Editing Christ (title)

{{Short description|Title meaning "anointed"}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2012}}
[[File:Spas vsederzhitel sinay.jpg|thumb|right|The oldest known icon of ''[[Christ Pantocrator]]'' – [[Saint Catherine's Monastery]]. The [[Halo (religious iconography)#Christian art|halo]] is a representation of the divine [[Logos (Christianity)|Logos of Christ]], and the two different facial expressions on either side emphasize Christ's [[Hypostatic union|dual nature]] as both divine and human.<ref>{{cite book|title=God's human face: the Christ-icon |first=Christoph |last=Schönborn | author-link=Christoph Schönborn |year=1994 |isbn=0-89870-514-2 |page=154|publisher=Ignatius Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Sinai and the Monastery of St. Catherine |first=John |last=Galey |year=1986 |isbn=977-424-118-5 |page=92|publisher=American University in Cairo Press }}</ref>]]
{{Christianity|state=collapsed}}
{{Christology}}

'''Christ''',{{NoteTag|Pronounced {{IPAc-en|k|r|aɪ|s|t}} {{Respell|KRYST}}. From {{Langx|la|Christus}}; from {{Langx|grc|χριστός|khristós|anointed, covered in oil}}; a [[semantic loan]] of {{Langx|arc|משיחא|translit=məšīḥā}} or {{Langx|he|מָשִׁיחַ|lit=[[messiah]]|translit=māšîaḥ}}; from {{Langx|arc|משח|translit=məšaḥ}} or {{Langx|he|מָשַׁח|lit=to anoint|translit=māšaḥ}}.<ref>{{cite book |title= Jesus of history, Christ of faith |first= Thomas |last= Zanzig |year= 2000 |isbn= 0-88489-530-0 |page= [https://archive.org/details/jesusofhistorych03edzanz/page/314 314] |publisher= Saint Mary's Press |url= https://archive.org/details/jesusofhistorych03edzanz/page/314 }}</ref><ref name="nfcnqq">{{cite web|url= http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=messiah |title= Etymology Online: ''messiah'' |publisher= Etymonline.com |access-date= November 19, 2010}}</ref> Alternatively (''Messiah'' or ''Messias''): {{Langx|la|messias}}, from {{Langx|grc|μεσσίας|translit=messías}} (alternative to {{Lang|grc|χριστός}}), from the same Semitic word.}} used by [[Christians]] as both [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament|a name and a title]], unambiguously refers to [[Jesus]].<ref>{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations|last=Prager|first=Edward|year=2005|isbn=0-521-82692-6|page=85|publisher=Cambridge University Press }}</ref><ref name="Zanzig33">{{cite book|title=Jesus of history, Christ of faith |first=Thomas |last=Zanzig |year=2000 |isbn=0-88489-530-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RfVCDLo5RYC&pg=PA33|page=33|publisher=Saint Mary's Press }}</ref><ref name="Espin231">{{cite book|title=n Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies |first=Orlando |last=Espin |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8146-5856-7 |page=231|publisher=Liturgical Press }}</ref> It is also used as a [[title]], in the reciprocal usage "Christ Jesus", meaning "the [[Messiah]] Jesus" or "Jesus the [[Anointed]]", and independently as "the Christ".<ref name="Pannenberg" /> The [[Pauline epistles]], the earliest texts of the [[New Testament]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcus-borg/a-chronological-new-testament_b_1823018.html | title=A Chronological New Testament | work=The Huffington Post | date=31 August 2012 | last=Borg | first= Marcus|author-link=Marcus Borg}}</ref> often call Jesus "Christ Jesus" or just "Christ".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Saint Paul, the Apostle|encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2013-05-23 |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/447019/Saint-Paul-the-Apostle}}</ref>

The concept of the Christ in Christianity [[Christianity and Judaism#The Messiah|originated from the concept]] of the [[messiah in Judaism]]. Christians believe that Jesus is the messiah foretold in the [[Hebrew Bible]] and the Christian [[Old Testament]]. Although the conceptions of the messiah in each religion are similar, for the most part they are distinct from one another due to the [[split of early Christianity and Judaism]] in the [[Christianity in the 1st century|1st century]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunn |first=James D.G. |title=The Partings of the Ways: Between Christianity and Judaism and their Significance for the Character of Christianity |publisher=SCM Press |year=1991}}</ref>

Although the original [[Disciple (Christianity)|followers of Jesus]] believed Jesus to be the Jewish messiah, e.g. in the [[Confession of Peter]], he was usually called "Jesus of Nazareth" or "Jesus, son of [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]]".<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Jesus Christ | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date=23 May 2013 |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303091/Jesus-Christ}}</ref> Jesus came to be called "Jesus Christ" (meaning "Jesus the ''Khristós''", i.e. "Jesus the Messiah" or "Jesus the [[Anointed]]") by Christians, who believe that his [[Crucifixion of Jesus|crucifixion]] and [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]] fulfill the [[Messiah|messianic prophecies]] of the Old Testament, especially the prophecies outlined in [[Isaiah 53]] and [[Psalm 22]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isaiah 53 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise) |url=https://www.christianity.com/bible/commentary/matthew-henry-concise/isaiah/53 |access-date=2023-11-11 |website=www.christianity.com}}</ref>

==Etymology==
''Christ'' derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word {{lang|grc|χριστός}} ({{transliteration|grc|chrīstós}}), meaning "[[anointing|anointed]] one". The word is derived from the Greek verb {{lang|grc|χρίω}} ({{transliteration|grc|chrī́ō}}), meaning "to anoint."<ref name="lsjchristos">{{LSJ|xristo/s|χριστός|ref}}</ref> In the [[Greek language|Greek]] [[Septuagint]], ''χριστός'' was a [[semantic loan]] used to translate the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] {{lang|he|מָשִׁיחַ}} ({{transliteration|he|Mašíaḥ}}, messiah), meaning "[one who is] anointed".<ref name="Bible Study Tools">[https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/messiah/ Messiah] Retrieved February 4, 2020</ref>

==Usage==
{{See also|Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament|Holy Name of Jesus}}

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 in Christianity|Jesus Christ]]", though it was originally a title ("the Messiah"). Its usage in "Christ Jesus" emphasizes its nature as a title.<ref name=Pannenberg>{{cite book|title= Jesus God and Man |first= Wolfhart |last= Pannenberg | author-link= Wolfhart Pannenberg |year= 1968 |isbn= 0-664-24468-8 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=zWfvlpURwiIC&pg=PA30|pages= 30–31|publisher= Westminster John Knox Press }}</ref><ref name=Miriam >{{cite book|title= Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions |publisher= Merriam-Webster |first= Wendy |last= Doniger | author-link= Wendy Doniger |year=2000 |isbn= 0-87779-044-2 |url= https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440|url-access= registration |page= [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440/page/212 212]}}</ref> Compare the usage "the Christ".<ref name="bauermessias"/>

The spelling ''Christ'' in English became standardized in the 18th century, when, in the spirit of the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], certain words' spelling changed to fit their [[Greek language|Greek]] or [[Latin]] origins. Before that, scribes writing in [[Old English|Old]] and [[Middle English]] usually used the spelling ''Crist''—the ''i'' being pronounced either as {{IPAc-en|iː}}, preserved in the names of churches such as [[St Katherine Cree]], or as a short {{IPAc-en|ɪ}}, preserved in the modern pronunciation of "[[Christmas]]". The spelling "Christ" in English is attested from the 14th century.<ref>{{OED|Christ}}</ref>

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 [[Apostolic Age]], 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 messiah of the Jews.<ref name="CathencChrist">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Origin of the Name of Jesus Christ}}</ref>

==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}}

==Christology==
{{Main|Christology}}
Christology, literally "the understanding of Christ",{{sfn|Ehrman|2014|p=108}} is the study of the nature (person) and work (role in salvation) of [[Jesus in Christianity]].{{sfn|Ehrman|2014|p=171}}{{sfn|O'Collins|2009|p=1-3}}{{sfn|Ramm|1993|p=15}}{{sfn|Bird|Evans|Gathercole|2014|p=134, n.5}} It studies Jesus Christ's humanity and divinity, and the relation between these two aspects;{{sfn|Ehrman|2014|p=ch.6-9}} and the role he plays in [[Salvation in Christianity|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 [[Early centers of Christianity|early church]] and at the [[first seven ecumenical councils]]. The [[Council of Chalcedon]] in 451 issued a formulation of the [[hypostatic union]] of the two natures of Christ, one human and one divine, "united with neither confusion nor division".{{sfn|Davis|1990|p=342}} Most of the major branches of Western Christianity and [[Eastern Orthodoxy]] subscribe to this formulation,{{sfn|Davis|1990|p=342}} while many branches of [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] reject it,{{sfn|Armentrout|Boak Slocum|2005|p=81}}{{sfn|Espín|Nickoloff|2007|p=217}}{{sfn|Beversluis|2000|p=21–22}} subscribing to [[miaphysitism]].

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 (Christianity)|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 in Christianity|Godhead]] which He has with the Father" (ST ''III'', q. 16, a. 5).<ref>{{cite book | author = Thomas Aquinas | translator = Fathers of the English Dominican Province | url = https://dhspriory.org/thomas/summa/TP/TP016.html | title = English translation of the "Summa Theologica", with Latin text | publisher = [[Benziger Bros]] | year = 1947 | access-date = 26 July 2019 | website = dhspriory.org | language = la, en | archive-url = https://archive.today/20141021180357/https://dhspriory.org/thomas/summa/TP/TP016.html | archive-date = 21 October 2014 | url-status = live}}, with a quotation form the Epistle to Palestinians of [[Pope Leo I]]</ref>

==Symbols==
{{See also|Christogram|Xian (abbreviation)|Xmas}}
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=vertical
|width=125
|image1=Simple Labarum2.svg
|caption1=The ''[[Chi Rho]]''
|image2=Christ Pantocrator, Church of the Holy Sepulchre.png
|caption2=''Christ Pantocrator'' mosaic, [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]], showing use of '''''ΧϹ''''' digraph
}}

The use of "Χ" as an abbreviation for "Christ" derives from the Greek letter [[Chi (letter)|Chi]] (χ), in the word {{lang|grc-latn|Christós}} ({{Langx|grc|Χριστός|lit=anointed, covered in oil|translit=khristós|links=no}}). 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 <big>☧</big>.<ref>{{cite book |title = Symbols of the Christian faith |first=Alva William |last=Steffler |year=2002 |isbn=0-8028-4676-9 |page = 66 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans }}</ref>

The centuries-old English word ''[[Χmas]]'' (or, in earlier form, ''XPmas'') is an English form of χ-mas,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Griffiths |first1=Emma |title=Why get cross about Xmas? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4097755.stm |access-date=22 April 2022 |work=BBC News |date=22 December 2004}}</ref> itself an abbreviation for Christ-mas. The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' (''OED'') and the ''OED 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|(Saint) Christopher]] and Xmas, Xstmas, and Xtmas for Christmas. The ''OED'' further cites usage of "Xtianity" for "Christianity" from 1634.{{NoteTag|[[Viz.]] '''''1485''''' ''[[Rolls of Parliament]]'' VI.280/I The most famous, beloved, and Xren Prince. '''''1573''''' [[John Baret|Baret]] ''[[John Baret#Dictionary|Alv.]]'' [[List of Latin phrases (S)#sub verbo|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''''' [[Samuel Rowlands|Rowlands]] ''Betraying of Christ'' Hunter, Cl. 25 "Xpian the outward, the inward not at all"; '''''1634''''' ''Documents against [[William Prynne|Prynne]]'', [[Camden Society|Camden]], 33 "Such right...as your Xtianity, place, and function joyntly require." '''''1697''''' [[John Aubrey|Aubrey]] ''[[Brief Lives|Lives]]'' [[John Milton|Milton]] ([[Manuscript|MS]] Aubrey 8, [[Folio|lf.]] 63) "He was so faire, that they called him the lady of [[Christ's College, Cambridge|Xts college]]."<ref name="oed-x">{{Cite OED|X}}</ref>}} According to ''Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage'', most of the evidence for these words comes from "educated Englishmen who knew their Greek".<ref name=mwdeu>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2yJusP0vrdgC&pg=PA968&dq=Xmas+usage&ei=zVZWSa6FJY6syASeyKHRAw "Xmas" article], ''Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage'', Merriam-Webster, 1994, p 968, {{ISBN|978-0-87779-132-4}}, retrieved via Google Books, December 27, 2008</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=O'Conner|first1=Patricia T.|title=Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language|last2=Kellerman|first2=Stewart|publisher=Random House|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4000-6660-5|location=New York|page=77}}</ref>

The December 1957 ''News and Views'' published by the [[Church League of America]], a conservative organization founded in 1937,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/guides/conservative.html |title= Subject Guide to Conservative and Libertarian Materials, in Manuscript Collections |publisher= University of Oregon |access-date= June 23, 2021 |archive-date= June 23, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120623054327/http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/guides/conservative.html |url-status= dead }}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite book |author-link= Morris Kominsky |last= Kominsky |first= Morris |year= 1970 |title= The Hoaxers: Plain Liars, Fancy Liars and Damned Liars |pages= 137–138 |publisher= Branden Press |isbn= 0-8283-1288-5}}</ref> More recently, American evangelist [[Franklin Graham]] and former [[CNN]] contributor [[Roland 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."<ref>[https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ltm/date/2005-12-16/segment/02 American Morning: A Conversation With Reverend Franklin Graham], CNN (December 16, 2005). Retrieved on December 29, 2009.</ref> 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.<ref>Martin, Roland (December 20, 2007). [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/20/roland.martin/index.html Commentary: You can't take Christ out of Christmas], CNN. Retrieved on December 29, 2009.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Chrism]]
* [[Ichthys]]
* [[Dyophysitism]]
* [[Hypostatic union]]
* [[Kerigma]]
* [[Knowledge of Christ]]
* [[Masih (title)|Masih]]
* [[Names and titles of Jesus in the Quran]]
* [[Perfection of Christ]]
* [[You are Christ]]
* [[Redeemer (Christianity)]]

==Notes==
{{NoteFoot}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|group=web}}

== Further reading ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wiktionary|Christ}}
* {{Citation |last1=Armentrout |first1=Donald S. |last2=Boak Slocum |first2=Robert | year=2005 |title=An Episcopal dictionary of the church |publisher=Church Publishing |isbn=978-0-89869-211-2}}
* {{Citation |last1=Bird |first1=Michael F. |last2=Evans |first2=Craig A. |last3=Gathercole |first3=Simon |year=2014 |title=How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature&nbsp;– A Response to Bart Ehrman |chapter=Endnotes&nbsp;– Chapter 1 |publisher=Zondervan |isbn=978-0-310-51961-4 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JGy2AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT134}}
* {{Citation |last=Beversluis |first=Joel Diederik |year=2000 |title=Sourcebook of the world's religions |publisher=New World Library |isbn=978-1-57731-121-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/sourcebookofworl00beve }} 
* {{cite book|first=Oscar |last=Cullmann |author-link=Oscar Cullmann |title=The Christology of the New Testament |location=Louisville |publisher=Westminster John Knox Press |year=1959 |isbn=978-0-664-24351-7 }}
* {{Citation |last=Davis |first=Leo Donald |year=1990 |title=The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787): Their History and Theology (Theology and Life Series 21) |publisher=Michael Glazier/Liturgical Press |location=Collegeville, MN |isbn=978-0-8146-5616-7 |url-access =registration |url=https://archive.org/details/firstsevenec_davi_1990_000_6702418 }}
* {{Citation |last=Ehrman |first=Bart |year=2014 |title=How Jesus became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee |publisher=Harper Collins}}
* {{Citation |last1=Espín |first1=Orlando O. |last2=Nickoloff |first2=James B. |year=2007 |title=An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies |publisher=Liturgical Press |isbn=978-0-8146-5856-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Fuller |first=Reginald H. |author-link=Reginald H. Fuller#The Foundations of New Testament Christology (1965) |title=The Foundations of New Testament Christology |url=https://archive.org/details/foundationsofnew00full |url-access=registration |location=New York |publisher=Scribners |year=1965 |isbn=0-684-15532-X }}
* {{cite book|last=Greene |first=Colin J.D. |title=Christology in Cultural Perspective: Marking Out the Horizons |location=Grand Rapids |publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company|Eerdmans Publishing]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-8028-2792-6 }}
* {{cite book|last=Kingsbury |first=Jack Dean | author-link=Jack Dean Kingsbury |title=The Christology of Mark's Gospel |location=Philadelphia |publisher=Fortress Press |year=1989 |isbn=978-1-4514-1007-5 }}
* {{cite book|author-link=Gerald O'Collins |last=O'Collins |first=Gerald |title=Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-955787-5 |title-link=Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus }}
* {{Citation |last=Ramm |first=Bernard L. |year=1993 |author-link=Bernard Ramm |chapter=Christology at the Center |title=An Evangelical Christology: Ecumenic and Historic |publisher=Regent College Publishing |isbn=9781573830089}}
* {{cite book|last=Reeves |first=Michael | title=Rejoicing in Christ |publisher=IVP |year=2015 |isbn=978-0-8308-4022-9 }}

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[[Category:Christian messianism]]
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