an appellation synonymous with Messiah. The word Χριϛὸς,
signifies _anointed_, from χρίω, _I anoint_. Sometimes the word Christ
is used singly, by way of _autonomasis_, to denote a person sent from
God, as an anointed prophet, king, or priest. “Christ,” says Lactantius,
“is no proper name, but one denoting power; for the Jews used to give
this appellation to their kings, calling them Christ, or anointed, by
reason of their sacred unction.” But he adds, “The Heathens, by mistake,
call Jesus Christ, Chrestus.” Accordingly, Suetonius, speaking of
Claudius, and of his expelling the Jews from Rome, says that “he
banished them because they were continually promoting tumults, under the
influence of one Chrestus:” “_Judæos, impulsore Chresto, assiduè
tumultuantes, Româ expulit_,” taking Christ to be a proper name. The
names of Messiah and Christ were originally derived from the ceremony of
anointing, by which the kings and the high priests of God’s people, and
sometimes the prophets, 1 Kings xix, 16, were consecrated and admitted
to the exercise of their functions; for all these functions were
accounted holy among the Israelites. But the most eminent application of
the word is to that illustrious personage, typified and predicted from
the beginning, who is described by the prophets, under the character of
God’s Anointed, the Messiah, or the Christ. As to the use of the term in
the New Testament, were we to judge by the common version, or even by
most versions into modern tongues, we should receive it rather as a
proper name, than an appellative, or name of office, and should think of
it only as our Lord’s surname. To this mistake our translators have
contributed, by too seldom prefixing the article before Christ. The word
Christ was at first as much an appellative as the word Baptist, and the
one was as regularly accompanied with the article as the other. Yet our
translators, who would always say “the Baptist,” have, it should seem,
studiously avoided saying “the Christ.” The article, in such expressions
as occur in Acts xvii, 3; xviii, 5, 28, adds considerable light to them,
and yet no more than what the words of the historian manifestly convey
to every reader who understands his language. It should therefore be,
“Paul testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ,” or the Messiah,
&c. Many other similar instances occur. Should it be asked, Is the word
Christ never to be understood in the New Testament as a proper name, but
always as having a direct reference to the office or dignity? it may be
replied, that this word came at length, from the frequency of
application to one individual, and only to one, to supply the place of a
proper name. It would also very much accelerate this effect, that the
name Jesus was common among the Jews at that time, and this rendered an
addition necessary for distinguishing the person. To this purpose,
Grotius remarks, that in process of time the name Jesus was very much
dropped, and Christ, which had never been used before as the proper name
of any person, and was, for that reason, a better distinction, was
substituted for it; insomuch that, among the Heathens, our Lord came to
be more known by the latter than by the former. This use seems to have
begun soon after his ascension. During his life, it does not appear that
the word was ever used in this manner; nay, the contrary is evident from
several passages of the Gospels. The evangelists wrote some years after
the period above mentioned; and therefore they adopted the practice
common among Christians at that time, which was to employ the word as a
surname for the sake of distinction. See Matt. i, 1, 18; Mark i, 1.
signifies _anointed_, from χρίω, _I anoint_. Sometimes the word Christ
is used singly, by way of _autonomasis_, to denote a person sent from
God, as an anointed prophet, king, or priest. “Christ,” says Lactantius,
“is no proper name, but one denoting power; for the Jews used to give
this appellation to their kings, calling them Christ, or anointed, by
reason of their sacred unction.” But he adds, “The Heathens, by mistake,
call Jesus Christ, Chrestus.” Accordingly, Suetonius, speaking of
Claudius, and of his expelling the Jews from Rome, says that “he
banished them because they were continually promoting tumults, under the
influence of one Chrestus:” “_Judæos, impulsore Chresto, assiduè
tumultuantes, Româ expulit_,” taking Christ to be a proper name. The
names of Messiah and Christ were originally derived from the ceremony of
anointing, by which the kings and the high priests of God’s people, and
sometimes the prophets, 1 Kings xix, 16, were consecrated and admitted
to the exercise of their functions; for all these functions were
accounted holy among the Israelites. But the most eminent application of
the word is to that illustrious personage, typified and predicted from
the beginning, who is described by the prophets, under the character of
God’s Anointed, the Messiah, or the Christ. As to the use of the term in
the New Testament, were we to judge by the common version, or even by
most versions into modern tongues, we should receive it rather as a
proper name, than an appellative, or name of office, and should think of
it only as our Lord’s surname. To this mistake our translators have
contributed, by too seldom prefixing the article before Christ. The word
Christ was at first as much an appellative as the word Baptist, and the
one was as regularly accompanied with the article as the other. Yet our
translators, who would always say “the Baptist,” have, it should seem,
studiously avoided saying “the Christ.” The article, in such expressions
as occur in Acts xvii, 3; xviii, 5, 28, adds considerable light to them,
and yet no more than what the words of the historian manifestly convey
to every reader who understands his language. It should therefore be,
“Paul testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ,” or the Messiah,
&c. Many other similar instances occur. Should it be asked, Is the word
Christ never to be understood in the New Testament as a proper name, but
always as having a direct reference to the office or dignity? it may be
replied, that this word came at length, from the frequency of
application to one individual, and only to one, to supply the place of a
proper name. It would also very much accelerate this effect, that the
name Jesus was common among the Jews at that time, and this rendered an
addition necessary for distinguishing the person. To this purpose,
Grotius remarks, that in process of time the name Jesus was very much
dropped, and Christ, which had never been used before as the proper name
of any person, and was, for that reason, a better distinction, was
substituted for it; insomuch that, among the Heathens, our Lord came to
be more known by the latter than by the former. This use seems to have
begun soon after his ascension. During his life, it does not appear that
the word was ever used in this manner; nay, the contrary is evident from
several passages of the Gospels. The evangelists wrote some years after
the period above mentioned; and therefore they adopted the practice
common among Christians at that time, which was to employ the word as a
surname for the sake of distinction. See Matt. i, 1, 18; Mark i, 1.