Christ

Christ
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Name	Christ
Birth date	c. 4 BC – c. AD 30/33
Birth place	Bethlehem, Judea
Death date	c. AD 30/33
Death place	Jerusalem
Nationality	Jewish
Known for	Central figure of Christianity, subject in New Testament, focus of Christology

Christ is a title and central figure in Christianity identified with the person called Jesus in the New Testament. Scholarly discussion spans historical inquiry, theological formulation, comparative religion, liturgy, and cultural representation across Late Antiquity, the Roman Empire, Medieval Europe, and the modern world. Debates over identity, mission, and nature have engaged historians, theologians, and scholars of Judaism, Islam, Hellenistic Judaism, and other traditions.

Etymology and usage

The English term Christ derives via Old English and Old French from the Latin Christus, itself from the Greek Χριστός (Christós), a translation of the Hebrew/Aramaic mashiach or Messiah. Usage in ancient texts includes the Septuagint, the New Testament, and writings of Philo of Alexandria, where Christós/mashiach appear in royal, priestly, and eschatological contexts. In the Early Church Fathers such as Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus, and Athanasius of Alexandria, the title is applied in creedal and exegetical frameworks linking Christ with prophetic fulfillment and messianic expectation conditioned by Second Temple Judaism and Roman polity. The term functions as proper name in liturgy, hymnody, and doctrinal statements such as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed.

Historical Jesus

Historical investigation into Jesus draws on sources including the Synoptic Gospels (the Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Luke), the Gospel of John, noncanonical texts like the Gospel of Thomas, and non-Christian references from Tacitus, Josephus, and Suetonius. Scholars of the Quest for the Historical Jesus—notably Albert Schweitzer, E. P. Sanders, John P. Meier—use criteria such as multiple attestation and embarrassment to reconstruct sayings, actions, and the crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. Debates concern chronology, sources (including the hypothetical Q source), apocalyptic versus social reform models, and Jesus' self-understanding in relation to Jewish messianism and Great Sanhedrin-era expectations. Archaeological findings in Galilee and Judea and studies of Aramaic language and Second Temple practice inform historical reconstructions.

Christology in Christianity

Christology addresses the person and natures of Christ as developed in councils and theology: the First Council of Nicaea (AD 325), the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451), and doctrinal formulations by figures like Athanasius of Alexandria, Augustine of Hippo, and Thomas Aquinas. Debates yielded doctrines such as the hypostatic union, the homoousios term of Nicaea, and positions labeled Nestorianism and Monophysitism opposed by Chalcedon. Medieval scholasticism, represented by Anselm of Canterbury and Peter Lombard, and Reformation theologians like Martin Luther and John Calvin reframed soteriology around Christ's person and work. Modern systematic theology, influenced by Karl Barth, Pope Pius XII's encyclicals, and Vatican II documents, engages historical-critical methods, liberation theology, and ecumenical Christologies.

Christ in Judaism, Islam, and other religions

In Rabbinic Judaism the messianic title is reinterpreted, with rabbinic literature and medieval commentators such as Rashi and Maimonides disputing Christian claims. Jewish polemics in the Middle Ages and modern scholarship examine the figure within debates over mission and identity. In Islam, the Qur'an recognizes Isa (Jesus) as al-Masih and a prophet but denies crucifixion and divine sonship; key exegetes include Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari. Other traditions—such as the Bahá'í Faith, Gnosticism, and Hindu-modern reinterpretations—treat Christ variously as a manifestation, revealer, or spiritual exemplar; figures engaging such views include Bahá'u'lláh, early Gnostic teachers, and modern interfaith scholars.

Cultural and artistic representations

Artistic portrayals of Christ shape visual culture across media: early Christian catacomb images, Byzantine mosaics in Hagia Sophia, Romanesque and Gothic painting and sculpture (notably works in Chartres Cathedral), Renaissance masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, and modern interpretations by Salvador Dalí and Marc Chagall. Music and liturgy feature Christ in chants of the Gregorian chant tradition, masses by Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and hymns used by Lutheranism and Anglicanism. Film and literature—works by Dante Alighieri, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and modern cinema such as The Passion of the Christ—engage theological and cultural imaginations, influencing debates about iconography, censorship, and public memory.

Titles and liturgical use

Titles attached to Christ in creeds and worship include Son of God, Son of Man, Lord, Savior, King of Kings, and High Priest. Liturgical traditions deploy these titles in the Eucharist, the Mass, the Divine Liturgy, and rites of Baptism and Confirmation across Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion, and Pentecostalism. Hymnals, creeds, lectionaries, and sacramental formulas embody theological claims about incarnation, atonement, and eschatology reflected in calendars such as Liturgical Year observances like Easter and Christmas.

Category:Christian theological figures