When Absent Names Become Absent Character: Renaming, Identity Loss, and the Colonial Reshaping of Peoples

A Comparative Study with Primary Emphasis on Hebrew/Israelite Identity under Empire

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Abstract

Colonization is not only a political or territorial conquest but a systematic reconstruction of identity. One of the most powerful instruments of this reconstruction is the forced alteration, suppression, or replacement of indigenous names. Names carry cultural, spiritual, genealogical, and historical meaning; when they disappear, so does a part of the self. This paper examines how the erasure of names leads to the erosion of character, using the Hebrew/Israelite experience under Greek and Roman imperial rule as a central case study. It then expands into a broader, comparative analysis—drawing parallels with African, Indigenous American, Asian, and Pacific Islander populations—to demonstrate that renaming functions as a universal mechanism of colonization used to dominate and redefine subject peoples. The paper concludes with an exploration of contemporary name reclamation as an act of identity restoration and decolonization.

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1. Introduction: Names as Vessels of Identity

Names are not arbitrary linguistic sounds. Across cultures, names function as:

• Inherited identity markers

• Indicators of lineage and ancestry

• Descriptors of character, destiny, or divine purpose

• Anchors of cultural and linguistic heritage

• Social and spiritual signifiers

Colonizing empires understood this.
They saw that to control a people, one must control how they name themselves.

The absence of true names—replaced by imposed, foreign ones—creates an absence of authentic character. Individuals and communities lose not only their labels but also the worldview, memory, and dignity embedded in those names.

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2. The Hebrew/Israelite Case: Identity Under Greek and Roman Colonial Pressure

2.1 The Hebrew Name as Theological Identity

In the Hebrew worldview, names expressed:

• Character (e.g., Yaakov = “one who grasps the heel,” Israel = “one who prevails with God”)

• Destiny (e.g., Avraham = “father of nations”)

• Divine relationship (e.g., Yehoshua/Yeshua = “Yahweh saves”)

• Tribal lineage

To remove a Hebrew name was to erase covenant identity.

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2.2 Hellenization: The Greek Assault on Hebrew Names

After Alexander the Great’s conquests, Jewish people encountered forced or pressured name conversion:

Hebrew Name	Hellenized Name	Meaning Lost
Yehoshua	Iēsous	Loss of “Yah” (YHWH) element
Yochanan	Iōannēs	Loss of Hebrew root meaning “Yahweh is gracious”
Eleazar	Lazaros	Removal of Hebrew “El” (“God”) from the name

This linguistic transformation was not just phonetic—it diluted Hebrew theology embedded in the name structure.

Greek rule introduced:

• Pressure to adopt Greek cultural markers

• Replacing theophoric Hebrew names with neutral or Greek ones

• Discouragement of Hebrew language usage

When a Hebrew name disappeared, a core part of Israelite identity disappeared with it.

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2.3 Roman Occupation and Forced Renaming

Rome further intensified identity erosion:

• Latinized versions of Hebrew names (e.g., Saul → Paulus)

• Roman naming conventions imposed in political contexts

• Administrative use of Latin/Greek over Hebrew/Aramaic

• Suppression of native cultural expression

Even Yeshua bar Yosef (Jesus) underwent this transformation:
Yeshua → Iēsous → Iesus → Jesus

Each change carried cultural distance from the original Hebrew context.

Thus, John 5:43 (“I have come in my Father’s name”) becomes particularly poignant:

The colonial renaming of the Son reflects the broader erasure of Hebrew identity under foreign rule.

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3. Absent Name as Absent Character: Mechanisms of Colonial Identity Erosion

Across cultures, three key patterns emerge:

3.1 Breakage of Lineage

When original names vanish:

• Family lines cannot be traced

• Ancestral memory is broken

• Tribal or clan connections dissolve

Names are genealogical maps; colonizers erase them to sever history.

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3.2 Loss of Cultural Meaning

Indigenous names carry:

• Cosmology

• Spiritual worldview

• Moral expectations

• Cultural metaphors

Replacing them with foreign names removes embedded meaning and replaces it with colonial values.

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3.3 Psychological Reprogramming

Renaming forces:

• Identity confusion

• Internalized inferiority

• Dependence on colonial validation

• Shame toward ancestral language

A person begins to see themselves through the eyes of the oppressor.

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4. Comparative Global Examples: Renaming as a Universal Colonial Tool

4.1 Enslaved Africans and the Diaspora

Enslaved Africans were stripped of:

• African names

• Clan identifiers

• Ethnic markers

• Spiritual references

Replaced with:

• European Christian names

• Plantation-owner surnames

• Names used for inventory and property records

This produced generational disorientation and the loss of pre-slavery identity.

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4.2 Indigenous Peoples of the Americas

Colonizers imposed:

• Christian names through baptism

• Boarding school renaming policies

• Suppression of native naming ceremonies

The result was cultural amnesia and the internalization of colonial identity standards.

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4.3 Asian and Pacific Islander Renaming

Examples:

• Hawaiians forced to adopt Anglo names

• Filipinos given Spanish surnames by decree (Claveria Edict, 1849)

• Indians assigned Anglicized names by British administrators

In each case, renaming was connected to administrative control, spiritual reorientation, and social restructuring.

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4.4 European Groups Under Empire

Even Europeans experienced this:

• Slavs renamed under Germanic rule

• Celtic names suppressed under Anglo-Saxon domination

• Basque names replaced by Castilian Spanish variants

Colonization is not limited to continents—it is a pattern of power.

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5. The Theology of Naming: Why Identity Loss is Spiritual Loss

Across Hebrew, African, Indigenous American, and Asian traditions:

To name something is to call forth its essence.

Thus:

• Erasing a name = erasing a destiny

• Replacing a name = replacing an identity

• Mispronouncing a sacred name = distorting character

This is why the renaming of Yeshua into Jesus, though linguistically natural, is symbolically connected to the larger pattern of colonial dilution of Hebrew identity.

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6. Contemporary Movements of Name Restoration

Today, many peoples are reclaiming names to restore character:

• Africans adopting pre-colonial surnames

• Indigenous communities reviving tribal naming traditions

• Jewish communities restoring Hebrew pronunciation and usage

• Pacific Islanders reasserting ancestral names

• Individuals changing back to birth names erased by colonization

Restoration of names becomes restoration of identity, memory, and spiritual dignity.

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7. Conclusion

Colonization conquers through renaming.
When names disappear, character—individual and collective—erodes.

The Hebrew/Israelite story under Greek and Roman rule exemplifies this pattern:

• Sacred names altered

• Theological identity diluted

• Cultural character reshaped

When considered alongside African, Indigenous American, Asian, and Pacific Islander experiences, the global pattern becomes unmistakable:

Absent name → absent identity → absent character.

To reclaim one’s true name is to reclaim one’s true self.