“Jesus” or “Joshua” in Acts 7:45 & Hebrews 4:8?

“ιησους (Iesous),” or “Jesus,” is the Greek form of “Joshua.” Critics claim that the KJV, by merely transliterating the name, misleads readers into thinking that these verses about Joshua the son of Nun are about Jesus Christ. However, one must wonder why English readers should be misled by something that did not mislead Greek readers, for the Greek does not differentiate the two. Rather, it would be more helpful for an English reader to learn that “Jesus” was a typical Hebrew name, and that the identity of any “Jesus” must be determined by context. In 2007, a documentary titled The Lost Tomb of Jesus tried to create a sensation by revealing the discovery of a “tomb of Jesus.” The documentary exploited the English public’s ignorance of the fact that “Jesus” was a typical name in first century Judea. On another note, Jesus the son of Nun of the Old Testament was a "type" of Jesus the son of God of the New Testament. Whereas the mortal Jesus led the Israelites to physical rest, the divine Jesus led man to spiritual rest. God may have purposely given the same name to both men in order that we see that one is the type of the other. This truth is apparent in the KJV.

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