Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, the veneration of the Holy Name of Jesus (also ''Most Holy Name of Jesus'', ) developed as a separate type of devotion in the

early modern period The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...

, in parallel to that of the '' Sacred Heart''. The ''Litany of the Holy Name'' is a Roman-rite Catholic prayer, probably of the 15th century ( Bernardino of Siena and John of Capistrano).Mershman, F. (1910). Litany of the Holy Name. In The Catholic Encyclopedia
New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 30 April 2017 from New Advent The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus was introduced in 1530. The veneration of in the form of variants of the

Christogram A Christogram () is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbolism, religious symbol within the Christian Church. One of the oldest Christograms is the C ...

has a tradition going back to

early Christianity Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the History of Christianity, historical era of the Christianity, Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Spread of Christianity, Christian ...

.Hunter, Sylvester. ''Outlines of dogmatic theology'', Volume 2, 2010. . p. 443.Gieben, Servus. ''Christian sacrament and devotion''. 1997. . p. 18.Becker, Udo. ''The Continuum encyclopedia of symbols''. 2000. . p. 54. Related practices of devotion exist in

Eastern Christianity Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

(cf.

Jesus Prayer The Jesus Prayer, also known as The Prayer, is a short formulaic prayer and is especially esteemed and advocated in Eastern Christianity and Catholicism. There are multiple versions of this prayer, however the most widely used version is as follo ...

). The feast day is celebrated either as the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus or as that of

Circumcision of Jesus The circumcision of Jesus is an event from the life of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke Luke 2, chapter 2, which states: And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcision, circumcise the child, his name was called Jesus, the name called by ...

, in various Christian churches.

Biblical background

For centuries, Christians have invoked the Holy Name, and have believed that there is intrinsic power in the name of Jesus.Strecker, Georg and Horn, Friedrich Wilhelm Horn. ''Theology of the New Testament'' 2000 .p89 In the New Testament accounts, the name was assigned to Jesus by divine command. In Luke 1:31, the angel

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

tells Mary "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." In Matthew 1:21 during Joseph's first dream the angel instructs Joseph: "you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins".Phillips, John. ''Bible explorer's guide'' 2002 p.147 It is the only place in the New Testament where "saves his people" appears with "sins". The significance is underscored by the fact that Matthew pays more attention to the name of the child and its theological implications than the actual birth event itself. Matthew 1:21 provides the beginnings of the

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

of the name Jesus. At once it achieves the two goals of affirming Jesus as the saviour and emphasizing that the name was not selected at random, but based on a Heavenly command.Kingsbury, Jack Dean, Powell, Mark Allen, and Bauer, David R., ''Who do you say that I am?: essays on Christology'', 1999 p.17 Matthew then specifically mentions the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means 'God is with us.'"Long, Matthew. ''Matthew'' 1997 pp.14-15Schnackenburg, Rudolf. ''The Gospel of Matthew'' 2002 p.9 The name Emmanuel appears in Matthew 1:23, when the author specifically connects Jesus to the Old Testament prophecy. The name Emmanuel does not appear elsewhere in the New Testament, but in the context of Matthew 28:20 ("I am with you always, even unto the end of the world") indicates that Jesus will be with the faithful to the end of the age. Reverence for the name of Jesus is emphasized by Saint Paul in Philippians 2:10 where he states: "That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth". In Romans 10:13, Paul reiterates the salvific nature of the Holy Name by stating that those who "call on the name of the Lord" will be saved. The power of the name Jesus used in petitions is stressed in John 16:23 when Jesus states: "If you ask the Father anything in my name he will give it you." Many Christian prayers thus conclude with the words: "Through Our Lord Jesus Christ". Several episodes in the New Testament refer to the power of the invocation of the Holy Name. In Mark 9:38-39 demons are driven out by the power of the name Jesus, in Acts 2:38 baptisms take place and in Acts 3:6, Acts 4:7-11 and Acts 9:34 miracles are performed. Many Christians believe that as in Acts 16:18 the invocation of the name of Jesus provides protection by repelling evil.Aumann, Jordan. ''Spiritual theology'' 1980 p.411

Early history of veneration

The reverence with which Christians have regarded the Holy Name of Jesus goes back to the earliest days of Christianity, as shown in Acts 4:10 and Philippians 2:10. Devotion to and veneration of the IHS monogram, derived from the Greek word for Jesus, (and sometimes erroneously interpreted as , 'Jesus saviour of mankind'), also dates back to the early days of Christianity, where it was placed on altars and religious vestments, ornaments and other objects. The IHS monogram is also found on a gold coin from the 8th century. Medieval devotions to the Holy Name in England were promoted by Anselm of Canterbury early in the 12th century.''Reading in the Wilderness: Private Devotion and Public Performance in Late Medieval England'' by Jessica Brantley 2007 pages 178-193 In continental Europe, shortly after Anselm, the veneration of the Holy Name was strongly encouraged by

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

. Bernard's writings such as the ''Sermon on the Canticles'' later influenced others such as Richard Rolle who expressed similar views, e.g. that of the Holy Name acting as a "healing ointment" for the soul. Rolle believed that the name Jesus has intrinsic power, in a manner reminiscent of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

reverence of the name

Jehovah Jehovah () is a Romanization, Latinization of the Hebrew language, Hebrew , one Tiberian vocalization, vocalization of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), the proper name of the God in Judaism, God of Israel in the Hebrew BibleOld Testament. The Tetr ...

. In his view the act of calling on the Holy Name purifies the soul and amounts to a reconstruction of the self as a contemplative. He also composed a number of lyrics about the Holy Name. Official recognition for the Holy Name was provided by Pope Gregory X at the Council of Lyons in 1274.''The Jesus Prayer'' by Lev Gillet 1987 -page 112 In the 14th century, Henry Suso promoted devotions to the Name of Jesus in Germany.Mursell, Gordon. ''English spirituality: from earliest times to 1700'' 2001 p.191 Jesuitinas

Margaret Ebner, a German Dominican nun of the 14th century was especially devoted to the Holy Name. She repeated it endlessly for hours and wrote about its power. The tradition of devotion to and reverence for the Holy Name continued through the 15th century as belief in its miraculous powers became widespread. Walter Hilton's classic work ''Scale of Perfection'' included a long passage on the Holy Name. In this period popular beliefs on the power of the Name of Jesus at times coincided with the belief in the power of the Holy Name of Mary. The belief in the power of the Holy name had a strong visual component and the IHS monogram as well as Crucifixion scenes were widely used along with it. In the 16th century, the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s made the IHS monogram the emblem of their society, by adding a cross over the H and by showing three nails underneath it. Constructed in Rome in 1568 the

Church of the Gesù The Church of the Gesù (, ), officially named (), is a church located at Piazza del Gesù in the Pigna (rione of Rome), Pigna ''Rioni of Rome, rione'' of Rome, Italy. It is the mother church of the Society of Jesus (best known as Jesuits). Wi ...

, formally called (i.e., the "Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus at the 'Argentina) is the

Mother Church Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...

of the order. A number of religious communities dedicated to the Holy Name Jesus have been formed since the Middle Ages.

Catholic devotion

In the 15th century, the Franciscan Bernardine of Siena actively promoted the devotion to the Holy Name. At the end of his sermons he usually displayed the trigram IHS on a tablet in gold letters. Bernardine would then ask the audience to "adore the Redeemer of mankind". Given that this practice had an unorthodox air, he was brought before

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the We ...

, who instead of rebuking Bernardine, encouraged the practice and joined a procession for it in Rome. The devotion to the Holy Name became so popular in Italy that the IHS trigram was often inscribed over the doorways of houses. The tablet used by Bernardine is now venerated at the basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli in Rome. The Litany of the Holy Name is an old and popular form of prayer in honor of the Name of Jesus. The author is not known. While it probably dates back to the beginning of the 15th century as a private devotion, it was not formally approved for public recitation until 1862 when it was approved by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. Also common is the Novena in Honor of the Name of Jesus and the chaplet of Our Lord which are part of the many devotions to the Holy Name of Jesus promulgated by the Society of the Holy Name. Religious articles such as the Little Sachet (associated with the Holy Name) are used by Catholics. The Little Sachet bears the statement: "When Jesus was named – Satan was disarmed."

Protestantism

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

believed in reverence for the Holy Name and encouraged Christians to "glorify His holy name with our whole life".

Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...

encouraged "pure faith and confidence, and a cheerful meditation of and calling upon His holy Name". by Peter Philips (1612) and Johann Rosenmüller (1648) are motets intended for the service commemorating the naming of Jesus. is a motet by

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque music, Baroque composer and organ (music), organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach and one of the most important composers of ...

Eastern Christianity

The

Jesus prayer The Jesus Prayer, also known as The Prayer, is a short formulaic prayer and is especially esteemed and advocated in Eastern Christianity and Catholicism. There are multiple versions of this prayer, however the most widely used version is as follo ...

, which perhaps dates to the 4th century, is widely used in the Eastern Church. In recent years, it has also become a popular devotion among Catholics and members of other Christian churches. Devotions to the Holy Name continued also in the Eastern Church into the 19th and 20th centuries. St. Theophan the Recluse regarded the

to be stronger than all other prayers by virtue of the power of the Holy Name, and St.

John of Kronstadt John of Kronstadt or John Iliytch Sergieff (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform ; 1829 – ) was a Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Archpriest#In Byzantine Christianity, archpriest and a member of the Most ...

stated: "The Name of the Lord is the Lord Himself".''On the Prayer of Jesus'' by Ignatius Brianchaninov, Kallistos Ware 2006 -page xxiii-xxiv The doctrine of (, or ''onomatodoxy''), the worship of the Name of God as identical with God himself, was condemned by the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

in 1913.The Genuine Orthodox Church of Greece.
Genuine Orthodox Church of the 20th and 21st Centuries – A Timeline
'' Helena Gourko, "Divine Onomatology: Naming God in Imyaslavie, Symbolism, and Deconstruction" (2005).

References

External links

* {{Catholic protection Names of Jesus Catholic adoration of Jesus Lutheran liturgy and worship Christian terminology Spiritual warfare Language and mysticism