diff --git a/bootstraptest/test_exception.rb b/bootstraptest/test_exception.rb
index 35c8d25e37..0fb6f552b8 100644
--- a/bootstraptest/test_exception.rb
+++ b/bootstraptest/test_exception.rb
@@ -402,7 +402,7 @@ assert_equal 'nil', %q{
   exc.inspect
 }, '[ruby-dev:32608]'
 
-assert_equal 'exception class/object expected', %q{
+assert_equal 'divided by 0', %q{
   class ZeroDivisionError
     def self.new(message)
       42
diff --git a/error.c b/error.c
index 78b53e291d..0b142a3967 100644
--- a/error.c
+++ b/error.c
@@ -882,7 +882,7 @@ VALUE rb_eSystemCallError;
 VALUE rb_mErrno;
 static VALUE rb_eNOERROR;
 
-static ID id_new, id_cause, id_message, id_backtrace;
+static ID id_cause, id_message, id_backtrace;
 static ID id_name, id_key, id_args, id_Errno, id_errno, id_i_path;
 static ID id_receiver, id_iseq, id_local_variables;
 static ID id_private_call_p;
@@ -895,7 +895,8 @@ static ID id_private_call_p;
 VALUE
 rb_exc_new(VALUE etype, const char *ptr, long len)
 {
-    return rb_funcall(etype, id_new, 1, rb_str_new(ptr, len));
+    VALUE mesg = rb_str_new(ptr, len);
+    return rb_class_new_instance(1, &mesg, etype);
 }
 
 VALUE
@@ -908,7 +909,7 @@ VALUE
 rb_exc_new_str(VALUE etype, VALUE str)
 {
     StringValue(str);
-    return rb_funcall(etype, id_new, 1, str);
+    return rb_class_new_instance(1, &str, etype);
 }
 
 /*
@@ -2415,7 +2416,6 @@ Init_Exception(void)
 
     rb_define_global_function("warn", rb_warn_m, -1);
 
-    id_new = rb_intern_const("new");
     id_cause = rb_intern_const("cause");
     id_message = rb_intern_const("message");
     id_backtrace = rb_intern_const("backtrace");