Christ (title)
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Christ,
The concept of the Christ in Christianity
Although the original
Etymology
Christ comes from the Greek word χριστός (chrīstós), meaning "anointed one". The word is derived from the Greek verb χρίω (chrī́ō), meaning "to anoint."[13] In the Greek Septuagint, χριστός was a semantic loan used to translate the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Mašíaḥ, messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed".[14]
Usage
The word Christ (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 ("the Messiah"). Its usage in "Christ Jesus" emphasizes its nature as a title.[8][15] Compare the usage "the Christ".[16]
The spelling Christ in English became standardized in the 18th century, when, in the spirit of the
In modern and ancient usage, even in secular terminology, "Christ" usually refers to Jesus, based on the centuries-old tradition of such usage. Since the
use of the definite article before the word Christ and its gradual development into a proper name show the Christians identified the bearer with the promised Messias of the Jews.[18]
Background and New Testament references
Pre–New-Testament references
In the
In the
, prophet and institutor of the kingdom under Saul.At the time of Jesus, there was no single form of Second Temple Judaism, and there were significant political, social, and religious differences among the various Jewish groups.[24] But for centuries the Jews had used the term moshiach ("anointed") to refer to their expected deliverer.[18]
Opening lines of Mark and Matthew
Confession of Peter (Matthew, Mark and Luke)
The so-called Confession of Peter, recorded in the Synoptic Gospels as Jesus's foremost apostle Peter saying that Jesus was the Messiah, has become a famous proclamation of faith among Christians since the first century.[24]
Martha's statement (John)
In John 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 the
Sanhedrin trial of Jesus (Matthew, Mark and Luke)
During the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus, it might appear from the narrative of Matthew that Jesus at first refused a direct reply to the high priest Caiaphas'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").[26] 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".[27] 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").[28] There are instances from Jewish literature in which the expression "you have said it" is equivalent to "you are right".[29] The Messianic claim was less significant than the claim to divinity, which caused the high priest's horrified accusation of blasphemy and the subsequent call for the death sentence. Before Pilate, on the other hand, it was merely the assertion of his royal dignity which gave grounds for his condemnation.[29]
Pauline epistles
The word "Christ" is closely associated with Jesus in the
There are also implicit claims to him being the Christ in the words and actions of Jesus.[29][clarification needed]
Use of Messias in John
The Hellenization Μεσσίας (Messías) is used twice to mean "Messiah" in the New Testament: by the disciple Andrew at John 1:41, and by the Samaritan woman at the well at John 4:25. In both cases, the Greek text specifies immediately after that this means "the Christ."[16]: 509
Christology
Christology, literally "the understanding of Christ,"[33] is the study of the nature (person) and work (role in salvation) of Jesus in Christianity.[34][35][36][37] It studies Jesus Christ's humanity and divinity, and the relation between these two aspects;[38] and the role he plays in salvation.
From the second to the fifth centuries, the relation of the human and divine nature of Christ was a major focus of debates in the
According to the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas, in the singular case of Jesus, the word Christ 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): the Son 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" (ST III, q. 16, a. 5).[43]
Symbols
The use of "Χ" as an abbreviation for "Christ" derives from the Greek letter Chi (χ), in the word Christós (Greek: Χριστός). An early Christogram is the Chi Rho symbol, formed by superimposing the first two Greek letters in Christ, chi (Χ) and rho (Ρ), to produce ☧.[44]
The centuries-old English word
The December 1957 News and Views published by the
See also
- Chrism
- Ichthys
- Dyophysitism
- Hypostatic union
- Kerigma
- Knowledge of Christ
- Masih
- Names and titles of Jesus in the Quran
- Perfection of Christ
- You are Christ
Notes
- Latin: messias, from Greek: μεσσίας (alternative to χριστός), from the same Semitic word.
- ^ Viz. 1485 Rolls of Parliament VI.280/I The most famous, beloved, and Xren Prince. 1573 Baret Alv. 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. 1598 Rowlands Betraying of Christ Hunter, Cl. 25 "Xpian the outward, the inward not at all"; 1634 Documents against Prynne, Camden, 33 "Such right...as your Xtianity, place, and function joyntly require." 1697 Aubrey Lives Milton (MS Aubrey 8, lf. 63) "He was so faire, that they called him the lady of Xts college."[46]
References
- ISBN 0-89870-514-2.
- ISBN 977-424-118-5.
- ISBN 0-88489-530-0.
- ^ "Etymology Online: messiah". Etymonline.com. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
- ISBN 0-521-82692-6.
- ISBN 0-88489-530-0.
- ISBN 978-0-8146-5856-7.
- ^ ISBN 0-664-24468-8.
- ^ Borg, Marcus (August 31, 2012). "A Chronological New Testament". The Huffington Post.
- ^ "Saint Paul, the Apostle". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
- ^ "Jesus Christ". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
- ^ "Isaiah 53 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise)". www.christianity.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ^ Perseus Project
- ^ Messiah Retrieved February 4, 2020
- ISBN 0-87779-044-2.
- ^ a b Bauer, 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.
- ^ "Christ". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ a b c Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ^ "What Do 'Messiah' and 'Jesus Christ' Mean?. Both Christ and Messiah mean anointed or anointed one". January 26, 2011. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
anointing was a rite of kingship in Syria-Palestine in the fourteenth century BCE.
- ^ "1611 King James Bible, Second Book of Maccabees, chapter 1, verse 10". kingjamesbibleonline.org.
- ^ "Greek Septuagint and Wiki English Translation, Second Book of Maccabees, chapter 1". katabiblon.com (in English and Greek). Archived from the original on October 4, 2018.
- ^ "1611 King James Bible, Book of Sirach, chapter 46, verse 19". kingjamesbibleonline.org.
- ^ "Greek Septuagint and Wiki English Translation, Book of Sirach, chapter 46". katabiblon.com (in English and Greek). Archived from the original on October 5, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60477-929-5.
- ISBN 978-1-60477-929-5.
- ^ Matthew 26:63–64.
- ^ Luke 22:70.
- ^ Mark 14:61–62.
- ^ a b c Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- ISBN 0-8028-3167-2.
- ISBN 0-86012-006-6.
- ISBN 0-664-22559-4.
- ^ Ehrman 2014, p. 108.
- ^ Ehrman 2014, p. 171.
- ^ O'Collins 2009, p. 1-3.
- ^ Ramm 1993, p. 15.
- ^ Bird, Evans & Gathercole 2014, p. 134, n.5.
- ^ Ehrman 2014, p. ch.6-9.
- ^ a b Davis 1990, p. 342.
- ^ Armentrout & Boak Slocum 2005, p. 81.
- ^ Espín & Nickoloff 2007, p. 217.
- ^ Beversluis 2000, p. 21–22.
- Benziger Bros. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
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ignored (help), with a quotation form the Epistle to Palestinians of Pope Leo I - ISBN 0-8028-4676-9.
- ^ Griffiths, Emma (December 22, 2004). "Why get cross about Xmas?". BBC News. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ "X". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ISBN 978-0-87779-132-4, retrieved via Google Books, December 27, 2008
- ISBN 978-1-4000-6660-5.
- ^ "Subject Guide to Conservative and Libertarian Materials, in Manuscript Collections". University of Oregon. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- ISBN 0-8283-1288-5.
- ^ American Morning: A Conversation With Reverend Franklin Graham, CNN (December 16, 2005). Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
- ^ Martin, Roland (December 20, 2007). Commentary: You can't take Christ out of Christmas, CNN. Retrieved on December 29, 2009.
Further reading
- Armentrout, Donald S.; Boak Slocum, Robert (2005), An Episcopal dictionary of the church, Church Publishing, ISBN 978-0-89869-211-2
- 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, ISBN 978-0-310-51961-4
- Beversluis, Joel Diederik (2000), Sourcebook of the world's religions, New World Library, ISBN 978-1-57731-121-8
- ISBN 978-0-664-24351-7.
- Davis, Leo Donald (1990), The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787): Their History and Theology (Theology and Life Series 21), Collegeville, MN: Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press, ISBN 978-0-8146-5616-7
- Ehrman, Bart (2014), How Jesus became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee, Harper Collins
- Espín, Orlando O.; Nickoloff, James B. (2007), An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies, Liturgical Press, ISBN 978-0-8146-5856-7
- ISBN 0-684-15532-X.
- Greene, Colin J.D. (2004). Christology in Cultural Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons. Grand Rapids: ISBN 0-8028-2792-6.
- ISBN 978-1-4514-1007-5.
- ISBN 978-0-19-955787-5.
- ISBN 9781573830089
- Reeves, Michael (2015). Rejoicing in Christ. IVP. ISBN 978-0-8308-4022-9.