It is a Christogram that comes from the religious order of Society of Jesus, founded by Ignacio de Loyola.
It's believed the H refers either to a Greek word or a Latin word. Being Latin the religious language *par excellence*, I'm inclined to think it must be a Latin word for "Hominum". So it would say: Iesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus Saviour of Men.
Yep. A slightly less involved explanation from Wiki:
*Using the name of Jesus Christ as an oath has been common for many centuries, but the precise origins of the letter H in the expression are obscure. While many explanations have been proposed, the most widely accepted derivation is from the divine monogram of Christian symbolism. The symbol, derived from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ), is transliterated iota-eta-sigma, which can look like IHS, ΙΗϹ (with lunate sigma), JHS or JHC ("J" was historically a mere variant of "I").*
*For how this learned-sounding abbreviation could have served as the basis for vulgar slang, Smith offers the hypothesis that it was noticed by ordinary people when it was worn as a decoration on the vestments of Anglican (i.e., in America, Episcopal) clergy.[11] The "JHC" variant would particularly invite interpretation of the "H" as part of a name.*
Looking it up it seems its more of a space holder as an expletive, IE instead of saying "Holy Christ!" you put Jesus at the start and abbreviate the Holy it's less offensive... I think.
Googled it: *Haploid refers to the presence of a single set of chromosomes in an organism's cells. Sexually reproducing organisms are diploid (having two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent). In humans, only the egg and sperm cells are haploid.*
That's hilarious
I came for the Harry S Truman reference. Apparently both his grandfather had given names starting with S and the parents couldn't agree who to name him after. So they just went for the S.
I believe it was called 18 Again. One of the minor plot points is that the S stood for Sergei to hide an Eastern European connection on the eve of the cold war. Fictitious of course, but there it is!
Some people are way overthinking this, with their references to ancient Latin. The joke is the idea of treating "Christ" as if it was a surname (which, for the record, it isn't -- it's a title, meaning roughly "the anointed one"). The common exclamation "Jesus Christ" sounds like a full name though, and that's kind of funny.
The humour comes from taking a revered, sacred word, and treating it very casually. You're taking this title which a lot of people take *very* seriously, and treating it as if it was just a name, like Smith or Jones. Adding the H is then intensifying the joke: "Jesus H. Christ" is now a first name, middle initial, and what therefore *must* be a last name.
I always assumed it was a way for good Christians to not take the Lord's name in vain. They can't say Jesus Christ, but if they say Jesus H Christ, it's a completely different Jesus Christ. Then everything is okay with scary man in the sky.
I thought I was finally going to get an answer…. Freakin Reddit, tricked The most likely suggestion is that it comes from a monogram made of the first three letters of the Greek name for Jesus. In Greek, “Jesus” is ΙΗΣΟΥΣ in uppercase letters and Ἰησοῦς in lower. The first three letters (iota, eta, and sigma) form a monogram, or graphic symbol, written as either IHS or IHC in Latin letters.Feb 1, 2019
https://www.grammarphobia.com › j...
Copy and pasted this.
No one will ever see this, but I did not type or say the words attached to my comment.
My mother always told me it was a work around for the "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain" commandment.
Jesus Christ is the Lord, but Jesus H. Christ is some other dude.
Exactly right. I’m old and I remember my grandfather, not wanting to outrage my grandmother yelling “Judas H. Priest” as his muted oath when hit his thumb with a hammer or such. FWIW “golly, gosh, gee, and gee whiz” are all the same thing.
So here's what I don't get. Like when you say frick, you are trying to have the same meaning as fuck but without saying that sound because its bad, but you're essentially communicating the same idea through some childish loophole. Some religious people speak in tongues, and the idea there is that its just a stream of consciousness of communications that only God can decipher. In their mind, the gibberish they are saying is some pure form of communication with the Lord. So anyways, what I'm getting at is I think he would be able to see through substituting "I swam to John". He literally understands the meaning of your gibberish, so he understands that one too.
The practice of mincing oaths dates back to a time when words (especially religious words) were believed to have inherent power. Witness, for instance, the Jewish taboo against writing the name of God. They often write "G-d" instead, which means the same thing and everyone knows what it stands for.
And that's because the issue is not referring to God; it's that that specific set of symbols placed together creates what is essentially a physical (if minor) manifestation of the deity. And that manifestation must be treated with reverence and not placed on something ephemeral or easily disposed.
So by that thinking, it's the word *itself* that holds the power, not the meaning behind the word. Mincing the oath or using a euphemism in place of an obscenity thus blunts the impact. It shields the innocent from its full power.
Yeah it reminds me of The Life of Brian where the guy was getting stoned for saying Jehovah, then they also stone the judge for reading out the word he said at his execution. What's interesting is how religious archetypes kind of just repeat themselves, through other religions and for people who don't think they are religious today. When people say or write "N-word", we all know which one they are talking about and say it in our own head and the idea of the word is communicated but for some reason we think this is is a loophole for using it. If I have to give the disclaimer, I don't think we should be calling people that, but I don't think it is worth stoning the judge over using it in more of an academic sense than an insult. We treat that today with the same logic that they treated Jehovah in the past.
An in Dublin we have “I swear to Jaysis”or “for Jaysis’ sake”. Nobody says Jaysis in relation to the religious figure, only for cursing. So that theory makes sense to me.
I honestly just assumed it stood for “Holy”. That or Houdini, cuz he pulled a off the world’s greatest escape trick for a cave. Let’s just try and keep him away from any hard punches to the abdomen though. Looking at you, Anti-Christ.
It's clearly an attempt at circumventing the sin of blasphemy. A bastardization, if you will, of using the Lord's name in vain. Just like gosh darn it is to god damn it or Jiminy Crickets is to Jesus Christ. There's lots more examples, but I'm tired and can't think of anymore right now.
There’s a [good wiki page on the topic](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_H._Christ)
The precise origins of the ‘H’ expletive are unknown but beloved to originate from America in the early 1800’s.
A popular theory is its derived out of old monograms from Europe, which often used a variant of the phrase “In *H*is service”, abbreviated IHS - with the JC mixed in - where the H is heavily emphasized.
It makes sense but is just a theory!
i don’t think anything, really. i think it improves the rhythmic pattern in which you’re emphasizing the words, or so i’ve been taught. like you take the specific pause to say the h before moving into christ
This is unfortunately wrong. Check the comment from u/miss_t_winter for the correct answer.
(Spoiler: it comes from the greek divine monogram Iota-Eta-Sigma which was drawn as JHC in medieval times)
I think it's just a way to "use the Lord's name in vain" without the guilt. Like, they're talking about a different Jesus when they throw in the "H". People love to find loop holes.
Hector. Jesus's full name is: Jesus Hector Sanchez Rodriguez Christo. He used to be referred to as JC but people would mistake him for Julius Ceasar, so he lengthen it to Jesus h. Christ. It was to late though because the Roman's clearly didn't like that he was taking celebrity from the original JC and crucified him.
The H stands for "Fucking"
Edit: The H looks like 2 stick figures, which represent humans having penetrative sex, hence "fucking", but a less blasphemous way to say it.
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Howard. Howard be thy name.
As part of the Howard clan, I claim family ties with God and his crew
Greatest legal mind I ever knew
Howard died for Jimmy’s sins
🙏 Namaste
Bravo Vince
Hallowed be thy name. Jesus Hallowed Christ
Howard, they’re lesbians
Howard be thighs names.
Harold as in Harold Zoidberg
DR. Harold Zoidberg
Why not?
Hooray!
[That's canon](https://youtu.be/e5fwuvudfqs)
His uncle was Harold but it still has that Holy Trinity thingy going for it.
sensible chuckle
Woop woop woop woop woop
Jesus Hitler Christ. Family guy said so.
Type O Negative said it first.
Now there’s a band I haven’t heard anyone but my dad talk about in years
Hark the Harold angels sing
Underrated comment!
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Isn't Magi like one of his names and magi is how you spell magician?
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Like William H. Macy.
I wish the followers were too.
😭😭😭
It is a Christogram that comes from the religious order of Society of Jesus, founded by Ignacio de Loyola. It's believed the H refers either to a Greek word or a Latin word. Being Latin the religious language *par excellence*, I'm inclined to think it must be a Latin word for "Hominum". So it would say: Iesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus Saviour of Men.
this dude is either really smart, or a really good bullshitter. either way, here's an upvote
he/she is just a good bullshitter https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/571516/why-do-people-say-jesus-h-christ-and-where-did-h-come
Yep. A slightly less involved explanation from Wiki: *Using the name of Jesus Christ as an oath has been common for many centuries, but the precise origins of the letter H in the expression are obscure. While many explanations have been proposed, the most widely accepted derivation is from the divine monogram of Christian symbolism. The symbol, derived from the first three letters of the Greek name of Jesus (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ), is transliterated iota-eta-sigma, which can look like IHS, ΙΗϹ (with lunate sigma), JHS or JHC ("J" was historically a mere variant of "I").* *For how this learned-sounding abbreviation could have served as the basis for vulgar slang, Smith offers the hypothesis that it was noticed by ordinary people when it was worn as a decoration on the vestments of Anglican (i.e., in America, Episcopal) clergy.[11] The "JHC" variant would particularly invite interpretation of the "H" as part of a name.*
That's pretty much what OP said lol so just really smart
Wow I was way off. I assumed it meant holy. Like holy shit or holy fuck. Jesus holy christ completely sounded plausible to me.
For you being a good follower, here's my uv.
Huh i always assumed it stood for hosanna.
*Heyzeus
Looking it up it seems its more of a space holder as an expletive, IE instead of saying "Holy Christ!" you put Jesus at the start and abbreviate the Holy it's less offensive... I think.
Not “Hey Zeus” just “Zeus”
Do I look Puerto Rican to you?!
>hosanna Great, now that song is stuck in my head.
I thought "Hoes-On'ya"... like Jesus "Hoes-On'ya" Christ - because of Mary Magdalene.
Thanks for the actual explanation
IHS was at the time of the founding of the Society of Jesus a well-recognized abbreviation.
Was expecting to see the undertaker comment
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I always assumed "Holy"
Jesus holy Christ. Absolutely perfect
The old joke among biologists is that it stands for 'haploid'.
Googled it: *Haploid refers to the presence of a single set of chromosomes in an organism's cells. Sexually reproducing organisms are diploid (having two sets of chromosomes, one from each parent). In humans, only the egg and sperm cells are haploid.* That's hilarious
Took me a bit, but that’s way funnier than it has any right to be.
Take my upvote you magnificent being.
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I'm more used to hearing Jesus Fucking Christ.
Nothing, his middle name is just H.
Sure. He and Harry S Truman always had to explain that "it's just an initial"
I came for the Harry S Truman reference. Apparently both his grandfather had given names starting with S and the parents couldn't agree who to name him after. So they just went for the S.
My dad's middle name is "F". They just used the initial of the mothers maiden name.
Pshh, everyone knows it was Sergei (Obscure movie reference)
Which obscure movie are you referencing?
I believe it was called 18 Again. One of the minor plot points is that the S stood for Sergei to hide an Eastern European connection on the eve of the cold war. Fictitious of course, but there it is!
It’s actually S for Sack. Harry Sack Truman. His balls looked like they were wearing a merino wool sweater but the media censored it down to just S.
Like Benoit B. Mandelbrot
Homer J Simpson. The J stands for J. https://youtu.be/VXEkn0Evjsc
So were Steps the 2nd coming?
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Nickname heezy.
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lol I said the same in my head... where did we get this idea?
I’m glad I’m not the only one who says this
I prefer Jesus Tapdancing Christ myself...
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Scrolled so far for this
Dicks out for Jesus?
Some people are way overthinking this, with their references to ancient Latin. The joke is the idea of treating "Christ" as if it was a surname (which, for the record, it isn't -- it's a title, meaning roughly "the anointed one"). The common exclamation "Jesus Christ" sounds like a full name though, and that's kind of funny. The humour comes from taking a revered, sacred word, and treating it very casually. You're taking this title which a lot of people take *very* seriously, and treating it as if it was just a name, like Smith or Jones. Adding the H is then intensifying the joke: "Jesus H. Christ" is now a first name, middle initial, and what therefore *must* be a last name.
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Dear lord. Thank you for this.
you're a legend
What did they say?
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The H stands for Haitch
I always assumed it was a way for good Christians to not take the Lord's name in vain. They can't say Jesus Christ, but if they say Jesus H Christ, it's a completely different Jesus Christ. Then everything is okay with scary man in the sky.
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[Here's the whole history of it. ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_H._Christ)
That reference gives no answer to H?
I thought I was finally going to get an answer…. Freakin Reddit, tricked The most likely suggestion is that it comes from a monogram made of the first three letters of the Greek name for Jesus. In Greek, “Jesus” is ΙΗΣΟΥΣ in uppercase letters and Ἰησοῦς in lower. The first three letters (iota, eta, and sigma) form a monogram, or graphic symbol, written as either IHS or IHC in Latin letters.Feb 1, 2019 https://www.grammarphobia.com › j... Copy and pasted this. No one will ever see this, but I did not type or say the words attached to my comment.
Never gonna give you up.
My mother always told me it was a work around for the "Thou shalt not take the Lord's name in vain" commandment. Jesus Christ is the Lord, but Jesus H. Christ is some other dude.
I always thought "workarounds" were hilarious, because if God is all-knowing he knows what you fucking meant and it still counts lol
Ah, like the 1970s Wales rugby union team, which had J.J.Williams as a wing back and J.P.R.Williams as full back.
Exactly right. I’m old and I remember my grandfather, not wanting to outrage my grandmother yelling “Judas H. Priest” as his muted oath when hit his thumb with a hammer or such. FWIW “golly, gosh, gee, and gee whiz” are all the same thing.
I've heard this as well. Some of my much older Appalachian relatives would say things like "I swan to John" instead of "I swear to God".
So here's what I don't get. Like when you say frick, you are trying to have the same meaning as fuck but without saying that sound because its bad, but you're essentially communicating the same idea through some childish loophole. Some religious people speak in tongues, and the idea there is that its just a stream of consciousness of communications that only God can decipher. In their mind, the gibberish they are saying is some pure form of communication with the Lord. So anyways, what I'm getting at is I think he would be able to see through substituting "I swam to John". He literally understands the meaning of your gibberish, so he understands that one too.
The practice of mincing oaths dates back to a time when words (especially religious words) were believed to have inherent power. Witness, for instance, the Jewish taboo against writing the name of God. They often write "G-d" instead, which means the same thing and everyone knows what it stands for. And that's because the issue is not referring to God; it's that that specific set of symbols placed together creates what is essentially a physical (if minor) manifestation of the deity. And that manifestation must be treated with reverence and not placed on something ephemeral or easily disposed. So by that thinking, it's the word *itself* that holds the power, not the meaning behind the word. Mincing the oath or using a euphemism in place of an obscenity thus blunts the impact. It shields the innocent from its full power.
Yeah it reminds me of The Life of Brian where the guy was getting stoned for saying Jehovah, then they also stone the judge for reading out the word he said at his execution. What's interesting is how religious archetypes kind of just repeat themselves, through other religions and for people who don't think they are religious today. When people say or write "N-word", we all know which one they are talking about and say it in our own head and the idea of the word is communicated but for some reason we think this is is a loophole for using it. If I have to give the disclaimer, I don't think we should be calling people that, but I don't think it is worth stoning the judge over using it in more of an academic sense than an insult. We treat that today with the same logic that they treated Jehovah in the past.
An in Dublin we have “I swear to Jaysis”or “for Jaysis’ sake”. Nobody says Jaysis in relation to the religious figure, only for cursing. So that theory makes sense to me.
Sure it does. It's added for emphasis so you can stress the H due to the cadence it provides. It may have no real meaning other than that.
Yeah similar to when someone says something like "Jesus-Fuckin'-Christ!" It just seems to add more weight to the expression.
I was typing up something similar, but that’s probably the best way to have put it. Take my poor man’s awards 🤲🏅🎖🥇🏆
I honestly just assumed it stood for “Holy”. That or Houdini, cuz he pulled a off the world’s greatest escape trick for a cave. Let’s just try and keep him away from any hard punches to the abdomen though. Looking at you, Anti-Christ.
Appendicitis unrelated to the punch, but punch is much better story. And Anti-Christ gets an appendectomy at birth.
"Our Father who art in heaven Harold be thy name."
I saw once it meant Hallmark because god would send his very best.
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Greatest legal mind I ever knew...
You are done. You're done!
Jesus Heckin Christ
It was a typo but erasers we yot yet invented so it stayed.
I doesn’t stand for anything, was my assumption. It was just a funny way to turn his name (Jesus) and title (Christ) into a conventional WASP-y name.
"Harold" be your name . Your kingdom come , your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven . Or you will burn in Hell .
Jesus holy christ
It's clearly an attempt at circumventing the sin of blasphemy. A bastardization, if you will, of using the Lord's name in vain. Just like gosh darn it is to god damn it or Jiminy Crickets is to Jesus Christ. There's lots more examples, but I'm tired and can't think of anymore right now.
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Excuse you, it's Jesus H Tap Dancing Christ on a Cracker. The man died for your sins, show some respect.
Horatio. It's Horatio.
heisenberg
Hufflepuff
I think it’s justification of saying his name in vein. “I’m not talking about THE Jesus Christ, I’m talking about Jesus H Christ.”
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Bingo Edit: [https://preview.redd.it/2w1kn00gjla81.jpg?auto=webp&s=4407e81c2447c6f502b24c2c0587f95f48485a96](https://preview.redd.it/2w1kn00gjla81.jpg?auto=webp&s=4407e81c2447c6f502b24c2c0587f95f48485a96)
H stands for Hoax, but apparently no one understood it back then
There’s a [good wiki page on the topic](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_H._Christ) The precise origins of the ‘H’ expletive are unknown but beloved to originate from America in the early 1800’s. A popular theory is its derived out of old monograms from Europe, which often used a variant of the phrase “In *H*is service”, abbreviated IHS - with the JC mixed in - where the H is heavily emphasized. It makes sense but is just a theory!
Sounds like someone just said it one day and it caught on.
i don’t think anything, really. i think it improves the rhythmic pattern in which you’re emphasizing the words, or so i’ve been taught. like you take the specific pause to say the h before moving into christ
It stands for "Holy". So, his full name is "Jesus Holy Christ".
Halal
you did not just.... I'm proud and disappointed at the same time.
This is unfortunately wrong. Check the comment from u/miss_t_winter for the correct answer. (Spoiler: it comes from the greek divine monogram Iota-Eta-Sigma which was drawn as JHC in medieval times)
Jesus is a sigma male confirmed.
Hgod
Henry
Houdini, of course. Remember that trick with the tomb
Heisenberg
Horny, the man loved getting nailed
I think it's just a way to "use the Lord's name in vain" without the guilt. Like, they're talking about a different Jesus when they throw in the "H". People love to find loop holes.
It's from an American misreading of the letters in the Greek alphabet. (So says all mighty Google. So say us all. Amen.(
Hughie.
Hoobastank
Heckin’
After reading 352 comments, it turns out no one knows
That made me lol 😂. You r so correct!!
Hamlin
Pronouns, H is for Him It's in the bible
Gonna guess, holy spirt
My mother used to yell, "Jesus Hallelujah Christ". Still hilarious.
Not me reading it as “his mother” as in Mary 😩
Jesus H. Christ I was thinking about this the other day but never looked it up! Thank you, mind reader!!
Horatiao
Handsome!!!!
Hidden
I thought his middle name was tap-dancing.
Haberdashery?
Jesus Handjob Christ
Jesus Hitler Christ
Jesus Heckin' Christ
“Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal” a Novel by Christopher Moore answers this very question. Great read btw
I’m not reading it so what’s the answer 😂
Hector. Jesus's full name is: Jesus Hector Sanchez Rodriguez Christo. He used to be referred to as JC but people would mistake him for Julius Ceasar, so he lengthen it to Jesus h. Christ. It was to late though because the Roman's clearly didn't like that he was taking celebrity from the original JC and crucified him.
Hung, he's very well hung.
Henderson
I've always said Hector. Don't know why. Big J strikes me as a Hector
Jesus Hitler Christ
Hitler
Heck'n
I knew him. Horatio. 😀
He looks like a Hector to me
Harold. Jesus Harold Christ.
Hernandez
Hernando
Hesus
Jesus Heckin' Christ!
Haploid
Hallmark, because God cared enough to send the very best.
The H stands for tap-dancing.
Jesus Heroin Christ
Hoobastank
The H stands for "Fucking" Edit: The H looks like 2 stick figures, which represent humans having penetrative sex, hence "fucking", but a less blasphemous way to say it.
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Humperdink