|
|
Jesus "H" Christ
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2000
Status:
Offline
|
|
Since I was young, I have heard the phrase "Jesus 'H' Christ". Does anyone know where this came from and what the H is supposed to mean, if anything?
|
Agent69
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: I don't know anymore!
Status:
Offline
|
|
We've all heard about the manger scene. What isn't well known is that one of the wise men was much taller than the average person at that time, so he smashed his head into a beam when arriving, and yelled out, "Jesus Christ," whereupon Mary looked at Joseph, and said, "Now there's a better name than Herbert," so they made it his middle name.
|
Why is there always money for war, but none for education?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Rochester, NY, USA
Status:
Offline
|
|
Thus Sayeth Google:
[Q] From Paul Tracy in the UK: �During an Internet dialogue, the question came up�why do people say Jesus H Christ? It never seems to be any other letter. It sounds American, but what does it stand for and where did it originate? Holy seems to be a strong candidate, or could it be from �Hallowed be Thy (middle) name�?�
[A] There have been various theories, but the one that seems most plausible is that it comes from the Greek monogram for Jesus, IHS or IHC. This is formed from the first two letters plus the last letter of His name in Greek (the letters iota, eta, and sigma; in the second instance, the C is a Byzantine Greek form of sigma). The H is actually the capital letter form of eta, but churchgoers who were unfamiliar with Greek took it to be a Latin H.
The oath does indeed seem to be American, first recorded in print at the end of the nineteenth century, although around 1910 Mark Twain wrote in his Autobiography that the expression had been in use about 1850 and was considered old even then. Its long survival must have a lot to do with its cadence, and the way that an especially strong emphasis can be placed on the H.
Nineteenth-century Americans weren�t the first to take the Greek letters to be Latin ones�since medieval times the monogram has often been expanded into Latin phrases, such as Iesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus Saviour of Men, In Hoc Signo (vinces), in this sign (thou shalt conquer), and In Hac Salus, in this (cross) is salvation.
|
Member of the the Stupid Brigade! (If you see Sponsored Links in any of my posts, please PM me!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Night's Plutonian shore...
Status:
Offline
|
|
|
Nemo me impune lacesset
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Status:
Offline
|
|
I thought it was Harold? "Harold" be thy name. No?
Next thing you're going to tell me that the letters above the Catholic cross...INRI...DON'T mean "I'm nailed right in"?????
And then I suppose you're going to try to convince me of the "fact" that Easter is NOT when Jesus crawled out of the cave, saw his shadow, and there were 6 more weeks of winter?
Ridiculous.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mac Elite
Join Date: Jun 2000
Status:
Offline
|
|
It is interesting that no one really seems to know for sure where it came from. The only thing that I do know for sure is that some Christians don't like it.
|
Agent69
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
Status:
Offline
|
|
I've always heard that it was for "Howard" as in "our father, who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name."
Or "haploid." You can look that one up on straightdope.com . Wonderful site, beautiful plumage.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forum Rules
|
|
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
|
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|