What Is The H In Jesus H Christ

Why Do People Say “Jesus H. Christ,” and Where Did the “H” Come From?

Samuel Clemens’s anecdotal remembrance (dated March 29, 1906) in The Autobiography of Mark Twain: A Narrative of His Life and Times (published in The Autobiography of Mark Twain: A Narrative of His Life and Times) adds a wrinkle to the history of the name “Jesus H. Christ.” A famous founder of a new and widely spread sect known as the Campbellites visited our village from Kentucky, causing a flurry of excitement among the locals. A sermon, which he had written specifically for one of those occasions, was delivered on one of those occasions by him.

Eventually, they raised sixteen dollars, which was a significant sum at the time.

Ament contracted to print five hundred copies of that sermon and package them in yellow paper covers for this substantial sum of money.

Afterwards, we set up the remaining eight pages, typed them into a form, and ran them through a proofreading process.

  • He had omitted a couple of words from a thinly spaced page of densely packed information, and there was no other break-line for two or three pages ahead of him.
  • Jesus Christ’s name was mentioned in the line in which the “out” had been made.
  • Wales was the one who did it.
  • As we waited for the revision to arrive, As soon as that great Alexander Campbell appeared at the far end of that sixty-foot room, his gloomy countenance descended upon the entire room.
  • He gave a speech to Wales.
  • This fact was brought to Wales’s attention by a common swearer in the region who had developed a unique method of emphasizing the Savior’s name when he was using it profanely at the time.
  • J.

was enlarged into Jesus H.

C.

The ability to resist was not in him.

What his punishment was, I’m not sure, but he wasn’t the type to be bothered with such details.

It has been suggested that “Jesus H.

However, the absence of any contemporaneous evidence of such usage (such as in newspapers, for example) raises the possibility that the story was simply a humorous invention created decades later, when “Jesus H.

The first confirmed occurrence of “Jesus H.

Lighter’s Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, volume 2 (1997):Jesus H.

Also God bless you, Jesus H.1892in ALomaxFolk Songs of NAmer116: Jesus H.

According to Lomax, the cited instance occurs in the fourth verse of a folk song titled ” Moosehead Lake,” which was written in 1892 and has been recorded since.

He’d be fine with some, and they’d just go back to bed.

Christ, are you going to lay there all day?” after that.

Jesus H.

The phrase “Jesus H.

Christ” in newspaper database searches, rather than as epithets, several decades earlier.

” Some people have the bad taste to add three or even four names to the greatest of men, as was the case in ancient times with names such as Solomon, Cicero, and so on.

He uses an example to demonstrate how bad it would sound if Washington had used a middle letter instead of a first and a second.

Historically, he believes, the most illustrious names are those who are the simplest and most straightforward.

Jesus H.

We recall hearing about the hanging of a Mexican named Jesus Christ for horse stealing a few years back.

An untitled item in the Sierra Journal on January 29, 1885 stated that Durango resident Jesus H.

The importance of his opinions should not be underestimated.

Christ has been appointed superintendent of schools in LaPlata county.

From ” Wit and Humour,” published in the North Australian on May 29, 1885:Jesus H.

Christ, a Philadelphia stationer are among those who have passed away in recent months.

Christ’ was first used as a derogatory term for the religious figure in the early 1900s.

Christ.” In the Blue Grass Blade (August 3, 1902), there was an article titled ” An Open Letter.” To be honest with you, old man, I don’t put much stock in this story about J.

returning to this country, but there are so many people who believe it will happen, and so many things that are happening that, if Jim telephoned me from Lexington and told me that Jesus H.

From the article “Was Jesus Christ a Good Man?” published in the Blue Grass Blade on February 5, 1905, which asks the following question: Affixed to the walls of Lexington’s churches, both Protestant and Catholic, are the letters I.

S.

Those are the initials of a Latin alphabetic system.

Jesus H.

If I use the initials “J.

Christ?

B.

Morrison His approach is imminent, and we must prepare ourselves “On March 19, 1905, the Blue Grass Blade published the following: The three letters “J.

S.” stand for “Jesus H.

My understanding of it is limited.

Christ” is never written by scholars, whether classical or otherwise, despite the fact that I have heard vulgar men use this combination as a “swear word.” In a letter written by W.

to the editor of the Day Book on February 12, 1916, he uses the phrase in a similar manner: Every few minutes, superites would appear, bringing seats to accommodate the massive audience.

Despite my efforts, I was unable to locate Jesus H.

Even if they are considered profane by Christian standards, it is not essential to invoke God or Christ in order for profane swearing to be considered such under the law.

Martindale, in “The Lion in Daniel’s Den,” in The Month: A Catholic Magazine (October 1910), fails to be specific: The Man Without a Soul” is an illustration series by a gentleman whose benevolent countenance appears, usually above the legend “— —, The Man Without a Soul.” He has provided us with two pages of reasons why he “rejects Christianity.” His first “reason” represents his calmer mood.

  1. As a result, he concludes (I have left out the string of filthy epithets he uses in reference to both “Jesus H.
  2. Rather than mercilessly masticate celestial ether, singing hosannahs to meally-mouthed, meek-eyed, mentally maimed mannikins like Jesus H.
  3. Christ” as a suitablely insulting and well-known nickname for him.
  4. Christand the Gods are all gone and man is still here, and the best of all reason assures us they will never return,” the author writes.
  5. When someone says ‘Jesus H.
  6. When M.
  7. Small published Methods of Manifesting the Instinct for Certainty in The Pedagogical Seminary (January 1898), he included the following in his list of “Profane Oaths,” which included “Jesus H.

or vex.) It is difficult to come across “Jesus H.

I was unable to identify an earlier incidence of “Jesus H.

Christ” as an epithet than that “On September 20, 1917, the following novels were published: Many years ago, this reviewer was a temporary inmate of an American hospital located in a western city.

The expletive ” Jesus H.

When it came to writing, though, the Arkansas guy was hopeless, and the reviewer took it upon himself to act as his amanuensis as he sent letters home.

When the son of Arkansas inquired, he said, “Jesus H.

As a result, we can only speculate on how long ago this vignette took place because the (British) author of this review doesn’t provide an estimate of how many years ago it took place.

Christ” was a remarked-upon personal name by 1880, an established exclamation (or obscene oath) by 1892, and a contemptuous manner of referring to the religious figure Jesus by 1902, according to the sources I’ve referenced.

Christ” as an alternative to “Jesus Christ” in 1850 is questionable to me for several reasons, the most important of which is the 30-year gap between the supposed usage that Clemens identifies and the earliest mention of “Jesus H.

Another early recollected instance, from J.C.

Although it suffers from the same flaw as Clemens’s reminiscence, namely, that it was published decades after the alleged event, the following passage from Terrell’s book deserves to be repeated in full: My first Court of Reconstruction time was held in Wise County, then a part of the Sixteenth Judicial District, in 1866, and I was present.

On Sunday night, Brother Shaw, a man of deep piety and advanced years, and presiding elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was holding a prosperous camp meeting some four miles from town, and on Sunday night we all attended Divine Service there, some of us on pleasure and business bent, for a while some of us were piously inclined, all were impoverished, and the litigants were present at the meeting.

  • When I arrived, the moon was full and the weather was beautiful.
  • In addition to being of small stature, he was the only cattleman in Texas who sported a plug hat.
  • He wasn’t there to prophesy or exhort anyone.
  • He had a religious speciality, after all, in the form of public prayers.
  • Many people were unaware that petroleum was being marketed in the newspaper.
  • That it was so valuable, and that the owners had made millions from it, had just recently come to our attention.” Brother Dehart was summoned to pray at the height of the ecstasy created by the elder’s impassioned picture of what G.
  • Paschal described as “an old-fashioned Methodist hell” in the preface of his annotated digest, which was published in 1898.
  • Only the beginning and end of the story remain in my recollections.
  • If the events of this story are faithfully described, the use of “Jesus H.

It is not a true occurrence of the later phrase “Jesus H Christ” in a 1764 version of The Book of Common Prayer, but rather a fortuitous juxtaposition of text fragments in the same edition.

Jesus H. Christ – Wikipedia

When used in reference to the Christian religious figure of Jesus Christ, Jesus H. Christ is an expletive interjection that means “Jesus Christ.” It is often shouted in a state of rage, astonishment, or annoyance, yet it can also be used to convey a sense of levity. When used as exclamation points or expletives in English-speaking, Christian-influenced countries, the words “Christ,” “Jesus,” and “Jesus Christ” are frequently used together.

History

Around the year 1855, Alexander Campbell Although the exact date of the first usage of the term is uncertain, Mark Twain (1835–1910) noted in his autobiography that it was in widespread use even when he was a boy. The following is the story of a practical joke played on a revival preacher by Twain’s friend in 1847, when he was working as a printer’s apprentice, as told by Roger Smith (1994):Twain recalls a practical joke played on a revival preacher when he was working as an apprentice in a printing shop that Alexander Campbell, a famous evangelist who was visiting Hannibal at the time, hired to print a pamphlet of his sermon During a routine review of the galleys, Twain’s fellow apprentice, Wales McCormick, discovered that he needed to make place for some dropped words, which he accomplished by abbreviating Jesus Christ on the same line to J.

  1. C.
  2. Fill fill the blanks with whatever you choose.” And the puckish McCormick went over and beyond: he set up Jesus H.
  3. At least according to Smith (1994:331-2), the phrase “Jesus H.
  4. Additionally, the term is identified as belonging to American English by Quinion, a British author who published in 2009.

Stress pattern

Several authors have emphasized the importance of placing a strong emphasis on the letter “H,” linking it in various ways to the practice of expletive infixation. Its lengthy survival, according to Quinion, must be due in large part to its cadence, as well as the way in which an exceptionally high stress may be placed on the H. In addition, it might be viewed as an example of emphatic infixing that closely corresponds to the models of words such as abso-bloody-lutely and tribu-bloody-lation. A linguist named Dwight Bolinger made similar observations when he mentioned “Jesus H.

In the words of Horberry, “the great accent on the H somehow enriches the rhythm of its host sentence.

Etymology

Even while swearing by the name of Jesus Christ has been standard practice for many years, the specific origins of the letterH inthe expressionJesus H. Christremain a source of conjecture. While other interpretations have been advanced, the divine monogram of Christian symbolism is the most frequently acknowledged as the source of the symbol’s origin. The sign, which is formed from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus (H), is transliterated iota-eta-sigma, which can appear as IHS (with lunate sigma), JHS (with lunate sigma), or JHC (with lunate sigma) (“J” was historically a mere variant of “I”; seeJ).

Particularly intriguing would be the “JHC” variation, which would allow for the interpretation of the “H” as part of a name.

Folk etymology

While the foregoing is the most likely origin of the “H,” there is still the matter of folk etymology, which is the notion shared by ordinary people (which is not necessarily historically true) as to where the “H” originates from (which is not always historically correct). There is a possibility that the name “Harold” is the source of this variation form; indeed, Smith (1994:32) mentions that it is the basis of a variant version known as “Jesus Harold Christ.” The nickname “Harold” may have originated from a common mistake (often made by youngsters) of the words “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” which appears in the Lord’s Prayer.

Variants

The number of alternative versions, most of which have the letter “H” changed with something longer, is enormous. A person named “Jesus Harold Christ” is referenced above (which means “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Harold be thy name.”). Smith mentions Jesus Holy Christ, Jesus Hecking Christ, and Jesus H. Particular Christ, among other names for Jesus. Dictionary of Slanglists published by Green’s Slanglists, Inc. Jesus H!, Jesus H. Crow!, Jesus H. Johnson!, Jesus H. Mahogany Christ!, Jesus hopping Christ!, Jesus Johnnycake Christ!, Jeezus K.

  1. Johnson!, Jesus H.
  2. Reist!
  3. Christ is risen from the dead!
  4. Christ!
  5. Christ!
  6. As far as Smith is concerned, the simple fact that there are so many different spelling variations contributes to the sense of comedy (and outright blasphemy) that is inherent in “Jesus H.
  7. stand for?
See also:  Who Were The Ancestors Of The Samaritans Of Jesus Day

Notes

  1. In Adams, Cecil (June 4, 1976), “Why do people say “Jesus H. Christ”?” in The Straight Dope (retrieved August 1, 2008), the author asks “Why do people say “Jesus H. Christ”?” The irony is in the seemingly haphazard selection of the letter “H,” which has no biblical validity whatsoever. Horberry (2010:26) points out that using a middle initial would give the impression that “Christ” was Jesus’ final name, which is not the case
  2. For further information, seeJesus (2010:26). See “Variants” below for further information about comedy
  3. “At that time, the ordinary swearers of the region developed a unique method of accentuating the Savior’s name when they were profaning it.” According to the context of Twain’s comment (which is included here in the main text), he was referring to the historical figure “Jesus H. Christ.” Harriet Elinor Smith is the editor of this work (2010) Mark Twain’s autobiography is available online. The University of California Press (Berkeley) has a page number of 458
  4. Smith (1994:332). For further information, see also R. Kent Rasmussen’s “Wales McCormick,” in The Critical Companion to Mark Twain: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work (Infobase Publishing, 2007), page 786
  5. Draper (1993) provides more information, stating that the printing business served as the printing site for the Hannibal Courier. Avoiding the letter “J. C.” necessitated the resetting of three of the sixteen pages
  6. Quirion (2009)
  7. Bolinger (1986:84-85)
  8. Horberry (2010:25)
  9. Green’s Dictionary of Slang
  10. AbcSmith (1994:332)
  11. AbcSmith (1994:332) See, for example, for web attestations of the misconception
  12. And
  13. “Jesus H. Christ!, excl. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang” is the result of a machine search of the internet for terms occuring in the frame “Jesus Christ”, both h-initial and more widely, as reported by blogger “Tenser” at
  14. “Jesus H. Christ!, excl. greensdictofslang.com. The date is March 16, 2021.

References

  • (1986)Intonation and its parts: melody in spoken English. Dwight Bolinger’s dissertation. Stanford University Press is located in Stanford, California. The following extract is available to read online at Google Books: The novel Albee, written by Stephen J. Bottoms, is titled Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Cambridge University Press
  • Cassidy, Frederick G. (1995), “More on Jesus H. Christ,” American Speech, 70: 370
  • Draper, Mark (1993), “Alexander Campbell,” article in Christie Graves Hamric (ed.) The Mark Twain Encyclopedia
  • Cassidy, Frederick G. (1995), “More on Jesus H. Christ TaylorFrancis
  • Falvey, Kate
  • TaylorFrancis (2010) “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is a play by Edward Albee that has dark comedy. Dark Humor, edited by Harold Bloom and Blake Hobby, is available online. Roger Horberry of Infobase Publishing and Roger Horberry of Infobase Publishing (2010) How to make business jargon come to life, even if it looks fine on paper A C Black is the initials of the author’s surname. The following excerpts are available to read online at Google Books: Lennox, Doug (2013)Now you know everything about everything Dundurn. It is possible to read the following excerpt on Google Books: Quinion, Michael (2009) Why is Q Always Followed by U? : Word-Perfect Answers to the Most-Asked Questions About Language. In the United Kingdom, Penguin is known as “Penguin” and “Penguin UK” is an abbreviation for “Penguin United Kingdom.” Ian Ransom’s book, Waiting for the Rapture, was published in 2006. iUniverse
  • Salinger, J. D. (1951) The Catcher in the Rye (The Catcher in the Rye). Little, Brown and Company
  • Roger Smith, New York (1994). “The H of Jesus H. Christ” is an abbreviation. American Speech, vol. 69, no. 3, pp. 331–335. https://doi.org/10.2307/455527

External links

  • Michael Quinion’s explanation on WorldWideWords (which supports the IHC idea) is below. Harold, that is thy name! (This number has an interesting relation to the Epistle of Barnabas(9:6-7)(written between 70 and 190 AD), which states: “The eighteen is I (=ten) and H (=eight) – you have Jesus.”

The Grammarphobia Blog: The ‘H’ in ‘Jesus H. Christ’

Q: What does the “H” in the phrase “Jesus H. Christ” stand for? It’s clear that it’s not a middle initial, so why is it included? A: There have been a slew of hypotheses put out concerning the origin of the “H” in “Jesus H. Christ,” which is one of a number of expletives or exclamations that make use of the name of God. Possibly, it derives from a monogram consisting of the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus, which is the most plausible explanation. In Greek, the name “Jesus” is written in capital characters while “o” is written in lowercase letters.

  • Why does one version of the monogram conclude with a “S” while another version ends with a “C”?
  • For example, the sigma in is in the center and at the conclusion of the sentence.
  • The IHS form is more prevalent than the IHC variant, which The Catholic Encyclopedia describes as a rare “learned abbreviation” (a learnt acronym).
  • Furthermore, it serves as the insignia of the Society of Jesus, a Jesuit religious organization that was founded in 1540.
  • Christ” first appeared in print in the late nineteenth century.
  • A seemingly amusing usage of the word was cited in an anonymous Texas newspaper, according to the source, which read: “At Laredo the other day, Jesus H.
  • Voicing a conversation between the Adam and Eve characters in a scenario that takes place in the Garden of Eden: Wife.

How those apples have been pecked!

Man.

Christ hears your statements, He will inform his Father, who will reprimand you.

The phrase was first heard by Mark Twain, who was working as a printer’s apprentice in Missouri in the mid-1800s.

into Jesus H.

Christ” is used as “an oath or as a forceful cry of astonishment, incredulity, dismay, or the like” when referring to Jesus Christ.

Christ, holy leaping Jesus Christ,” among other things.

That 1906 passage in Mark Twain’s Autobiography, which was published in 1924, 14 years after the author’s death and with an introduction by Albert Bigelow Paine, is DARE’s first example of a quotation from a living author.

We’ll add a few words to the citation to put the statement in its appropriate context: Towards the end of the night about five o’clock the cook would call out: “Come bullies, come bullies, come bullies, turn out.” Some people would be fine with him, and they would just go back to their seats.

Christ, do you want to sleep there all day?” and so on.

If you’re interested in learning more, we’ve covered a variety of additional idioms that refer to or hint to God in previous entries from 2015, 2012, 2011, and 2008. Donate to the Grammarphobia Blog to assist in its ongoing operation. Also, be sure to check out our books on the English language.

Urban Dictionary: jesus H. christ

An alternative to the person of Jesus Christ. There are a variety of reasons why the H is included. Some believe it represented the word “Holy,” while others believe it represented the word “Harold” because of the phrase “Our Father, who art in heaven, Harold be thy name.” Other hypotheses about the origin of the H. include: 1. The letter H stood for haploid, which means that Jesus does not have a human father. 2. It is reminiscent of the H in the IHSlogo, which may be found on a variety of Christian memorabilia.

  1. It is “Iesous” in the Greek language, with the E sound represented by the Greek letter eta, which appears like a H on the page.
  2. 3.
  3. The problem is that the inscription is typically presented asINRI: Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum, which is incorrect (J.C., King of the Jews).
  4. Christis a term that is the same as “Jesus Christ,” but with the letter H put in, most likely for humorous purposes.

Jesus H. Christ – Wiktionary

Jesus Christ’s body is an extension of his. in Latin characters, with a fanciful middle initial, maybe developed from a reading of the Greek-alphabet abbreviation for Jesus (Y) as three initials in Latin letters, (IS)(sometimes IS, employing alunate sigma), aGreek-alphabet abbreviation for Jesus (Y), in Latin letters. See the article “Christogram” on Wikipedia. At the very least, the term goes back to the late nineteenth century, however according to Mark Twain, it was already outdated by 1850.

332) defines formalized adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbial adverbi

Interjection

JesusH.Christ

  • 1980 The Blues Brothers, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Landis, was released in June by Universal Pictures. Jake:Yes! Yes! Jesus H.tap-dancing in the streets I have seen the light, Jesus Christ
  • Universal Pictures released the film Fletch in 1985, directed by Andrew Bergman. Jesus H. Christon a popsicle stick, according to Stanton Boyd. First and foremost. James McManus’ 2004 book, Positively Fifth Street, reveals that Alan Stanwyk does not hold a single share of the company. With no mirth in his voice, he murmurs, “I’m going to get out of their path.” “All I had was a bunch of jacks.” Of course, we trust what he says. As soon as Beelzebub and Jesus H. Christ get involved, what are jacks? The Last of the Honky-Tonk Angels : The Story of the Honky-Tonk Angels was published in 2004 by Martha Moyer. His words were, “Jesus H. Christ on the cross.” He locked onto my mirrored look and didn’t let go. “Can you tell me how long you’ve been aware of this?”

Quotations

  • See Citations:Jesus H. Christ for a list of quotations that use this word.

Synonyms

  • Christ Jesus with a bald head
  • Christ Jesus on a raft
  • Christ Jesus with a bald head

References

  • Cassidy, Frederick G., published in 1995. “More on Jesus H. Christ,” American Speech 70:370
  • Smith, Roger, 1994. “More on Jesus H. Christ,” American Speech 70:370
  • Smith, Roger, 1994. Why do people say “Jesus H. Christ”?, from The Straight Dope
  • Explanation from WorldWideWords by Michael Quinion
  • Harold be thy name

Jesus H. Christ mystery: Shock theory reveals origin of letter H – Where did it come from?

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  1. When the American author determined to get revenge on an old mentor from his past, he was thinking back on his time as a printer’s apprentice.
  2. The printer had dropped a few letters, and as a result, he reduced Jesus Christ to JC to save space.
  3. Jesus H.
  4. As a mild profanity, the term had already gained widespread recognition in the general public, thanks to the popular belief that the “H” stood for Jesus’ middle initial.
  5. The enigma of Jesus H.
  6. Christ, as Mark Twain memorably referred to him, is an allusion to Jesus Christ.
  7. Monograms are symbols that are formed by overlapping more than one letter to form a cohesive sign.

Christians frequently employed the well-known Chi Rho monogram, but a less well-known one was the IHC monogram, which you can see in the illustration below (will have pic).

Due to their resemblance to Latin letters, researchers who studied the Greek text in more recent centuries mistakenly identified the I as a “J” based on the Latin alphabet.

According to MentalFloss, the term “Christ” is commonly used nowadays to refer to Jesus’ last name, which is incorrect.

Christ is a riddle (Image: Wikimedia Commons) The enigma of Jesus H.

Christ” was absolutely wrong.

According to popular belief, this occurred sometime around the early 19th century. And it just so happens that this was the time period in which Mark Twain was living. He will no sure have contributed to the likelihood that Jesus did in fact have a middle name by his use of the expression.

The H of Jesus H. Christ on JSTOR

Information about the Journal It is primarily concerned with the English language in the Western Hemisphere, while papers on English in other regions of the globe, the effect of other languages on English, and linguistic theory are also included in the journal’s publications. The journal is not devoted to any specific theoretical framework, and issues frequently include contributions that are of interest to an audience that is larger than the language studies community as a whole. Since its inception in 1925, American Speech has established itself as one of the most respected journals in its field of expertise.

Information about the publisher This press publishes approximately one hundred books and thirty journals per year, with the majority of its publications focusing onthe arts, humanities and social sciences; however, it also publishes two journals of advanced mathematics, as well as several publications aimed at primarily professional audiences (e.g., in law or medicine).

In recent years, it has established its strongest reputation in the broad and interdisciplinary field of “theory and history of cultural production,” and is widely regarded as a publisher who is willing to take risks with nontraditional and interdisciplinary publications, both books and journals, and to publish in both English and Spanish.

Theory explain where phrase ‘Jesus H. Christ’ came from

  • A hypothesis asserts that the letter ‘H’ came from the name ‘Jesus H. Christ,’ and that this is incorrect. It is thought that the mistake is due to a Latin abbreviation of the Greek spelling of Jesus, which only included the first three Greek letters, which was employed in the Latin shortening. As a result, the Greek spelling of “o” was abbreviated to “JHC,” but centuries later, the “I” was mistaken for a “J,” and the abbreviation was justified by the “J” denoting “Jesus” and the abbreviation “C” denoting “Christ,” with the letter “H” denoting the beginning of his middle name. Examples of the phrase ‘Jesus H. Christ’ have been found in current times on the internet, but it has also been reported as far back as Mark Twain’s writings.
See also:  What Did Jesus Say

Published on: |Revised on: In a recent internet hypothesis, it was claimed that the misunderstanding origins of the phrase ‘Jesus H. Christ’ and the origin of the letter H had been resolved. The hypothesis asserts that it has solved the mystery of the odd ‘Jesus H. Christ’ origin, and that the letter ‘H’ was not the holy figure’s middle name, as previously thought. The misconception is said to have arisen from the interpretation of an old monogram – in which initials are braided over one another to form a design – by the public.

  • According to the document, the misconception stems from the usage of monograms by the religion to write the name of Jesus without having to spell all the letters.
  • As the decades passed, the letter ‘I’ was mistaken for the letter ‘J,’ and the inaccurate ‘J’ from the abbreviation ‘JHC’ was justified as standing for Jesus, and the ‘C’ as standing for Christ.
  • Since then, allusions to ‘Jesus H.
  • Jesus H.
  • Christ” came about.
  • Christ’ in his autobiography, which was published in 1876.
  • The young Twain was then known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, and he was hired to publish booklets of sermons delivered by Reverend Alexander Campbell.
  • Rev.

In an attempt to retaliate against his mentor, Twain altered the name of Jesus Christ from Jesus Christ to Jesus H. Christ instead of Jesus Christ.

Where Does the “H” Come From in “Jesus H. Christ”

According to an online publication, a new idea has been proposed in an attempt to provide a solution to the subject of how and where the letter “H” in the phrase “Jesus H. Christ” came from, as well as the significance of the letter H in this rendition of God’s name. It’s critical to understand where the name “Jesus Christ” originates from before delving into where the letter H comes from. The name Jesus is an Anglicized variant of the Latin name Iesus, whereas Iesus is a Latinized version of the ancient Greek name o (Isos), which means “Jesus is Lord.” Yă’ is an abbreviated form of the Hebrew name y’hoshua, which means “Yahweh is Salvation.” This Greek name is derived from Jesus’ original name, which was Hellenized in ancient Palestinian Aramaic (yă’), and it means “Yahweh is Salvation.” The hero Joshua, whose original name in Hebrew is y’hoshua, is the primary figure in the book of Joshua in the Old Testament.

  • Joshua is the hero of the story.
  • Persons who are familiar with the New Testament will recognize several people who share the same name, such as Jesus Justus, an apostle who appears in the Pauline Epistles and the Book of Acts, and Jesus Barabbas, who appears in the Gospel of Mark.
  • McDaniel claims that the letter H derives from Christians’ usage of monograms, which are used to spell Jesus’ name without writing it out in its entirety.
  • This monogram is made up of the initial three letters of the word “Jesus” in Greek, which were subsequently confused with the Latin alphabet in America and written as “J, H, C” in the English language.
  • They, on the other hand, had no idea what the H stood for.
  • Christ” being used is Mark Twain’s autobiography, which was published in 1859.
  • In his autobiography, Mark Twain describes his apprenticeship as a printer’s apprentice.
  • As a result, the printer omitted a few of words and avoided resetting three pages of text by abbreviating the name “Jesus Christ,” which became “J.
  • The printer was irritated by the Reverend’s request that the text be modified to “Jesus H.
Resources

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Although the thoughts stated in this article are purely those of the author, World Religion News does not always agree with or endorse them.

“Jesus H. Christ”: Why “H”?

“Jesus H. Christ!” exclaimed the crowd. We’ve all heard that term at some point in our lives, maybe as far back as most of us can remember. In fact, if you’re anything like me, you probably didn’t even notice it (though you could have found it disagreeable because it’s considered a minor kind of obscenity at the time) and were never interested in finding out where it originated from or why the middle initial was “H.” To us, it was nothing more than a slang phrase that was only used in the United States.

  1. In September 2016, I embarked on a trip around the coast of Spain’s southernmost peninsula.
  2. “Jesus H.
  3. In Spain, perhaps?
  4. Because of this, I realized there was a lot more to that “strictly American slang term” than I had previously realized.
  5. The majority of my information for this page came from two Wikipedia articles: Because I’ll be summarizing a lot of material, you may use those links to get further information and references.

Christ, the expression appears to be uniquely American, and it was already in common use by the nineteenth century, as evidenced by a Mark Twain story that took place while he was working as a printer’s apprentice in 1847 (copied here from that article):recounts a practical joke a friend played on a revival preacher while Twain was an apprentice in a printing shop that Alexander Campbell, a famous evangelist who During a routine review of the galleys, Twain’s fellow apprentice, Wales McCormick, discovered that he needed to make place for some dropped words, which he accomplished by abbreviating Jesus Christ on the same line to J.

  • C.
  • Fill fill the blanks with whatever you choose.” And the puckish McCormick went over and beyond: he set up Jesus H.
  • It goes on to claim that the expression’s use fell, at least in print, until roughly 1930, but that it then began to be used more regularly again from 1970 until the current day, according to the article.
  • An explanation for this decision appears to be found in an ecclesiastical art form known as the Christogram (alternatively known as “divine monogram”), such as the “JHC” that I had seen in Cádiz, Spain.
  • Furthermore, the name “Jesus Christ” itself developed into a rich source of such symbolism.
  • These symbols can be seen on priests’ and ministers’ robes, on church flags, as well as in inscriptions and paintings.
  • Of course, because the New Testament was written in Greek, those Christograms are based on Greek characters, with some transliterations into Roman letters thrown in for good measure (what modern English uses).

Spoiler alert: If you have a keen eye, you will note that the capital eta (“”) resembles a Roman “H,” and as a result, you should be able to predict where this is going.

It was the first thing I saw since I had studied Greek in college, and it was the first thing I noticed.

To make it, you just superimpose the first two letters of chi over each other; however, either the chi is made smaller or the rho, which is more usually lengthened so that the chi does not hide the rho, is used.

Or, at the very least, you will begin to see it in churches today.

And then there’s a family of Christograms that really contribute to the formation of the letter “H” in the phrase “Jesus H.

The Christogram “JHC” that I observed in Cádiz, as well as the Christogram “JHS” that appears on the robes of the Archbishop of Canterbury in The Crown, both fit into this category.

Here are two instances, the first of which is contemporary and the second of which is medieval: So, what’s the deal with the variations?

Isn’t it true that the “J” in German still behaves in the same way?

As a result, the name of Jesus was altered from, albeit the German pronunciation of “Jesu” is more closer to the original Koine Greek pronunciation than the English pronunciation.

In order for a “S” or a C to appear, the process must be repeated several times.

Now pay close attention to the final sigma, “.” You may see the beginnings of the Roman “S” in that shape, but with a different proportioning scheme.

That is why I suggested that you utilize the first two and last letters of the Greek alphabet, because the final sigma is quite similar in appearance to the letter “c.” However, it has been discovered that there is more to it than that.

It turns out that during the Hellenistic period (4th and 3rd century BCE), the symbol used for carving inscriptions was reduced to a C-shaped shape, which was more common at the time.

According to some sources, the Cyrillic alphabet, which was used by Russian and other Slavic languages, was based largely on the Greek alphabet; in fact, the Cyrillic letter C, which is used for the “s” sound in Russian and other Slavic languages, appears to have originated from this lunate sigma.

  • However, the middle initial, the eta (“”), remains Greek in each of the variations.
  • According to Wikipedia (H), the letters “H” and “H” were acquired by the Greeks and the Latins from the Phoenicians, who had acquired them from earlier sources.
  • If you’re interested in learning more about Russian, you should know that the Cyrillic letter “H” for the “n” sound is not linked to the Greek letter.
  • The Cyrillic letter “H” just depicts the final conclusion of a procedure that was only a transient item in Greek to begin with.
  • Christ” came from the IHC family of Christograms, particularly the one that I had seen in Cádiz, Spain, “JHC,” which on the surface appears to be somebody’s initials, namely those of “Jesus H.
  • The “X” represents the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the word “Christ,” which is written as a capital “C” in English.
  • The following “explanation,” which is based on a biology joke, is given in the original Wikipedia article: Facetious etymology is employed.

In order to provide context for the joke’s scientific origins, seePloidy.

Virgin birth, scientifically known as Parthenogenesis, is a true phenomenon that has been witnessed in nature.

However, this is not the case with mammals.

If meiosisis is not employed in the parthenogenetic method that is being used, the children will be complete clones of the mother.

As a result of the fact that all of the parthenogenetic offspring would be complete clones of their mother, it would follow that they would all be females.

Armed with this knowledge (and a healthy dose of levity), we can easily see that the Virgin Birth offers a significant challenge to fundamental Christian theology and tradition.

Jessica Christ, what are you talking about?

As a result, Christian teaching is a big cover-up designed to conceal the reality that Jesus Christ was a woman from us.

Christ, cites an article written by Roger Smith as its primary source (The H of Jesus H.

American Speech 69:331-335, 1994).

Apparently, “Harold” is an alias: Even if this is the most likely source of the letter “H,” there is still the issue of folk etymology, which is the sense shared by ordinary people (which is not necessarily historically correct) about where the letter “H” comes from, which must be addressed.

When this sentence is read incorrectly, it might be misinterpreted as referring to the Deity’s name (“thy name is.”) rather than the correct meaning, which is “may thy name be sanctified.” Due of the phonetic similarities between the words hallowed (IPA) and Harold, there might be some mistake (IPA).

  1. What was Smith’s conclusion as a result of this?
  2. Christ,” according to Smith, is full of fun – and blasphemy – because of the sheer number of spelling variations on the title character’s last name.
  3. stand for?
  4. Spread the word and have fun!
  5. In my first investigation, I had separately noticed how similar the Greek letter eta (“H”) appeared to the English letter “H.” As I recall, this was a coincidence.
  6. Christ: While other interpretations have been presented, the divine monogram of Christian symbolism is the most frequently acknowledged as the source of the symbol’s origin.
  7. The symbol is derived from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus ().
  8. Smith proposes the following idea for how this learned-sounding abbreviation may have served as the foundation for vulgar slang: it was observed by ordinary people when it was worn as an adornment on the vestments of Anglican (or, in America, Episcopal) clergy.

Despite the fact that I don’t recall it having any effect on my thoughts on the subject at the time, I now strongly suspect it was this experience that led me to learn about the lunate sigma – I had taken two semesters of Koine Greek in university and later a semester of classical Greek in the mid-70s without ever having heard of a lunate sigma.

However, there are several different explanations for this, as well as for many other questions, such as why West Coast Swingis danced in a slot (my personal favorite explanation is the drunken sailors on liberty in Long Beach, Calif).

Trying to figure things out is always entertaining. I hope I’ve piqued your interest and given you something to think about. Spread the word and have fun! The first time this image was uploaded was on March 9, 2017. The most recent update was made on December 3, 2020.

r/NoStupidQuestions – What does the ‘H’ stand for in Jesus H Christ?

When this question comes up, I get a thrill out of it! For many years, swearing an oath in the name of Jesus Christ has been a popular practice. Nevertheless, the precise origins of the letter H in the sentence Jesus H. Christ remain a source of conjecture. While other interpretations have been presented, the divine monogram of Christian symbolism is the most frequently acknowledged as the source of the symbol’s origin. When written as IHS, H (with lunate sigma), JHS, or JHC, it refers to the sign formed from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus (), which can appear as IHS, H (with lunate sigma), or H (with lunate sigma) (“J” was historically a mere variant of “I”; see J).

See also:  Why Pray To Mary Instead Of Jesus

It is particularly likely that the “H” in the “JHC” form will be interpreted as a component of a name.

Jesus H Christ – Meaning & Origin 2022 (Term explained)

What exactly does the name Jesus H Christ mean? An allusion to Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of the Christian faith. Jesus H. is an acronym that stands for Jesus H. As an expletive remark, Christ is used to express surprise, rage, or exhilaration in response to something unexpected. Christians believe that the holy figure Jesus Christ did not originally have the middle name “H.”, and thus using his name in a profane or offensive manner is deemed blasphemy. When people refer to themselves by this name, they frequently apply additional pressure to the “H.” While some have speculated that the H represents the word “holy,” others have argued that it represents the word “Harold.” Some have even suggested that it has something to do with the way the name “Jesus” is written in Greek characters.

Origin

What is the historical background ofJesus H Christ? It is unclear where the term originated, although it was used in Mark Twain’s autobiography (1835-1910), which was published in 1910. The concept of the letter “H” standing for “holy” originates from the Christian religion, which holds that Jesus Christ is a sanctified being. Despite the fact that “Harold” appears to be a seemingly random idea, it comes from the biblical verse: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,” which may have been misconstrued as “Harold be thy name” by the general public and youngsters.

Spread and Usage

What was the method through whichJesus H Christ spread? Native English people employ the term as a slur and an exclamation point in their speech. Additionally, it may be used in a hilarious manner, and, like many other things, it has become popularized in the internetmeme world, particularly in erroneous allusions to true religious figures.

External References

Published:04/01/2020 by|Updated:04/01/2020 | 1,178 views | Published:04/01/2020 by Please report a mistake.

Who is Jesus H. Christ?

The history of the use of the name “Jesus H. Christ” is slightly muddled by an anecdotal remembrance (dated March 29, 1906) by Samuel Clemens in The Autobiography of Mark Twain: A Narrative of His Life and Times (published in The Autobiography of Mark Twain: A Narrative of His Life and Times). Once, the famed founder of the at the time new and widely distributed sect known as the Campbellites, arrived in our community from Kentucky, causing a flurry of enthusiasm. On one of those instances, he gave a sermon that he had prepared specifically for that occasion, which was well received.

  1. Eventually, they raised sixteen dollars, which was a substantial figure at the time.
  2. Ament agreed to print five hundred copies of that sermon and package them in yellow paper covers for the cost of sixteen dollars.
  3. Afterwards, we built up the remaining eight pages, typed them into a form, and ran them through a proofing process.
  4. He had omitted a handful of words from a thinly spaced page of densely packed information, and there was no other break-line for two or three pages ahead of him.
  5. The name of Jesus Christ appeared in the line where the “out” had been written.
  6. Despite the fact that it made place for the missing words, it removed 99 per cent of the seriousness away from an especially solemn statement.
  7. As soon as that magnificent Alexander Campbell came at the far end of the sixty-foot space, his gloomy expression descended upon the entire establishment.

Wales was given a lecture by him.

Put it all together.” He repeated this advice a few more times to make sure it was understood, and then he left.

In order to build upon his previous work while also incidentally and seriously improving upon the great preacher’s exhortation, he set himself the hard, exhausting, and tedious chore of overrunning all three pages of his manuscript.

C.

Christ, as a result of his enlargement.

It was not in him, though, to put up a fight.

I don’t recall what his punishment was, but he was not the kind to be concerned about such things.

A number of individuals have interpreted this incident as proof that “Jesus H.

It is possible, however, that the narrative was just an entertaining creation made decades later when “Jeus H.

The earliest known use of “Jesus H.

Lighter’s Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang, volume 2 (1997).

Christ” is defined as “Jesus H.

Also Is it really necessary for you to lay there all day?

“Moosehead Lake,” a folk song written by Lomax in 1892, contains the referenced occurrence in the fourth verse, which is attributed to him.

After that, it’s “Jesus H.

Early occurrences of the personage ‘Jesus H.

Christ,” rather than in the context of epithets against Jesus H.

It was published in an untitled item in the Arizona Miner on July 30, 1880, that the first of these was published: “The Bulletin of the Nineteenth contains a decent piece on middle letters in names, titles, and such such things.” In ancient times, a single name sufficed for the finest of men, such as Solomon, Cicero, and so on; nevertheless, some individuals have the poor taste to add three or even four names to their names.

  1. The author believes that two letters are sufficient and rejects the use of intermediate letters, especially when they have no meaning.
  2. For example, George Washington, Napoleon D.
  3. Christ, Julius L.
  4. Culpepper Jefferson, and B.
  5. He believes that the most renowned names in history are those who are the most straightforward and straightforward.
  6. Christ was registered at one of the hotels in Laredo the other day, according to reports.
  7. There is absolutely nothing in a name.
  8. Christis one of the delegates to the silver convention from which he is a delegate.
  9. On May 14, 1885, the Fort Collins Courier published an article titled ” State News ” in which it said that Jesus H.
  10. It is hoped that the youngsters would not be put off by the idea of following on the humble and modest path.

Christis one of the incorporators of a new railroad company in Southern Colorado; John is herding sheep in Las Animas county; Peter is in gaol in Pueblo; Matthew was recently hung in New Mexico for murder; and Paul is a bartender in Trinidad, according to ” Wit and Humour,” published in the North Australian on May 29, 1885: As a result of “”Sapphire Gunnybag and Macy Marcy,” according to the New York Sun (November 14, 1887): “A Boston man who has amassed a collection of unusual names claims that among them are: “Sapphire Gunnybag and Macy Marcy.” John Vandanhigligenberger, a Philadelphia shoemaker; Applepie Johnson of Pittsburgh; Liberty Tadd, a Philadelphia artist; Echo Halfnose of Chicago; and Jesus H.

  • Christ, a Philadelphia stationer are among those who have passed away recently.
  • Christ’ being used as a derogatory slur for the holy figure Two articles in the Blue Grass Blade (which appears to have been a Freethinkers journal) between August 1902 and January 1905 mention the historical figure Jesus as “Jesus H.
  • The following is an excerpt from ” An Open Letter ” published in the Blue Grass Blade on August 3, 1902: To be honest with you, old man, I don’t put much stock in this story about J.
  • returning to this country, but there are so many people who believe it will happen, and so many things that are happening that, if Jim telephoned me from Lexington and told me that Jesus H.
  • From the article “Was Jesus Christ a Good Man?” published in the Blue Grass Blade on February 5, 1905, as follows: Lexington’s churches, both Protestant and Catholic, are adorned with the initials I.
  • S., which are painted, and freco, on the walls, on the walls of their respective buildings.
  • The letter J in English and the letter I in Latin are the same letter.

Christ, and they are pronounced JHS.

C.” that stand for Jesus Christ than it is for them to use the letters that stand forJesus H.

And from there, “Rev.

G.

He’s on his way to get us “The following appeared in the Blue Grass Blade on March 19, 1905): You also claim that the three letters “J.

S.” stand for “Jesus H.

I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.

Christ,” on the other hand, is never written by scholars, whether classical or otherwise, although I have seen common persons employ this combination as a “swear term.” In a letter written by W.

to the editor of the Day Book on February 12, 1916, he uses the phrase in the following way: Superites were arriving and departing, carrying chairs to accommodate the massive gathering on the streets.

I looked all over forJesus H.

These are considered profane by the norms of the church, but under the law, it is not essential to use the name of God or Christ in order for profane swearing to be considered such.

Martindale declines to be particular about some of the most sordid permutations on Jesus’ name: The Man Without a Soul” is an illustration series by a gentleman whose benevolent countenance appears, usually above the legend “— —, The Man Without a Soul.” He has provided us with two pages of reasons why he “rejects Christianity.” His first “reason” represents his calmer mood: “I reject Christianity because it is the evangel of self-abnegation instead of self-realization; self-obliteration instead of self-assertion His use of alliteration corresponds to his increasing fury.

  1. As a result, he concludes (I have left out the stream of filthy epithets he uses in reference to both “Jesus H.
  2. Christ, or performing the hero worshiping act, glorifying that impotent impossibility, Jehovah, I’d rather frizzle forever in the fiery flames of Phlegethon with a rollicking roving rascal like the Devil for a companion.
  3. Christ” as an appropriately unpleasant and well-known nickname for him.
  4. Christand the Gods are all gone and man is still here, and the best of all reason assures us they will never return,” writes the author.
  5. ‘Jesus H.
  6. When M.
  7. Small published Methods of Manifesting the Instinct for Certainty in The Pedagogical Seminary (January 1898), he included the following in his list of “Profane Oaths:” Jesus H.

or vex.) It is difficult to come across “Jesus H.

With the exception of its appearance in the lyrics of the 1892 folk song “Moosehead Lake,” the earliest instance I could find of “Jesus H.

One of his fellow patients was a guy from Arkansas who possessed a remarkable command of the English language.

Christ,” which meant “Jesus H.

In exchange for his services, he merely requested that the American refrain from invoking the Sacred Name.

Christ!

According to the reviewer, he was in the company of a human being who was completely unaware of the Gospel account and for whom the Sacred Name was nothing more than a mellifluous ejaculation.

Conclusions In fact, the many sources I’ve referenced make it obvious that “Jesus H.

The historical validity of Samuel Clemens’s anecdotal claim that people were using “Jesus H.

Christ” that I am aware of in the contemporaneous print record.

Terrell’s Reminiscences of the Early Days of Fort Worth(1906), provides some support for Clemens’s version of reality.

We arrived in Decatur on a Saturday evening, the day before the court hearing.

Brother Shaw was a man of deep piety, of ripe age, and presiding elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

Among those in attendance was old Brother Dehart, a wealthy cattle owner who was in possession of an article of the then-prevailing spasmodic and intermittent religion; for a while, he had rejoined the church and prayed publicly in the summer, but he had fallen away and been ill in the winter.

Despite his little size, he possessed an extraordinarily loud, deep, and melodious voice, with a loudness that was equivalent to that of Mohamet’s crier.

In prayer, he possessed great strength.

Dehart was well-known for employing lyrical and occasionally meaningless language; as long as the phrases had the correct amount of volume and heft, he was satisfied.

During World War II, it had been evolving.

Brother Dehart was summoned to pray at the height of the ecstasy created by the elder’s impassioned picture of what G.

Paschal described as “an old-fashioned Methodist hell” in the preface of his annotated digest, which was published in the same volume.

Only the beginning and end of the story remain in my memory.

Christ —eh—Jehovah God—eh— “And O, Lord—eh—when thou art weary and done serving thyself with us on earth—eh—wilt thou take us into that greater and better kingdom, prepared—eh—from the foundations of the world, for the devil and his angels?” says the speaker after taking a deep breath.

Christ” as a variation of “Jesus Christ” may be traced back to 1866 in Fort Worth, Texas, making the allegation of usage in Hannibal, Missouri, about 1850 a lot more credible.

Despite the presence of the phrase “Jesus H Christ” in a 1764 version of The Book of Common Prayer, this instance is just a fortuitous juxtaposition of text parts and not an authentic occurrence of the later phrase.

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