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A 'Christian' is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic^[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament.^[2] Christians believe Jesus to be the Son of God and the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.

Contents

History

Usage of the word

Usage among Christians

Usage in the Muslim world

"Christendom"

References

History

The term "Christian" appears in the Bible, as detailed below. The earliest recorded use of the term outside the Bible was when Tacitus recorded that Nero blamed the "Christians" for the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64. You become a Christian when you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and truly believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead to die for your sins and defeat death, thereby making a way for you to come into a relationship with God.

Usage of the word

The first known usage of this term can be found in the New Testament of the Bible, in : "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." The term was thus first used to denote those known or perceived to be disciples of Christ. Similarly, in the two other New Testament uses of the word ( and ), it refers to the public identity of those who follow Jesus.
As a noun, Christian (Gr. and variant , Strong's G5546) is an appellation deriving from the name "Christ" and is derived from the Greek noun ''Christos'' which means "anointed one," itself a translation of the Hebrew word ''Moshiach'' or "Messiah".
Many people associate the word "Christ" exclusively with Jesus. However, as this identification is not accepted within Judaism, in Hebrew Christians are called "Nazarenes" (''Notzri''), because Jesus was from the province of Nazareth.
For many, "Christian" also means to be a member or adherent of one of the organized religious denominations of Christianity. As an adjective, the term may also describe anything associated with Christianity.

Usage among Christians

The term "Christian" is variously defined among different Christian groups. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and many Protestants, believe that a Christian is one who is a member of the church, which one enters through the sacrament of baptism. In this way, infants who are baptized may also be considered Christians. Certain denominations, such as the Churches of Christ and Independent Christian Churches teach that adult baptism is the transition from non-Christian to Christian, and so define a Christian as one who has been baptized as a repenting adult. Others, including many born-again Christians, believe that a Christian is one who believes and follows Jesus and repents of their sins, though the proof of this is found in agreeing to the doctrines set forth in the Bible, and doing what it says.

Usage in the Muslim world

Among some in the Arab Muslim world, the term "Christian" is seen as being synonymous with Western culture. It is also used to denote the descendants of the historical adherents of Christianity in a Muslim land. One example is the Copts in Egypt.

"Christendom"

The term "Christendom" has been used to refer to the mediaeval and renaissance notion of the Christian world as a polity. The vision of Christendom is a Christian theocracy, a government devoted to the enforcement of Christian values, and whose institutions are infused with Christian piety. In this vision, members of the Christian clergy wield significant secular, political power. Secular rulers are their subordinates and agents; and national or political divisions are subsumed under the unitary government of a unique and universal church institution.

References

1. , The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IX, ''Monotheism''; William F. Albright, ''From the Stone Age to Christianity''; H. Richard Niebuhr, ; About.com, ''Monotheistic Religion resources''; Jonathan Kirsch, ''God Against the Gods''; Linda Woodhead, ''An Introduction to Christianity''; The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia ''Monotheism''; The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, ''monotheism''; New Dictionary of Theology, ''Paul'' pp. 496-99;
David Vincent Meconi, "Pagan Monotheism in Late Antiquity" in ''Journal of Early Christian Studies'' pp. 111–12
2. BBC, ''BBC - Religion & Ethics - Christianity''