Christos

Semantic range

1. 1smeared or anointed with oil
2. 2the Anointed One — the Septuagint's rendering of māšîaḥ
3. 3used as a proper name by the later New Testament writers

Christ is a title, not a surname. It renders Hebrew māšîaḥ, anointed — the term used of kings, priests and occasionally prophets, all of whom were installed by anointing with oil. To say Jesus is the Christ is to say He holds all three offices.

Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:16) and Martha's at Bethany (John 11:27) are both this claim, and both are pivotal. The Book of Mormon uses the title with unusual frequency and states outright that its writers knew it centuries in advance (2 Nephi 25:19; Mosiah 3:8), which is precisely one of the claims the book asks a reader to test.

See also

• מָשִׁיחַmāšîaḥ
• ἸησοῦςIēsous
• κύριοςkyrios