Jesus or Isa – How to translate the Son of God’s Name

Compelling reasons for transliterating the name Jesus in all Bible translations,
even in languages deeply impacted by Islam

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In the Journal of Biblical Missiology, Ian Westmark published a precious, extensive work presenting several compelling reasons for transliterating the name Jesus in all Bible translations, even in languages deeply impacted by Islam:

„For many, the advantages of employing the name Issa in Islamic contexts are rather obvious. Why employ Yesu, a relatively unknown term, when the Islamic term is widely known? And even if the Christian term is widely known, why use it when doing so would probably draw a line in the sand, given that it clearly comes from the opposite side of the religious divide? After all, was not the whole thrust of Pentecost to empower believers to preach the gospel in the various languages of the world rather than require the peoples of the world to learn languages common to believers? And doesn’t effective communication also mean employing local idioms, even those shaped by a different religious outlook?“ [. . . continue reading Part 1 HERE]

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