Editing Christ (title) (section)

==Background and New Testament references==
[[File:Sargis Pitsak.jpg|thumb|upright|First page of [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]], by [[Sargis Pitsak]] (14th century): "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"]]

=== Pre–New-Testament references ===
In the [[Old Testament]], anointing was a ceremonial ritual reserved to:
* the [[Kings of Israel and Judah#List of Kings|Kings of Israel]] ([[Books of Kings|1 Kings]] 19:16; 24:7, [[Psalms]] 17 (18):51);
* [[Cyrus the Great]] ([[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 45:1);
* the [[High Priest of Israel]];
* the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|patriarchs]] (Psalms 104(105):15); and
* the [[biblical prophets|prophets]].<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/jesus-christ-the-real-story/what-do-messiah-and-jesus-christ-mean | title = What Do 'Messiah' and 'Jesus Christ' Mean?. Both Christ and Messiah mean anointed or anointed one. | date = January 26, 2011 | access-date= Sep 17, 2018 | language = en | quotation = anointing was a rite of kingship in Syria-Palestine in the fourteenth century BCE. | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160622131408/https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/jesus-christ-the-real-story/what-do-messiah-and-jesus-christ-mean | archive-date = June 22, 2016 | url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="lsjchristos"/>

In the [[Septuagint]] text of the [[deuterocanonical books]], the term "Christ" (Χριστός, [[Romanization of Greek|translit.]] Christós) is found in [[2 Maccabees]] 1:10<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/2-Maccabees-Chapter-1_Original-1611-KJV/ | title = 1611 King James Bible, Second Book of Maccabees, chapter 1, verse 10 | website = kingjamesbibleonline.org | language = en }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.en.katabiblon.com/us/index.php?text=LXX&book=2Mc&ch=1&interlin=on | title = Greek Septuagint and Wiki English Translation, Second Book of Maccabees, chapter 1 | website = katabiblon.com | language = en, el |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004145007/http://www.en.katabiblon.com/us/index.php?text=LXX&book=2Mc&ch=1&interlin=on |archive-date=2018-10-04 |url-status=live}}</ref> (referring to the [[High Priest of Israel#Consecration|anointed High Priest of Israel]]) and in the [[Sirach|Book of Sirach]] 46:19,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Ecclesiasticus-Chapter-46_Original-1611-KJV/ | title = 1611 King James Bible, Book of Sirach, chapter 46, verse 19 | website = kingjamesbibleonline.org | language = en }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://en.katabiblon.com/us/index.php?text=LXX&book=Sir&ch=46 | title = Greek Septuagint and Wiki English Translation, Book of Sirach, chapter 46 | website = katabiblon.com | language = en, el |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005112315/http://en.katabiblon.com/us/index.php?text=LXX&book=Sir&ch=46 |archive-date=2018-10-05 |url-status=live}}</ref> in relation to [[Samuel#Biblical account#Calling|Samuel]], 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.<ref name=Ekstrand147 >{{cite book|title=Christianity |first=Donald W. |last=Ekstrand |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-60477-929-5 |pages=147–150|publisher=Donald Ekstrand }}</ref> But for centuries the Jews had used the term ''moshiach'' ("anointed") to refer to their expected deliverer.<ref name= CathencChrist />

=== Opening lines of Mark and Matthew ===
[[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] {{bibleref2|Mark|1:1|KJV|1:1}} ("The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God") identifies Jesus as both Christ and the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]]. {{bibleref2|Matthew|1:1}} uses Christ as a name and [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] {{bibleref2|Matthew|1:16|4=1:16}} explains it again with: "Jesus, who is called Christ". The use of the [[Article (grammar)#Definite article|definite 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 the [[Christian messianic prophecies|messianic predictions]] in a fuller and a higher sense than had been given them by the [[rabbis]].<ref name=CathencChrist/>

=== Confession of Peter (Matthew, Mark and Luke) ===
The so-called [[Confession of Peter]], recorded in the [[Synoptic Gospels]] as Jesus's foremost apostle [[Saint Peter|Peter]] saying that Jesus was the Messiah, has become a famous proclamation of faith among Christians since the first century.<ref name=Ekstrand147 />

=== Martha's statement (John) ===
In {{bibleref2|John|11:27|NIV;KJV}} 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 [[raising of Lazarus]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Christianity |first=Donald W. |last=Ekstrand |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-60477-929-5 |page=81|publisher=Donald Ekstrand }}</ref>

=== 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").<ref>Matthew 26:63–64.</ref> 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".<ref>Luke 22:70.</ref> 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").<ref>Mark 14:61–62.</ref> There are instances from [[Jewish literature]] in which the expression "you have said it" is equivalent to "you are right".<ref name= CathencMessiah /> The Messianic claim was less significant than the claim to divinity, which caused the [[High Priest of Israel|high priest]]'s horrified accusation of [[blasphemy]] and the subsequent call for the death sentence. [[Pilate's court|Before Pilate]], on the other hand, it was merely the assertion of his [[Kingship and kingdom of God|royal]] dignity which gave grounds for his condemnation.<ref name= CathencMessiah >{{CathEncy|wstitle=Messiah}}</ref>

=== Pauline epistles ===
The word "Christ" is closely associated with Jesus in the [[Pauline epistles]], which suggests that there was no need for the [[early Christians]] to claim that Jesus is Christ because it was considered widely accepted among them. Hence [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] can use the term ''Khristós'' 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 in {{bibleref2|1 Corinthians|4:15|KJV}} and {{bibleref2|Romans|12:5|KJV}}.<ref>{{cite book|title=Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity |first=Larry W. |last=Hurtado | author-link=Larry Hurtado |year=2005 |isbn=0-8028-3167-2 |page=99|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans }}</ref> Paul proclaimed him as the [[Last Adam]], who restored through obedience what [[Adam]] lost through disobedience.<ref name=Rahner731 >{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of theology: A concise Sacramentum mundi |first=Karl |last=Rahner |author-link=Karl Rahner |year=2004 |isbn=0-86012-006-6 |pages=730–739}}</ref> The Pauline epistles are a source of some key Christological connections; e.g., {{bibleref2|Ephesians|3:17–19|9}} relates the [[love of Christ]] to the [[knowledge of Christ]], and considers the love of Christ as a necessity for knowing him.<ref name=WBarc152>{{cite book|title=The letters to the Galatians and Ephesians |first=William |last=Barclay | author-link=William Barclay (theologian) |year=2002 |isbn=0-664-22559-4 |pages=152–153|publisher=Presbyterian Publishing Corporation }}</ref>

There are also implicit claims to him being the Christ in the words and actions of Jesus.<ref name= CathencMessiah />{{clarify|date=January 2021}}

=== Use of ''Messias'' in John ===
The [[Hellenization]] Μεσσίας (Messías) is used twice to mean "Messiah" in the New Testament: by the [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciple]] [[Andrew the Apostle|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."<ref name="bauermessias">{{cite encyclopedia|veditors=Bauer, Walter et al.|year=1957|title=Μεσσίας, ου, ὁ|encyclopedia=A Greek–English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature|place=Chicago|publisher=University of Chicago Press|edition=1}}</ref>{{rp|509}}