Jesus H Christ! What does the H stand for?

Answer 1

Holy?

Answer 2

Using the name of "Jesus Christ" as an oath has been common for centuries, but the precise origins of the letter H in the expression Jesus H. Christ are obscure. Whilst many explanations have been proposed, some serious and many humorous, the most widely accepted derivation is from the divine monogram of Christian symbolism, IHC or IHS. One factor in the transmutation of the monogram into the expression Jesus H. Christ may be that when the first syllable of the phrase "Jesus Christ" is strongly emphasised (as some speakers of some English accents may do when cursing), the rhythm suggests a missing middle syllable between "Jesus" and "Christ". The H may have been adopted from the monogram to fill this gap. It might also come from "Jesus Holy Christ".

Answer 3

Jesus H Tapdancing Christ

Answer 4

wait... this guy says it best...

"There have been various theories, but the one that seems most plausible is that it comes from the Greek monogram for Jesus, IHS or IHC. This is formed from the first two letters plus the last letter of His name in Greek (the letters iota, eta, and sigma; in the second instance, the C is a Byzantine Greek form of sigma). The H is actually the capital letter form of eta, but churchgoers who were unfamiliar with Greek took it to be a Latin H.

The oath does indeed seem to be American, first recorded in print at the end of the nineteenth century, although around 1910 Mark Twain wrote in his Autobiography that the expression had been in use about 1850 and was considered old even then. Its long survival must have a lot to do with its cadence, and the way that an especially strong emphasis can be placed on the H.

Nineteenth-century Americans weren’t the first to take the Greek letters to be Latin ones—since medieval times the monogram has often been expanded into Latin phrases, such as Iesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus Saviour of Men, In Hoc Signo (vinces), in this sign (thou shalt conquer), and In Hac Salus, in this (cross) is salvation."

Answer 5

Maybe it was his nickname, like Iceman etc. Jesus 'Handsome' Christ? Jesus 'Horse-girth' Christ? Jesus 'only-Human' Christ? Jesus 'Hurricane' Christ. Jesus 'Help!My nickname blows' Christ. The list of possibilties are endless...

But on a serious note, i would like to know if this H does stand for something, or if it's been randomly added, or even perhaps if it's like 'Homer J(ay) Simpson' or something!

Answer 6

I like the "harold" theory, but we always say "Jesus H. Particular Christ." More official sounding. :)

And to those of you who called the asker of this question names...eh, it's not worth it. I was going to rant about what shallow idiots you were for degrading someone because they asked a question...but I have better things to do.

Answer 7

Jesus H. Christ is an example of slang serving as a mild, joking curse. The expression is most commonly used in a wry, sarcastic, cynical, or joking tone, although it may nonetheless be perceived as blasphemy, being a variation of "Jesus Christ". The expression jokingly implies that the "Christ" in "Jesus Christ" is a surname rather than a title ("Christ", meaning anointed, is Greek for "Messiah"). The expression dates to at least the late nineteenth century (although according to Mark Twain it was already old in 1850), and likely originates with the ancient Christian three-letter symbolism IHS (the Christogram).

The phrase "Jesus H. Christ" has been extended in many cases, both as a colloquialism, and in its use in television and film. For example, in the comedy The Blues Brothers, a 1980 film starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, Jake Blues (Belushi) exclaims, "Yes! Yes! Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ, I can see The Light!" in a moment of fervor.


Speculations
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There is a range of speculation on the origin of the expression, often as folk etymologies or in jest. Among the more common are:

that the H stands for "Harold" or "Howard", as in "Our Father, who art in Heaven, HAROLD be thy name" (instead of "...hallowed be thy name"). Similarly in England, a joke is that the H is for Henry - the letters INRI, seen on crosses and some graves, are a rough approximation of the Cockney "Henry".
that the H stands for "Hallowed", implying he is indeed named after His Father. [citation needed]
that H simply stands for either "Holy" or "Hebrew"[citation needed], or that it was just chosen at random.
that the H stands for "Haploid", reflecting his sole physical parent's genetic contribution.
that the H stands for "Hallmark", because "God cared enough to send the very best" - which is a play on one of the advertising slogans of the Halmark Cards greeting card company.
that the H stands for "Heli" Joseph's father's name according to Luke 3:23
that the H stands for "Hail", from the hymn "Hail, Holy Mary, Hail! Husband of Joseph, Hail!" which some jokingly assume to mean the family's surname is Hail. Jesus Hail Christ would thus be a double-barrelled surname deriving from Mary Hail (his mother) and Christ (the name given by God, his father).
It is a common Jewish joke that Mary's maiden name was Horowitz (a common Jewish surname) and that Joseph's (or God's) last name was Christ. Thus Jesus was, as above, given the double-barrelled name Jesus Horowitz Christ.

Answer 8

Heaven

Answer 9

The same thing your middle initial stands for: His middle name!

Answer 10

Harry