Holy Name of Jesus

The Litany of the Holy Name is a Roman-rite Catholic prayer, probably of the 15th century (Bernardino of Siena and John of Capistrano).

In Luke 1:31, the angel Gabriel tells Mary "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus."

[9] The significance is underscored by the fact that Matthew pays more attention to the name of the child and its theological implications than the actual birth event itself.

At once it achieves the two goals of affirming Jesus as the saviour and emphasizing that the name was not selected at random, but based on a Heavenly command.

[12] Matthew then specifically mentions the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,' which means 'God is with us.

[2] Devotion to and veneration of the IHS monogram, derived from the Greek word for Jesus, ΙΗΣΟΥΣ (and sometimes erroneously interpreted[13] as Iesus Hominum Salvator, 'Jesus saviour of mankind'), also dates back to the early days of Christianity, where it was placed on altars and religious vestments, ornaments and other objects.

[16] In continental Europe, shortly after Anselm, the veneration of the Holy Name was strongly encouraged by Bernard of Clairvaux.

Bernard's writings such as the Sermon on the Canticles later influenced others such as Richard Rolle who expressed similar views, e.g. that of the Holy Name acting as a "healing ointment" for the soul.

[22] The tradition of devotion to and reverence for the Holy Name continued through the 15th century as belief in its miraculous powers became widespread.

[16] Walter Hilton's classic work Scale of Perfection included a long passage on the Holy Name.

[16] The belief in the power of the Holy name had a strong visual component and the IHS monogram as well as Crucifixion scenes were widely used along with it.

[16] In the 16th century, the Jesuits made the IHS monogram the emblem of their society, by adding a cross over the H and by showing three nails underneath it.

[28] Martin Luther encouraged "pure faith and confidence, and a cheerful meditation of and calling upon His holy Name".

[29] O nomen Jesu by Peter Philips (1612) and Johann Rosenmüller (1648) are motets intended for the service commemorating the naming of Jesus.