Christ derives from theGreek wordχριστός (chrīstós), meaning "anointed one". The word is derived from the Greek verbχρίω (chrī́ō), meaning "to anoint."[11] In theGreekSeptuagint,χριστός was asemantic loan used to translate theHebrewמָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed".[12]
The wordChrist (and similar spellings) appears in English and in most European languages. English speakers now often use "Christ" as if it were a name, one part of the name "Jesus Christ", though it was originally a title. Its reciprocal usage in "Christ Jesus" emphasizes its nature as a title.[6][13] Compare the usage "the Christ".[14]
The spellingChrist in English became standardized in the 18th century, when, in the spirit of theEnlightenment, certain words' spelling changed to fit theirGreek orLatin origins. Before that, scribes writing inOld andMiddle English usually used the spellingCrist—thei being pronounced either as/iː/, preserved in the names of churches such asSt Katherine Cree, or as a short/ɪ/, preserved in the modern pronunciation of "Christmas". The spelling "Christ" in English is attested from the 14th century.[15]
In modern and ancient usage, even insecular terminology, "Christ" usually refers to Jesus, based on the centuries-old tradition of such usage. Since theApostolic Age, the use of the definite article before the wordChrist and its gradual development into a proper name show the Christians identified the bearer with the promised messiah of the Jews.[16]
At the time of Jesus, there was no single form ofSecond Temple Judaism, and there were significant political, social, and religious differences among the various Jewish groups.[22] But for centuries the Jews had used the termmoshiach ("anointed") to refer to their expected deliverer.[16]
Mark1:1 ("The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God") identifies Jesus as both Christ and theSon of God.Matthew 1:1 uses Christ as a name andMatthew1:16 explains it again with: "Jesus, who is called Christ". The use of thedefinite article before the word "Christ" and its gradual development into a proper name show that the Christians identified Jesus with the promised messiah of the Jews who fulfilled all themessianic predictions in a fuller and a higher sense than had been given them by therabbis.[16]
The so-calledConfession of Peter, recorded in theSynoptic Gospels as Jesus's foremost apostlePeter saying that Jesus was the Messiah, has become a famous proclamation of faith among Christians since the first century.[22]
InJohn 11:27 Martha told Jesus, "you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world", signifying that both titles were generally accepted (yet considered distinct) among the followers of Jesus before theraising of Lazarus.[23]
During theSanhedrin trial of Jesus, it might appear from the narrative of Matthew that Jesus at first refused a direct reply to the high priestCaiaphas's question: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?", where his answer is given merely as Σὺ εἶπας (Su eipas, "You [singular] have said it").[24] Similarly but differently in Luke, all those present are said to ask Jesus: 'Are you then the Son of God?', to which Jesus reportedly answered: Ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι (Hymeis legete hoti ego eimi, "You [plural] say that I am".[25] In the Gospel of Mark, however, when asked by Caiaphas 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?', Jesus tells the Sanhedrin: Ἐγώ εἰμι (ego eimi, "I am").[26] There are instances fromJewish literature in which the expression "you have said it" is equivalent to "you are right".[27] The Messianic claim was less significant than the claim to divinity, which caused thehigh priest's horrified accusation ofblasphemy and the subsequent call for the death sentence.Before Pilate, on the other hand, it was merely the assertion of hisroyal dignity which gave grounds for his condemnation.[27]
The word "Christ" is closely associated with Jesus in thePauline epistles, which suggests that there was no need for theearly Christians to claim that Jesus is Christ because it was considered widely accepted among them. HencePaul can use the termKhristós with no confusion as to whom it refers, and he can use expressions such as "in Christ" to refer to the followers of Jesus, as in1 Corinthians 4:15 andRomans 12:5.[28] Paul proclaimed him as theLast Adam, who restored through obedience whatAdam lost through disobedience.[29] The Pauline epistles are a source of some key Christological connections; e.g.,Ephesians 3:17–19 relates thelove of Christ to theknowledge of Christ, and considers the love of Christ as a necessity for knowing him.[30]
There are also implicit claims to him being the Christ in the words and actions of Jesus.[27][clarification needed]
TheHellenization Μεσσίας (Messías) is used twice to mean "Messiah" in the New Testament: by thediscipleAndrew atJohn 1:41, and by theSamaritan woman at the well at John 4:25. In both cases, the Greek text specifies immediately after that this means "the Christ."[14]: 509
Christology, literally "the understanding of Christ",[31] is the study of the nature (person) and work (role in salvation) ofJesus in Christianity.[32][33][34][35] It studies Jesus Christ's humanity and divinity, and the relation between these two aspects;[36] and the role he plays insalvation.
According to theSumma Theologica ofThomas Aquinas, in the singular case of Jesus, the wordChrist has a twofold meaning, which stands for "both the Godhead anointing and the manhood anointed". It derives from the twofold human-divine nature of Christ (dyophysitism): theSon of man is anointed in consequence of His incarnated flesh, as well as the Son of God is anointing in consequence of the "Godhead which He has with the Father" (STIII, q. 16, a. 5).[41]
The use of "Χ" as an abbreviation for "Christ" derives from the Greek letterChi (χ), in the wordChristós (Ancient Greek:Χριστός,romanized: khristós,lit. 'anointed, covered in oil'). An early Christogram is theChi Rho symbol, formed by superimposing the first two Greek letters in Christ, chi (Χ) andrho (Ρ), to produce☧.[42]
The centuries-old English wordΧmas (or, in earlier form,XPmas) is an English form of χ-mas,[43] itself an abbreviation for Christ-mas. TheOxford English Dictionary (OED) and theOED Supplement have cited usages of "X-" or "Xp-" for "Christ-" as early as 1485. The terms "Xpian" and "Xren" have been used for "Christian", "Xst" for "Christ's" "Xρofer" for(Saint) Christopher and Xmas, Xstmas, and Xtmas for Christmas. TheOED further cites usage of "Xtianity" for "Christianity" from 1634.[note 2] According toMerriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, most of the evidence for these words comes from "educated Englishmen who knew their Greek".[45][46]
The December 1957News and Views published by theChurch League of America, a conservative organization founded in 1937,[47] attacked the use of "Xmas" in an article titled "X=The Unknown Quantity".Gerald L. K. Smith picked up the statements later, in December 1966, saying that Xmas was a "blasphemous omission of the name of Christ" and that "'X' is referred to as being symbolical of the unknown quantity."[48] More recently, American evangelistFranklin Graham and formerCNN contributorRoland S. Martin publicly raised concerns. Graham stated in an interview that the use of "Xmas" is taking "Christ out of Christmas" and called it a "war against the name of Jesus Christ."[49] Roland Martin relates the use of "Xmas" to his growing concerns of increasing commercialization and secularization of what he says is one of Christianity's highest holy days.[50]
^Viz.1485Rolls of Parliament VI.280/I The most famous, beloved, and Xren Prince.1573BaretAlv.s.v. V. "The long mistaking of this woorde Xps standing for Chrs by abbreuiation which fore lacke of knowledge in the greeke they tooke for x, p, and s, and so likewise Xpofer.1598RowlandsBetraying of Christ Hunter, Cl. 25 "Xpian the outward, the inward not at all";1634Documents againstPrynne,Camden, 33 "Such right...as your Xtianity, place, and function joyntly require."1697AubreyLivesMilton (MS Aubrey 8,lf. 63) "He was so faire, that they called him the lady ofXts college."[44]
^Dunn, James D.G. (1991).The Partings of the Ways: Between Christianity and Judaism and their Significance for the Character of Christianity. SCM Press.
^abBauer, Walter, et al., eds. (1957). "Μεσσίας, ου, ὁ".A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (1 ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
^"Xmas" article,Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, Merriam-Webster, 1994, p 968,ISBN978-0-87779-132-4, retrieved via Google Books, December 27, 2008
^O'Conner, Patricia T.; Kellerman, Stewart (2009).Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language. New York: Random House. p. 77.ISBN978-1-4000-6660-5.
Armentrout, Donald S.; Boak Slocum, Robert (2005),An Episcopal dictionary of the church, Church Publishing,ISBN978-0-89869-211-2
Bird, Michael F.; Evans, Craig A.; Gathercole, Simon (2014),"Endnotes – Chapter 1",How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature – A Response to Bart Ehrman, Zondervan,ISBN978-0-310-51961-4
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