Is Jesus a proper name or a granted name, like the Roman senate gave Octavian the name Augustus?  For Joshua is his Hebrew name, Yehoshua (or Yeshua in its shorter form), which means “Yahweh is salvation.”  With Jesus, his name, Yeshua (Greek: Iēsous), shares the same Hebrew root, also meaning “Yahweh is salvation.”  The shared name underscores a theological link in Christian thought, emphasizing salvation through their respective missions. Jesus is not only the new and greater Moses but also the new and greater Joshua. In the Philippian Christ Hymn, we read:

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

There seems to be a dual notion here, that Jesus was given the name Jesus and also the title Lord.  If we look to the Q source, we seem at the earliest layer Q1 a collection of saying belonging to the same cynic/Jewish school, fictively attributed to a wisdom figure Jesus like similarly happened with Diogenes.  The sayings need not to go back to a single sage since they merely have the same cynical flavor, as Price notes.  So for instance, we have

“But to you who hear, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also…” (Q 6:27–29).

In this way, Wisdom would become incarnate when Jesus was reimagined as a person on earth who went to the cross for his enemies.  Why the name “Jesus?”  The name Jesus is another way of saying Joshua, one of the great heroes of the Old Testament.  Scholars suggest that messianic claimant figures like Simon bar Giora or John of Gischala during the First Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE) might have evoked Joshua-like imagery as military leaders fighting for Jewish sovereignty.

Joshua is specifically identified in the Old Testament as filled with Wisdom, “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Deuteronomy 34:9).  Joshua’s wisdom is demonstrated in his leadership in the conquest of Canaan, his adherence to the Torah (Joshua 1:7–8), and his ability to allocate the land among the tribes (Joshua 13–21). His faithfulness in following God’s instructions (e.g., at Jericho, Joshua 6) reflects this divinely granted wisdom.

As Moses’ successor, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land (Canaan), guiding them through conquest and settlement (Joshua 1–24). He was a divinely appointed leader who executed God’s will.  In Christian theology, Jesus is the ultimate leader of God’s people, guiding them into spiritual salvation and the “rest” of God’s kingdom (Hebrews 4:8–11). He is seen as fulfilling the role of a shepherd and king (John 10:11, Matthew 2:6).  Both are leaders chosen by God to bring their people into a promised inheritance—physical land for Joshua, spiritual salvation for Jesus.

Joshua is described as faithful and obedient to God’s commands (Joshua 1:7–8), he followed the Torah and led Israel in covenant renewal (Joshua 24:14–28).  Jesus is portrayed as perfectly obedient to God’s will (John 6:38, Philippians 2:8), fulfilling the Law and establishing a new covenant through his death and resurrection (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 8:6).  Both exemplify complete devotion to God’s mission, serving as models of faithfulness.

Joshua is filled with the “spirit of wisdom” through Moses’ laying on of hands (Deuteronomy 34:9, Numbers 27:18), enabling him to lead effectively.  Jesus is empowered by the Holy Spirit, evident at his baptism (Matthew 3:16–17) and throughout his ministry (Luke 4:1, 14). In Christian theology, Jesus is uniquely filled with the Spirit as the divine Son of God.  Both receive divine empowerment for their roles, though Jesus’ empowerment is portrayed as fuller and divine in nature.

Joshua led military victories over Canaanite nations (e.g., Jericho, Joshua 6), securing the land as God’s promise to Israel.  In Christian theology, Jesus conquers sin, death, and Satan through his death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54–57, Colossians 2:15). His victory is spiritual rather than militaristic.  Both achieve victories for God’s people, though Joshua’s are temporal and physical, while Jesus’ are eternal and spiritual.

In Hebrews 4:8–11, the author contrasts Joshua’s rest (entering Canaan) with the ultimate “Sabbath rest” provided by Jesus. The passage implies that Joshua’s work was a partial foreshadowing of the greater rest Jesus offers: “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day” (Hebrews 4:8). This suggests Joshua was seen as a type, pointing to Jesus’ fulfillment.  Jesus is the new and greater Joshua as he is the new and Greater Moses in Matthew.

Church fathers like Origen and Justin Martyr saw Joshua as a type of Christ. In Origen’s Homilies on Joshua, he interprets Joshua’s leadership, especially his crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3), as prefiguring Jesus’ baptism and leadership into the spiritual Promised Land. Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 113) notes the name similarity, arguing that Joshua foreshadows Jesus as the true savior.  Joshua’s role in conquering enemies parallels Christ’s victory over sin and death, a common typological theme in patristic writings.

Joshua led Israel into Canaan, seen as a type of the spiritual inheritance Jesus provides (Ephesians 1:3, 1 Peter 1:4).  Joshua’s battles prefigure Jesus’ triumph over spiritual forces (Colossians 2:15).  Joshua mediated God’s commands under the old covenant; Jesus mediates the new covenant (Hebrews 12:24).

Jesus first becomes who he, the namesake as the new and greater Joshua, when the ideals embodied in the Q1 cynic/Jewish sayings were reimagined as a life going to the cross to save his enemies, the Word/Wisdom becoming flesh.