaic
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
version of Jesus, viz. Eesho (Aramaic forms of the name, however, still have the voiced pharyngeal `Ayn consonant at the end of the name).
The Encyclopaedia of the Qurʼān (2003) gives the view that Muhammad adopted Isa from the polemical rabbinical form Yeshu (minus the final ayin
Ayin
' or ' is the sixteenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic . It is the twenty-first letter in the new Persian alphabet...
, hence no longer "YHWH saves") used of Jesus in the Talmud
Jesus in the Talmud
The Talmud contains passages that some scholars have concluded are references to Christian traditions about Jesus.The history of textual transmission of these passages is complex and scholars are not agreed concerning which passages are original, and which were added later or removed later in...
, without realising that the normal Aramaic form, used in the Talmud for other rabbis with the name "Joshua", was Yeshua
Yeshua
Yeshua, was a common alternative form of the name Joshua "Yehoshuah" in later books of the Hebrew Bible and among Jews of the Second Temple Period...
. Christoph Luxenberg
Christoph Luxenberg
Christoph Luxenberg is the pseudonym of the author ofThe Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran: A Contribution to the Decoding of the Language of the Qur'an and several articles in anthologies about early Islam....
's Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Quran equates the name with Hebrew Jesse. However, neither Yeshu nor Jesse begins with a pharyngeal consonant in their original Hebrew forms.
Given name
- Ma QixiMa QixiMa Qixi , a Hui from Gansu, was the founder of the Xidaotang, a Chinese-Islamic school of thought.-Education and teaching:Ma was born into the family of a Taozhou ahong of the Beizhuang menhuan, a Sufi order. At 11 years of age, he studied with a non-Muslim who was an examination graduate at the...
(also known as Isa), Chinese Muslim Xidaotang leader - Isa AlptekinIsa AlptekinIsa Yusuf Alptekin or ʿĪsa Yūsuf Alptekin ; 1901 – 17 December 1995) was a Uyghur political leader, exiled from China in 1949.He was born at 1901 in Yengisar County, Kashgar, Qing Dynasty...
, Uyghur political leader - Isa BarzizzaIsa BarzizzaIsa Barzizza is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in 46 films since 1947. She was born in Sanremo, Italy.-Selected filmography:* The Two Orphans * Fifa e arena * Totò al giro d'Italia...
, Italian actress - İsa Çelebiİsa Çelebiİsa Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire during the Ottoman Interregnum. -Background:...
, Ottoman prince - Isa DanieliIsa DanieliIsa Danieli is an Italian film actress. She has appeared in 32 films since 1962.-Selected filmography:* Love and Anarchy * Swept Away * Caro Michele * Blood Feud * Macaroni...
, Italian actress - Isa GambarIsa GambarIsa Yunis oglu Qambar , also known as Isa Gambar or Isa Qambar , is an Azerbaijani politician and leader of Equality Party , the largest opposition block in Azerbaijan.-Biography details:...
, Azerbaijani politician - Isa GenzkenIsa GenzkenIsa Genzken is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Berlin.-Education:Genzken studied fine arts and art history at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts from 1969–1971, the Berlin University of the Arts from 1971–1973, and Arts Academy Düsseldorf from 1973-1977. Genzken married German visual...
, German artist - Isa IbrahimAndrew IbrahimAndrew Philip Michael Ibrahim , is a British Muslim convert, also known as 'Isa Ibrahim' after his conversion to Islam. Ibrahim was arrested by police in the city of Bristol on suspicion of terrorism, and on 17 July 2009 convicted of Preparing terrorist acts. He is the son of an NHS consultant...
, British terrorist - Isa-Beg IsakovićIsa-Beg IsakovicIsa-Beg Ishaković, or Isa-Beg Isaković, was an Ottoman general and the first governor of the Ottoman Province of Bosnia. He ruled during the 1450s and 1460s. He made much of the initial conquests for the Turkish Empire in the region, and was one of the then Sultan's most trusted generals. He was...
, Ottoman general - Isa JankIsa JankIsa Andersen is a German actress who started her career in Hollywood in the middle of the 1980s. She played at James Belushi's side in "Real Men" and other roles in Nightangel, "Cheers" and Airwolf....
, German actor - İsa Kaykunİsa Kaykunİsa Kaykun is a Turkish professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Kasımpaşa in the Süper Lig.Kaykun began his career in Germany, playing for clubs such as SV Waldhof Mannheim and FC Heidelsheim. Kaykun moved to Kasımpaşa on 1 February 2010, signing a contract until May...
, Turkish footballer - Isa MirandaIsa MirandaIsa Miranda was an Italian actress with an international film career.A native of Bergamo, Isa Miranda worked as a typist whilst attending the drama academy in Milan and training as a stage actress. She went on to play bit parts in Italian films in Rome...
, Italian actress - Isa Moskowitz, American food writer
- Ismail Isa MustafaIsmail Isa MustafaIsmail Isa Mustafa is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for Turkish Karabükspor as a forward.-Levski Sofia:...
, Bulgarian footballer - Isa BoletiniIsa BoletiniIsa Boletini was an Albanian nationalist figure and guerilla fighter, born in the village of Boletin near Mitroviça, Ottoman Empire...
, Albanian nationalist - Isa NacewaIsa NacewaIsakeli Nacewa is a New Zealand-born rugby union footballer of Fijian descent. He is a utility back and represents Leinster Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup competitions. He previously represented the Blues in the Super Rugby competition and Auckland in the Air New Zealand Cup...
, Leinster rugby player
Surname
- Abu 'IsaAbu IsaAbu 'Isa was a self-proclaimed Jewish prophet sometime in the 8th century AD in Persia...
, Isaac ben Jacob al-Isfahani, Jewish prophet - [[ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā al-Asṭurlābī]], Arab astronomer
- [[ʿAlī ibn ʿĪsā al-Kahhal]], Arab ophthalmologist
- Daoud IsaDaoud IsaIssa Daoud El-Issa was born in Jaffa, Palestine. As a prominent poet and journalist in Ottoman Palestine he founded the newspaper Filastin with his cousin Joseph...
, Palestinian journalist - Darcey IsaDarcey IsaDarcy Isa is a British actress.She supports Leeds United. Isa has two brothers- Perri and Erin Isa.-Television appearances:...
, British actress - Dolkun IsaDolkun IsaDolkun Isa is a noted Uyghur activist from the region of Xinjiang of northwestern China, also known as East Turkestan. He has spoken on behalf of the rights of the largely Islamic minority which makes up the majority population in that region. The government's of China as well as the current KMT...
, Uyghur activist - Salman Isa, Bahraini footballer
- William IsaWilliam IsaWillie Isa is a professional rugby league player for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League competition...
, New Zealand rugby league player