If you speak [name_m]German[/name_m] (native or learned), how do you feel about [name_u]Jude[/name_u] as a name?
I love [name_u]Jude[/name_u]. I know the meaning in [name_m]German[/name_m] is a bit much considering the history. I think the name itself though is lovely but would definitely be much easier to pull off in a non [name_m]German[/name_m] speaking country
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i don’t speak german but i love the name [name_u]Jude[/name_u] (:
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I’m not a huge fan of the name and the [name_m]German[/name_m] is one of the counts against it in my book, but not the only one. It just feels problematic overall. Not appropriative, not anti-Semitic or else Zionist, not judgemental. [name_m]Just[/name_m] problematic.
If you like the name and live in a non-[name_m]German[/name_m] context, fine. But if you live in a somewhat [name_m]German[/name_m] context and have reservations about it… listen to that.
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I don’t live near anyone that speaks [name_m]German[/name_m], so it would likely never be a problem, but I am aware of the name’s context through history and a vague familiarity with [name_m]German[/name_m], and I do find it troubling. In the US, it’s primarily a Biblical name, and I thought that association was more powerful (in the context of my life), but I haven’t been able to get over the [name_m]German[/name_m] meaning as easily as I thought I would. I also like [name_m]Judah[/name_m], but find [name_u]Jude[/name_u] easier to pair.
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Ich kann ein bisschen Deutsch.
Jude is a character in the [name_u]New[/name_u] Testament of the Bible. His name is actually [name_m]Judas[/name_m] in the Greek, but [name_f]English[/name_f] translators rendered it [name_u]Jude[/name_u], for obvious reasons. In the [name_m]German[/name_m] Bible, the name is given as [name_m]Judas[/name_m] still.
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I’m a [name_m]German[/name_m] speaker and it doesn’t bother me at all. As you say, it’s a very established name here and the [name_f]English[/name_f] pronunciation sounds nothing like the [name_m]German[/name_m] (YOO-deh).
Although if I were planning to live in [name_m]Germany[/name_m], I probably wouldn’t use it. As @hyacinthbucket said, it doesn’t strike me as appropriative since it’s such an established name here, but it might at least sound a little strange to [name_m]German[/name_m] ears, and I’m not sure how Jewish people would feel about it.
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I didn’t know that about the [name_m]German[/name_m] Bible, but that is good to know- I wondered how it would be handled in [name_m]German[/name_m] speaking countries. [name_m]Judas[/name_m] is definitely not an alternative I would consider in the US.
As I don’t speak any [name_m]German[/name_m] nor know anyone (save a few distant acquaintances) who speaks [name_m]German[/name_m], I have no one to ask in real life about the name. Thank you for your insight!
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Understandably. It actually was a super popular name in the time of [name_m]Jesus[/name_m]. His brother and two of his disciples are named [name_m]Judas[/name_m]. There was a hero of the Jewish resistance, named [name_m]Judas[/name_m] Maccabee, in the 160’s bc, who fought back the Greek colonisers, and is partly responsible for the holiday of Hanukkah. So you can understand how the name was so very popular under [name_m]Roman[/name_m] oppression as well.
It’s actually the Greek version of the Hebrew name [name_m]Judah[/name_m], from the 12 tribes of [name_u]Israel[/name_u]. But in Greek, names change their ending based on function in the sentence. As the subject of the sentence, the name becomes [name_m]Judas[/name_m]. But that means the [name_f]English[/name_f] translators weren’t wrong to go with [name_u]Jude[/name_u], they just chose a different ending of the name.
Sorry - none of this speaks to the use-ability of the name. I’m with [name_f]Katinka[/name_f] on that one.
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Absolutely! I’m always glad to see your posts on this site because you have so much insight on Biblical history! I do find the different forms of Biblical names used interesting; [name_m]Tobias[/name_m] is more popular than [name_m]Tobiah[/name_m], for example.
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As a [name_u]Brit[/name_u], to me it’s just a normal name (as in [name_u]Jude[/name_u] [name_m]Law[/name_m]). But I do understand some [name_m]German[/name_m], and if you plan to live in [name_m]Germany[/name_m] I would say it’s probably not a good idea, even if most Germans are reasonably familiar with [name_f]English[/name_f] names.
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Although I don’t currently plan on living in [name_m]Germany[/name_m], you never know, and I wouldn’t want to use a name that would be uncomfortable for a boy to wear for that reason.
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