AChristian (/ˈkrɪstʃən,-tiən/ⓘ) is a person who follows or adheres toChristianity, amonotheisticAbrahamic religion based on the life and teachings ofJesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world.[9] The wordsChrist andChristian derive from theKoine Greek titleChristós (Χριστός), a translation of theBiblical Hebrew termmashiach (מָשִׁיחַ) (usually rendered asmessiah in English).[10] While there are diverse interpretations of Christianity which sometimes conflict,[11][12] they are united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance.[11] The termChristian used as an adjective is descriptive of anything associated with Christianity orChristian churches, or in a proverbial sense "all that is noble, and good, and Christ-like."[13]
The Greek wordΧριστιανός (Christianos), meaning'follower of Christ', comes fromΧριστός (Christos), meaning 'anointed one',[17] with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership.[18] In theGreekSeptuagint,christos was used to translate theHebrewמָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, 'messiah'), meaning "[one who is] anointed".[19] In other European languages, equivalent words to Christian are likewise derived from the Greek, such aschrétien in French andcristiano in Spanish.
The abbreviationsXian andXtian (and similarly formed other parts of speech) have been used since at least the 17th century:Oxford English Dictionary shows a 1634 use ofXtianity andXian is seen in a 1634–38 diary.[20][21] The wordXmas uses a similar contraction.
The first recorded use of the term (or itscognates in other languages) is in theNew Testament, inActs 11 after Barnabas brought Saul (Paul) toAntioch where they taught thedisciples for about a year. The text says that "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). The second mention of the term follows inActs 26, whereHerod Agrippa II replied toPaul the Apostle, "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28). The third and final New Testament reference to the term is in1 Peter 4, which exhorts believers: "Yet if[any man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (1 Peter 4:16).[23]
Kenneth Samuel Wuest holds that all three original New Testament verses' usages reflect a derisive element in the termChristian to refer to followers of Christ who did not acknowledge the emperor of Rome.[24] The city of Antioch, where someone gave them the nameChristians, had a reputation for coming up with such nicknames.[25] However Peter's apparent endorsement of the term led to its being preferred over "Nazarenes" and the termChristianoi from1 Peter becomes the standard term in theEarly Church Fathers fromIgnatius andPolycarp onwards.[26]
The earliest occurrences of the term in non-Christian literature includeJosephus, referring to "the tribe of Christians, so named from him;"[27]Pliny the Younger incorrespondence with Trajan; andTacitus, writing at the beginning of the 2nd century. In theAnnals he relates that "by vulgar appellation [they were] commonly called Christians"[28] and identifies Christians asNero's scapegoats for theGreat Fire of Rome.[29]
The term Nazarene was also used by the Jewish lawyerTertullus (Against Marcion 4:8), who records the phrase "the Jews call us Nazarenes". Furthermore, around 331 ADEusebius records that Christ was called a Nazoraean from the nameNazareth, and that in earlier centuries "Christians" were once called "Nazarenes".[30] The Hebrew equivalent ofNazarenes,Notzrim, occurs in theBabylonian Talmud, and is still the modern Israeli Hebrew term for Christian.
A wide range of beliefs and practices are found across the world among those who call themselves Christian.Denominations and sects disagree on a common definition of "Christianity". For example,Timothy Beal notes the disparity of beliefs among those who identify as Christians in the United States as follows:
Although all of them have their historical roots in Christian theology and tradition, and although most would identify themselves as Christian, many would not identify others within the larger category as Christian. Most Baptists and fundamentalists (Christian Fundamentalism), for example, would not acknowledge Mormonism or Christian Science as Christian. In fact, the nearly 77 percent of Americans who self-identify as Christian are a diverse pluribus of Christianities that are far from any collective unity.[31]
Linda Woodhead attempts to provide a common belief thread for Christians by noting that "Whatever else they might disagree about, Christians are at least united in believing that Jesus has a unique significance."[11]Michael Martin evaluated three historical Christian creeds (theApostles' Creed, theNicene Creed and theAthanasian Creed) to establish a set of basic Christian assumptions which include belief intheism, thehistoricity of Jesus, theIncarnation,salvation through faith in Jesus, andJesus as an ethical role model.[32]
Hebrew terms
Nazareth is described as the childhood home ofJesus. Many languages employ the wordNazarene as a general designation for those of Christian faith.[33]
The identification of Jesus as the Messiah is not accepted by Judaism. The term for a Christian in Hebrew isנוֹצְרִי (Notzri'Nazarene'), aTalmudic term originally derived from the fact that Jesus came from theGalilean village of Nazareth, today in northern Israel.[34] Adherents ofMessianic Judaism are referred to in modern Hebrew asיְהוּדִים מְשִׁיחִיִּים (Yehudim Meshihi'im'Messianic Jews').
Arabic terms
InArabic-speaking cultures, two words are commonly used for Christians:Naṣrānī (نصراني), pluralNaṣārā (نصارى) is generally understood to be derived fromNazarenes, believers of Jesus of Nazareth throughSyriac (Aramaic);Masīḥī (مسيحي) means followers of the Messiah.[35] Where there is a distinction,Naṣrānī refers to people from a Christian culture andMasīḥī is used by Christians themselves for those with a religious faith in Jesus.[36] In some countriesNaṣrānī tends to be used generically for non-Muslim Western foreigners.[37]
Another Arabic word sometimes used for Christians, particularly in a political context, isṢalībī (صليبي'Crusader') fromṣalīb (صليب'cross'), which refers toCrusaders and may have negative connotations.[35][38] However,Ṣalībī is a modern term; historically, Muslim writers described European Christian Crusaders asal-Faranj orAlfranj (الفرنج) andFirinjīyah (الفرنجيّة) in Arabic.[39] This word comes from the name of theFranks and can be seen in the Arab history textAl-Kamil fi al-Tarikh byAli ibn al-Athir.[40][41]
In theMaltese language, aSemitic European language related to Arabic written in the Latin alphabet, Christians are referred to asNsara, singular masculineNisrani.[42] TheRomance-borrowedKristjan may also be used.[43]
The most commonPersian word isMasīhī (مسیحی), fromArabic. Other words areNasrānī (نصرانی), fromSyriac for'Nazarene', andTarsā (ترسا), from theMiddle Persian wordTarsāg, also meaning'Christian', derived fromtars, meaning'fear, respect'.[44]
An old Kurdish word for Christian frequently in usage wasfelle (فەڵە), coming from the root word meaning'to be saved, attain salvation'.[45]
In the past, theMalays used to call Christians inMalay by the Portuguese loanwordSerani (from ArabicNaṣrānī), but the term now refers to the modernKristang creoles ofMalaysia. In theIndonesian language, the termNasrani is also used alongsideKristen.
The Chinese word is基督徒 (jīdū tú), literally'Christ follower'. The nameChrist was originally phonetically written in Chinese as基利斯督, which was later abbreviated as基督.[50] The term isKî-tuk in the southernHakka dialect; the two characters are pronouncedJīdū in Mandarin Chinese. In Vietnam, the same two characters readCơ đốc, and a "follower of Christianity" is atín đồ Cơ đốc giáo.
Japanese Christians (Kurisuchan) in Portuguese costume, 16–17th century
In Japan, the termkirishitan (written in Edo period documents吉利支丹,切支丹, and in modern Japanese histories asキリシタン), from Portuguesecristão, referred to Roman Catholics in the 16th and 17th centuries before the religion was banned by theTokugawa shogunate. Today, Christians are referred to inStandard Japanese asキリスト教徒 (Kirisuto-kyōto) or the English-derived termクリスチャン (kurisuchan).
Korean still uses기독교도 (RR:Gidokkyodo) for'Christian', though the Portuguese loanword그리스도 (RR:Geuriseudo) now replaced the oldSino-Korean기독 (RR:Gidok), which refers to Christ himself.
In Thailand, the most common terms areคนคริสต์ (RTGS:khon khrit) orชาวคริสต์ (RTGS:chao khrit) which literally means'Christ person/people' or'Jesus person/people'. The Thai wordคริสต์ (RTGS:khrit) is derived fromChrist.
In thePhilippines, the most common terms areKristiyano (for'Christian') andKristiyanismo (for'Christianity') in mostPhilippine languages; both derive from Spanishcristiano andcristianismo (also used inChavacano) due to the country's rich history of early Christianity during theSpanish colonial era. Some Protestants in the Philippines use the termKristiyano (before the termborn again became popular) to differentiate themselves fromCatholics (Katoliko).
The region of modern Eastern Europe and Central Eurasia has a long history of Christianity and Christian communities on its lands. In ancient times, in the first centuries after the birth of Christ, when this region was called Scythia, the geographical area ofScythians – Christians already lived there.[51] Later the region saw the first states to adopt Christianity officially – initiallyArmenia (301 AD) andGeorgia (337 AD), laterBulgaria (c. 864) andKyivan Rus (c. 988 AD).
In time the Russian termкрестьяне (khrest'yane) acquired the meaning'peasants of Christian faith' and later'peasants' (the main part of the population of the region), while the termRussian:христиане (khristiane) retained its religious meaning and the termRussian:русские (russkie) began to mean representatives of the heterogeneous Russian nation formed on the basis of common Christian faith and language,[citation needed] which strongly influenced the history and development of the region. In the region, the termOrthodox faith (Russian:православная вера,pravoslavnaia vera) orRussian faith (Russian:русская вера,russkaia vera) from the earliest times became almost as common as the originalChristian faith (Russian:христианская, крестьянская вераkhristianskaia, krestianskaia).[citation needed]
Also in some contexts the termcossack (Old East Slavic:козак, казак,romanized: kozak, kazak) was used to denote "free" Christians of steppe origin and East Slavic language.
Other non-religious usages
Nominally "Christian" societies made "Christian" a default label for citizenship or for "people like us".[52]In this context, religious or ethnic minorities can use "Christians" or "you Christians" loosely as a shorthand term for mainstream members of society who do not belong to their group – even in a thoroughly secular (though formerly Christian) society.[53]
As of 2020,Christianity has approximately 2.4 billion adherents.[54][55][56][57][58] The faith represents about a third of the world's population and is the largest religion in the world. Christians have composed about 33 percent of the world's population for around 100 years. The largest Christian denomination is theRoman Catholic Church, with 1.3 billion adherents, representing half of all Christians.[59]
According to a study from 2015, Christians hold the largest amount of wealth (55% of the total world wealth), followed byMuslims (5.8%),Hindus (3.3%) andJews (1.1%). According to the same study it was found that adherents under the classificationIrreligion or other religions hold about 34.8% of the total global wealth.[73] A study done by the nonpartisan wealth research firm New World Wealth found that 56.2% of the 13.1 million millionaires in the world were Christians.[74]
APew Center study aboutreligion and education around the world in 2016, found that Christians ranked as the second most educated religious group around in theworld after Jews with an average of 9.3 years of schooling,[75] and the highest numbers of years of schooling among Christians were found inGermany (13.6),[75]New Zealand (13.5)[75] andEstonia (13.1).[75] Christians were also found to have the second highest number ofgraduate andpost-graduate degrees per capita while in absolute numbers ranked in the first place (220 million).[75] Between the variousChristian communities, Singapore outranks other nations in terms of Christians who obtain a university degree in institutions ofhigher education (67%),[75] followed by theChristians of Israel (63%),[76] and theChristians of Georgia (57%).[75]
According to the study, Christians inNorth America,Europe,Middle East,North Africa andAsia Pacific regions are highly educated since many of the world'suniversities were built by the historicChristian denominations,[75] in addition to the historical evidence that "Christian monks built libraries and, in the days before printing presses, preserved important earlier writings produced in Latin, Greek and Arabic".[75] According to the same study, Christians have a significant amount ofgender equality in educational attainment,[75] and the study suggests that one of the reasons is the encouragement of theProtestant Reformers in promoting theeducation of women, which led to the eradication of illiteracy among females in Protestant communities.[75]
Western culture, throughout most of its history, has been nearly equivalent to Christian culture, and a large portion of the population of the Western Hemisphere can be described as practicing or nominal Christians. The notion of "Europe" and the "Western World" has been intimately connected with the concept of "Christianity and Christendom".[86] Outside the Western world, Christians has had an influence and contributed on various cultures, such as in Africa, the Near East, Middle East, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.[87][88]
In 2017,Open Doors, ahuman rights NGO, estimated approximately 260 million Christians are subjected annually to "high, very high, or extreme persecution",[104] with North Korea considered the most hazardous nation for Christians.[105][106]
In 2019, a report[107][108] commissioned by the United Kingdom'sSecretary of State of theForeign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to investigate global persecution of Christians foundreligious persecution has increased, and is highest in the Middle East, North Africa, India, China, North Korea, and Latin America, among others,[15] and that it is global and not limited to Islamic states.[108] This investigation found that approximately 80% of persecuted believers worldwide are Christians.[16]
^Melton, J. Gordon (2005).Encyclopedia of Protestantism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 284–285.ISBN978-0-8160-6983-5.Today, the Christian community in India includes approximately 62 million people, about 6 percent of the population. Of these, 14 million are Roman Catholic and 3 million are Orthodox.
^A history of ancient Greek by Maria Chritē, Maria Arapopoulou, Centre for the Greek Language (Thessalonikē, Greece) pg 436ISBN0-521-83307-8
^Wilken, Robert Louis (27 November 2012).The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 26.ISBN978-0-300-11884-1.
^Bickerman (1949) p. 145, "The Christians got their appellation from 'Christus,' that is, 'the Anointed,' the Messiah."
^abcWoodhead, Linda (2004).Christianity: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. n.p.
^Beal, Timothy (2008).Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. pp. 35, 39.Although all of them have their historical roots in Christian theology and tradition, and although most would identify themselves as Christian, many would not identify others within the larger category as Christian. Most Baptists and Fundamentalists, for example, would not acknowledge Mormonism or Christian Science as Christian. In fact, the nearly 77 percent of Americans who self-identify as Christian are a diversepluribus ofChristianities that are far from any collective unity.
^Bickerman, 1949 p. 147, "All these Greek terms, formed with the Latin suffix-ianus, exactly as the Latin words of the same derivation, express the idea that the men or things referred to, belong to the person to whose name the suffix is added." p. 145, "In Latin this suffix produced proper names of the typeMarcianus and, on the other hand, derivatives from the name of a person, which referred to his belongings, likefundus Narcissianus, or, by extension, to his adherents,Ciceroniani."
^"X, n. 10".OED Online. Oxford University Press. March 2016. Retrieved8 January 2019.
^Rogers, Samuel (2004). Webster, Tom; Shipps, Kenneth W. (eds.).The Diary of Samuel Rogers, 1634–1638. Boydell Press. p. 4.ISBN9781843830436. Retrieved8 January 2019.Throughout his diary, Rogers abbreviates 'Christ' to 'X' and the same is true of 'Christian' ('Xian'), 'Antichrist' ('AntiX') and related words.
^#Wuest-1973 p. 19. "The word is used three times in the New Testament, and each time as a term of reproach or derision. Here in Antioch, the nameChristianos was coined to distinguish the worshippers of the Christ from theKaisarianos, the worshippers of Caesar."
^#Wuest-1973 p. 19. "The city of Antioch in Syria had a reputation for coining nicknames."
^Christine Trevett Christian Women and the Time of the Apostolic Fathers 2006"'Christians' (christianoi) was a term first coined in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:26) and which appeared next in Christian sources in Ignatius, Eph 11.2; Rom 3.2; Pol 7.3. Cf. too Did 12.4; MPol 3.1; 10.1; 12.1–2; EpDiog 1.1; 4.6; 5.1;"
^Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies: Volume 65, Issue 1 University of London. School of Oriental and African Studies – 2002 "around 331, Eusebius says of the place nameNazareth that 'from this name the Christ was called a Nazoraean, and in ancient times we, who are now called Christians, were once calledNazarenes';6 thus he attributes this designation"
^Beal, Timothy (2008).Religion in America: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 35.
^Rashid al-din Fazl Allâh, quoted in Karl Jahn (ed.) Histoire Universelle de Rasid al-Din Fadl Allah Abul=Khair: I. Histoire des Francs (Texte Persan avec traduction et annotations), Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1951. (Source: M. Ashtiany)
^سنة ٤٩١ – "ذكر ملك الفرنج مدينة أنطاكية" في الكامل في التاريخ
^John, Vinod (19 November 2020).Believing Without Belonging?: Religious Beliefs and Social Belonging of Hindu Devotees of Christ. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 111.ISBN978-1-5326-9722-7."Isai" is the most common form of address for Christians throughout northern India.
^Compare:Cross, Frank Leslie; Livingstone, Elizabeth A., eds. (1957). "Christian".The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press (published 2005). p. 336.ISBN9780192802903. Retrieved5 December 2016.In modern times the name Christian ... has tended, in nominally Christian countries, to lose any credal significance and imply only that which is ethically praiseworthy (e.g. 'a Christian action') or socially customary ('Christian name').{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^Blainey, Geoffrey (2011).A Short History of Christianity. Penguin Random House Australia.ISBN978-1-74253-416-9.Since the 1960s, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Muslims who have converted to Christianity
^The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity. New York: Oxford University Press. 2002. 270 pp.
^Analysis (19 December 2011)."Europe". Pewforum.org. Archived fromthe original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved17 August 2012.
^Analysis (19 December 2011)."Americas". Pewforum.org. Archived fromthe original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved17 August 2012.
^E. McGrath, Alister (2006).Christianity: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons. p. 336.ISBN1405108991.
^Caltron J.H Hayas,Christianity and Western Civilization (1953), Stanford University Press, p.2: "That certain distinctive features of our Western civilization – the civilization of western Europe and of America— have been shaped chiefly by Judaeo – Graeco – Christianity, Catholic and Protestant."
^abDawson, Christopher; Olsen, Glenn (1961).Crisis in Western Education (reprint ed.). CUA Press. p. 108.ISBN978-0-8132-1683-6.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^Curtis, Michael (2017).Jews, Antisemitism, and the Middle East. Routledge. p. 173.ISBN9781351510721.
^D. Barr, Michael (2012).Cultural Politics and Asian Values. Routledge. p. 81.ISBN9781136001666.
^A. Spinello, Richard (2012).The Encyclicals of John Paul II: An Introduction and Commentary. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 147.ISBN978-1-4422-1942-7.... The insights of Christian philosophy "would not have happened without the direct or indirect contribution of Christian faith" (FR 76). Typical Christian philosophers include St. Augustine, St. Bonaventure, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The benefits derived from Christian philosophy are twofold....
^Wilkens, Steve (2010).Christianity and Western Thought: Journey to Postmodernity in the Twentieth Century. InterVarsity Press. p. 326.ISBN9780830868148.
^Gilley, Sheridan; Stanley, Brian (2006).The Cambridge History of Christianity: Volume 8, World Christianities C.1815-c.1914. Cambridge University Press. p. 164.ISBN0-521-81456-1.... Many of the scientists who contributed to these developments were Christians...
^Steane, Andrew (2014).Faithful to Science: The Role of Science in Religion. OUP Oxford. p. 179.ISBN978-0-19-102513-6.... the Christian contribution to science has been uniformly at the top level, but it has reached that level and it has been sufficiently strong overall ...
^S. Kroger, William (2016).Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis in Medicine, Dentistry and Psychology. Pickle Partners Publishing.ISBN978-1-78720-304-4.Many prominent Catholic physicians and psychologists have made significant contributions to hypnosis in medicine, dentistry, and psychology.
^Porterfield, Amanda (2005).Healing in the History of Christianity. Oxford University Press. p. 145.ISBN9780195157185.
^Woods Jr., Thomas (2012).How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization. Regnery Publishing. p. 2.ISBN9781596983281.
^Sinclair, Scott Gambrill (2008).An Introduction to Christianity for a New Millennium. Lexington Books. p. 140.ISBN9781461632924.
^G. Ardila, J. A. (2016).The Picaresque Novel in Western Literature. Cambridge University Press. p. 16.ISBN9781107031654.
^E. McGrath, Alister (2006).Christianity: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons. p. 336.ISBN1405108991.Virtually every major European composer contributed to the development of church music. Monteverdi, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and Verdi are all examples of composers to have made significant contributions in this sphere. The Catholic church was without question one of the most important patrons of musical developments, and a crucial stimulus to the development of the western musical tradition.
^W. Williams, Peter (2016).Religion, Art, and Money: Episcopalians and American Culture from the Civil War to the Great Depression. University of North Carolina Press. p. 176.ISBN9781469626987.
^Sider, Sandra (2007).Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. Oxford University Press. p. 209.ISBN9781469626987.
^Baruch A. Shalev,100 Years of Nobel Prizes (2003), Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, p. 57: "between 1901 and 2000 reveals that 654 Laureates belong to 28 different religions. Most (65.4%) have identified Christianity in its various forms as their religious preference."ISBN978-0-935047-37-0.
^Mounstephen, Philip. "Interim report".Bishop of Truro's Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians. April 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
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