These three letters appear in churches all over the world, usually on pulpits. Does anyone ever explain to the church member what the letters mean? Many people think they mean “In His Spirit” or (for those who know Latin) Iesus Hominum Salvator (“Jesus, Savior of man”) or Iesum Habemus Socium (“We have Jesus as our companion”).
The explanation is simpler. The “H” is actually the capital form of the Greek letter eta, the Greek “e.” “IHS” is, in Greek, the first three letters of Jesus’ name. In other words, “IHS” is, simply, “Jesus.”
