Jesus: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:13, 22 November 2005

Revision as of 18:14, 22 November 2005

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The [[Arabic language|Arabic]] form of the name used by Christians, following [[Syriac language|Syriac]], is '''Yasu`'''. Muslims, following [[Qur'an]]ic usage, refer to him by the name '''`[[Isa]]''' (possibly cognate with the Hebrew name [[Esau]]).

''[[Christ]]'' is not a name but a title, which comes from the [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]] ''Χριστός'' (''Christos'') via [[Latin]], meaning ''[[Anointing|anointed]] with [[Chrismation|chrism]]''. The Greek form is a liberal translation oftitle ''MessiahChrist'' fromis Hebrewalso ''mashiach''sometimes (משיח)identified orwith Aramaicthe Greek ''mchrestos'shikha'' (משיחא), ameaning word"good", which occurs often inalthough the [[Hebrewwords Bible]]are andunrelated typicallyin refersterms toof the "high priest" or "[[Monarch|kingetymology]]"., The wordand ''mashiachChrestus'' inwas Hebrewoften meansused anointedas (a cognatepet inname Englishfor isslaves. "massage,"Christos fromor theCharis Arabic(from forcharisma) "vigorousis rubbingalso withbelieve aromaticto oils"),refer becauseto the [[Israelite]]baptism kingsin werethe anointed with oil. The title does not imply,Holy eitherSpirit in Greekwhich orthe inthird Hebrew,member a divine nature forof the possessortrinity ofliterally it.pours Indown fact,from itheaven wouldinto seemthe ''[[primaanointed facie]]''one that(illustrated anbest inherentlyby divinethe beingexample wouldof nota bethundering inwaterfall needpouring ofdown beinginto anointed.the Thepool titlebelow) ''Christ''and isbursts alsoforth sometimesoutwards identifiedlike with the Greek ''chrestos'', meaninga "goodriver" or, althoughas theChristians wordsbelieve, are unrelated in terms"rivers of [[etymology]],living and ''Chrestus'' was often used as a pet name for slaveswater".

The Greek form is a liberal translation of ''Messiah'' from Hebrew ''mashiach'' (משיח) or Aramaic ''m'shikha'' (משיחא), a word which occurs often in the [[Hebrew Bible]] and typically refers to the "high priest" or "[[Monarch|king]]". The word ''mashiach'' in Hebrew means anointed (a cognate in English is "massage," from the Arabic for "vigorous rubbing with aromatic oils"), because the [[Israelite]] kings were anointed with oil. The title does not imply, either in Greek or in Hebrew, a divine nature for the possessor of it. In fact, it would seem ''[[prima facie]]'' that an inherently divine being would not be in need of being anointed. Some charismatic protestants however, believe that this anointing refers to the decending of the Holy Spirit on Jesus during His baptism (in the river by John) in the form of a dove which they believe to symbolize the 'filling' or 'anointing' by the Holy Spirit that ordains or defines that He is indeed the son of God.

The Gospels record Jesus referring to himself as ''[[Son of Man]]'', ''[[Son of God]]'', and also stating: "I and the Father [God] are One" (John 10:30), "before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58), and similarly: "Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed" (John 17:5).

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In the Gospels, Jesus has many other titles, including [[Prophet]] (a title that he applied to himself, unlike others), [[Lord]], [[INRI|King of the Jews]], and [[Aramaic of Jesus#Rabboni|Rabboni]]. Together, the majority of Christians understand these titles as attesting to Jesus' divinity. Some historians argue that when used in other Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the time, these titles have other meanings, and therefore may have other meanings when used in the Gospels as well.

The title Jesus ''the Nazarene'' may be a reference to a place of origin called Nazareth, or to a Jewish sect called the [[Nazarene|Nazarenes]]. It is often translated ''Jesus of Nazareth'' to support the former hypothesis. Christians however, believe that "Nazareth" refers to the town in Biblical Israel where Jesus is believed to have grown up in.

[[Raymond E. Brown]], in his ''An Introduction to New Testament Christology'', Appendix III, p.189, wrote: "[i]n three reasonably clear instances in the NT [Heb 1:8–9; Jn 1:1, Jn 20:28] and in five instances that have probability, Jesus is called God. The use of ''God'' for Jesus that is attested in the early 2nd-century [ [[Pliny the Younger]] ''Letter 10.96''] was a continuation of a usage that had begun in NT times. There is no reason to be surprised at this. ''Jesus is Lord'' was evidently a popular confessional formula in NT times, and in this formula Christians gave Jesus the title ''kyrios'' [Greek for Lord] which was the [[Septuagint]] translation for [[YHWH]]. If Jesus could be given this title, why could he not be called ''God'' (theos), which the Septuagint often used to translate [[Elohim]]? The two Hebrew terms had become relatively interchangeable, and indeed YHWH was the more sacred term." The theory that Jesus and God were indeed one and the same (the idea of the Holy Trinity and that Jesus was the son of God) is supported only by Jesus' claim to be the Lord that Isaiah 61 speaks of.

==Artistic and dramatic portrayals==