# When did Christ become a title? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276 "2005-04-26T23:19:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/1 "2005-04-26T23:19:20Z")
At what point did Jesus’ “last name” Christ become exactly that, his last name. From my understanding the word Christ is derived from the Greek word khristos “the anointed”. Why don’t we say Jesus the Anointed? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/2 "2005-04-26T23:51:50Z")
Aren’t you asking, “when did “Christ” become a surname”? It has always been a title. Unless of course, you are [Jesus H. Christ](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_033.html) . ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/3 "2005-04-26T23:55:16Z")
I like to refer to him as Joshua bar-Joseph, myself. Or Jo-Bob, for short. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/4 "2005-04-27T00:48:31Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > I like to refer to him as Joshua bar-Joseph, myself. > > Or Jo-Bob, for short. SHouldn’t that be Joshua bar-Yahweh? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/5 "2005-04-27T01:20:14Z")
Perhaps I wasn’t clear in the OP. In greek they say (translated for your convienence) “Jesus the Anointed” (Khristos) Before English speaking humans got wind of this guy, the word “Christ” had NO meaning. When we say in English “Jesus Christ” we are saying exactly that. NOT Jesus the Annointed. Why not? I’ve never been taught that the word “Christ” really means Anointed. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/6 "2005-04-27T06:50:04Z")
Sorry, I think you are still unclear about which part you are asking about. I could be wrong. I need sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/7 "2005-04-27T08:23:25Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Perhaps I wasn’t clear in the OP. > > In greek they say (translated for your convienence) “Jesus the Anointed” (Khristos) > > Before English speaking humans got wind of this guy, the word “Christ” had NO meaning. > > When we say in English “Jesus Christ” we are saying exactly that. NOT Jesus the Annointed. > > Why not? I’ve never been taught that the word “Christ” really means Anointed. We were taught that of course theoretically we should always refer to Jesus “the Christ”, since it was literally Jesus “the anointed one”. But English speakers being the lazy lot that we are, the “the” quickly disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/8 "2005-04-27T13:08:13Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > When did Christ become a title? That’s _Mr._ Christ to _you_. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/9 "2005-04-27T13:47:13Z")
English appropriates quite many foreign terms and reuses them. Always has. It is not at all remarkable that Christ has become an English word. ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/10 "2005-04-27T16:35:40Z")
This happened long before the English language even existed. Paul uses “Jesus Christ” and “Christ Jesus” as names for Jesus sometime around 50 AD. “Christ” (which is the Greek translation of “Messiah”, both of which mean “anointed”) was well on its way to being a name already at that time. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2005, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/11 "2005-04-27T19:20:44Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > We were taught that of course theoretically we should always refer to Jesus “the Christ”, since it was literally Jesus “the anointed one”. But English speakers being the lazy lot that we are, the “the” quickly disappeared. So we took it from Jesus and gave it to [Smokey Bear](http://www.smokeybear.com/faq.asp). It all evens out. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/12 "2005-04-28T01:12:59Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > We were taught that of course theoretically we should always refer to Jesus “the Christ”, since it was literally Jesus “the anointed one”. But English speakers being the lazy lot that we are, the “the” quickly disappeared. Howzabout a little Latin? _Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae…_ ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-christ-become-a-title/301276/13 "2005-04-28T01:16:30Z")
> [@Phase42](#): > > Howzabout a little Latin? > > _Domine Jesu Christe, Rex gloriae…_ I’m not quite sure what point you’re making, given that Latin doesn’t have a definite article.