People are working out what the H stands for in Jesus H. Christ – and it’s probably not what you think.
For starters, let’s clarify that Jesus Christ is not his full name so he would not be called ‘Mr Christ’ or anything like that.
His name is just Jesus, and Christ is a title that was given to him since he is often referred to as ‘Christ our Saviour’.
However, when people use his name in frustration or anger, they often say the line Jesus H. Christ – which has led to people wondering what the ‘H’ stands for.
Some people have assumed that the H, understandably, stands for holy.
While others have scoured through the Bible to see if there is any reference to Jesus having a secret middle name beginning with H.
Despite there being no clear answer in the holy book, people believe that there are some explanations.
According to Did You Know Facts, the Chi Rho monogram is often used to represent Jesus Christ’s name.
If you are unfamiliar with the Chi Rho monogram, it is one of the earliest forms of Christogram – a combination of letters that spell out Jesus’ name.
It consists of the first two letters of the Greek word Χριστό, meaning Christ.
There is also another combination used to represent Jesus which is IHϹ and this deviates from the divine monogram.
The divine monogram is believed to be one of the sources of creating ‘Jesus H. Christ’. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
This is made up of the first three letters of Ἰησοῦς, which is the Greek spelling of the name ‘Jesus’.
However, in the early 19th century, Americans saw this and misinterpreted it for JHC and concluded that it stood for Jesus H Christ – making the H a redundant letter.
It then became popularised by humorist and satirical writer Mark Twain throughout the 19th century, who would often incorporate the phrase into his work.
This has gone on to be the more widely accepted reasoning for what the H stands for in Jesus H. Christ.
However, there is a second explanation as to what the H stands for.
On Quora, one user believes that the H stands for ‘Hominum’.
They explain: “Hominum. JHS = Jesus Hominum Salvator. It is Latin for ‘Jesus the Saviour of Mankind’.
“Homo is a third declension word, and ‘hominum’ is the plural genetive.
“But if you see it written as IHC, it is Greek iota-eta-sigma, which is read ‘yes’. It is shorthand for Jesus, just like Bob is for Robert or Tom is for Thomas.”
This explanation left readers stunned, as one person says: “Dammit, I always assumed it’s ‘holy’.”
Another user comments: “I was told by a Jewish friend that the H stood for Hymie ‘cuz Jesus was a good Jewish boy but your answer makes more sense.”
While someone else adds: “I like it being his second name, ‘Horace’, better. You know, with exactly that, historically accurate spelling.”
So there you have it, depending on which explanation you believe, the mysterious H either refers to Jesus being the saviour of mankind.
Or it is simply just a misinterpretation.